Inspired by...

[Conquistador]

Based on Thunderchicken's "Project in mind - post Martian Invasion Britain"  I have started thinking outside the box.


First the apologies for using Wikipedia, I am lazy today.

Now back to the subject:

While my VSF is oriented towards Spain on Venus (while the "Super-powers" scrambled for Mars Spain and the second tier powers reached out to Venus) I took a thought off Thunderchicken's thread and the comment about Europe being devastated and the Martians landing in the Eastern US...

If the Martian invasion disrupted the USA in the 1840's (date change) and Europe was affected as adversely as in the WOW book,  then the MAW might not have happened, The USA might have fallen apart into two (or more) countries, the Russians might have developed Alaska (and provided covert support to Californian Separatist groups,) and Europe's peripheral powers would have been relatively stronger than the historical super powers of the era.



In 1840 the biggest US cities were:

1840

Source data for population is available from the Census Bureau.[9]
Rank   City   State   Population   Notes
1   New York   New York   312,710   
2   Baltimore   Maryland   102,313   Baltimore is likely the second city to surpass the 100,000 population mark.
3   New Orleans   Louisiana   102,193   New Orleans' rapid growth shows the increasing importance of Mississippi River trade.
4   Philadelphia   Pennsylvania   93,665   
5   Boston   Massachusetts   93,383   
6   Cincinnati   Ohio   46,338   Listed as a town.
7   Brooklyn   New York   36,233   At this time, Brooklyn was a city.
8   Northern Liberties   Pennsylvania   34,474   Now a neighborhood in Philadelphia.
9   Albany   New York   33,721   
10   Charleston   South Carolina   29,261   Charleston lost population between the 1830 and 1840 censuses. Last appearance in the top 10.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_cities_in_the_United_States_by_population_by_decade#1840

Had the Martians landed in New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia the devastation would have been powerfully traumatic.  Given residual sectional differences from the Missouri Compromise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Compromise)

The growth of the Eastern cities would not have possibly blossomed and the first Industrial Revolution's impact on the USA might have been delayed/weakened. The historical 1850 census (showing the the growth in the North East might have been radically different.


1850

By 1850, the United States was in the midst of the First Industrial Revolution. A list of the hundred largest cities from the 1850 census is available from the Census Bureau and the source of this information.[10]
Rank   City   State   Population   Notes
1   New York   New York   515,547   
2   Baltimore   Maryland   169,054   
3   Boston   Massachusetts   136,881   
4   Philadelphia   Pennsylvania   121,376   
5   New Orleans   Louisiana   116,375   
6   Cincinnati   Ohio   115,435   
7   Brooklyn   New York   96,838   
8   St. Louis   Missouri   77,860   First Top 10 appearance of any city west of the Mississippi River.
9   District of Spring Garden   Pennsylvania   58,894   Now a neighborhood of Philadelphia.
10   Albany   New York   50,763   Last appearance in the top 10.

Have to think on that but if Spain and Russia were more respectively more committed to Mexico and the Pacific Northwest of what is currently the USA then you have a great setting for a "balkanized" America.

Have to figure out what happened to Canada and Mexico before I go too far along this train of thought but just thought I would throw that out.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Dewbakuk]

Do you want Canada and/or Mexico involved in the US fall out?

You can write them out easily based on the Europe problem. Canada can be acting with the rest of the Empire in rebuilding Britain, although if their borders were threatened they'd certainly respond with support from Oz/NZ at least and probably India. Mexico could be taken out by bringing the Maximilian Adventure period forward. France has been hit hard by the Martian invasion, and elements of the nobility have taken the offer of the Mexican nobility to relocate to Mexico and establish themselves there. Of course, they can be written in by the same token quite easily.

[Conquistador]

inspired ideas!

Muchas Gracias,

Glenn

[Thunderchicken]

Interesting idea Glenn. Could make for some good eye candy on the tabletop 

[Conquistador]

Interesting idea Glenn. Could make for some good eye candy on the tabletop 

Quite interesting Eye Candy!

Gracias,

Glenn