SF writer S.M. Stirling is best known for his Domination of the Draka series of alternate-history novels. In that timeline, the British win the Cape Colony during the American Revolution instead of the Napoleonic Wars, and the Americans succeed in conquering Canada. After the war, the American Loyalists (and Hessian mercenaries), instead of migrating to Canada, go to Africa. They rename the colony "Drakesland" after Francis Drake, and eventually the "Dominion of Drakesland" becomes the "Domination of the Draka." They conquer and enslave the native population, although for legal-political reasons the slaves are denominated "serfs." For the sake of putting down serf rebellions, the Draka develop a highly militaristic society, consciously modeled on ancient Sparta except that the Draka live in incredibly lavish luxury. Children are raised in military boarding schools and trained for war -- eventually they develop techniques of diet and training that make children so raised almost superhumanly strong. They eventually conquer the whole of Africa -- and then they keep conquering, having developed a culture and ideology that divides the whole of humanity into Draka and serfs -- unconquered people are merely "feral serfs." At first the divide is racial -- citizens are white, serfs are black -- but as they expand their empire, they see no reason why anyone they conquer should not be enslaved. WWII ends with them in the possession of all Europe except for the British Isles, and all the conquered Euros are tattooed with ID numbers on the neck and made serfs.
Because Stirling portrays the Draka sympathetically, including several Draka POV characters in the stories, he has been accused of Fascist tendencies, to which he responds with, "It's a dystopia, stupid."
But I don't think the same defense can be made regarding his latest and ongoing series, the Black Chamber. In that timeline, President Taft dies before the 2012 election, so the opposition to Democrat Woodrow Wilson is not split, and Roosevelt becomes the Republican nominee and wins a third term as president. The GOP is renamed the "Progressive Republican Party," and its program of New Nationalism very strongly resembles Fascism without the racism. In fact, the PRP is aggressively anti-racist, if only because enforcing blacks' voting rights allows the party to win elections in the South for the first time since Reconstruction. They also extend voting rights to women. Otherwise, military service is made compulsory for all able-bodied men. Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting is made compulsory for all boys and girls -- OK, it ain't the Hitler Youth, but still. The PRP has a party salute -- right arm straight out -- that at that time, in our own timeline, was called the "Bellamy salute" and was the way schoolchildren saluted the flag. The United States responds to the political turmoil in Mexico by conquering the country and placing under a protectorate. And the Federal Bureau of Security acts as a secret police force. However, the stories are mainly about agents of the espionage agency, the Black Chamber.
Another divergence is that Germany develops nerve gas during WWI and uses it to conquer France and Russia. (It is noted at one point that the Jews of Russia are glad to be under "civilized German administration," which from their POV is certainly an improvement on Russia's.) America soon develops the same gas, and a cold war ensues -- characterized, as in our timeline, by the sides being restrained from open war with each other by having weapons nobody dares use, for fear of retaliation in kind. The Canadian provinces apply for admission to the U.S. because Britain apparently can't protect them -- Britain having lost much of its population to nerve-gas bombardment.
The PRP government is aggressive about enforcing labor rights and some industries are nationalized. Federal power expands enormously (as, of course, does the military establishment). The only apparent resistance comes from Southern white supremacists, who in the first novel are colluding with the Germans.
The striking thing is that all this is portrayed as very beneficial to American society, and very popular. Is this plausible?
The first half of every Black Chamber novel to date -- four of them -- can be read online on Stirling's website.
Because Stirling portrays the Draka sympathetically, including several Draka POV characters in the stories, he has been accused of Fascist tendencies, to which he responds with, "It's a dystopia, stupid."
But I don't think the same defense can be made regarding his latest and ongoing series, the Black Chamber. In that timeline, President Taft dies before the 2012 election, so the opposition to Democrat Woodrow Wilson is not split, and Roosevelt becomes the Republican nominee and wins a third term as president. The GOP is renamed the "Progressive Republican Party," and its program of New Nationalism very strongly resembles Fascism without the racism. In fact, the PRP is aggressively anti-racist, if only because enforcing blacks' voting rights allows the party to win elections in the South for the first time since Reconstruction. They also extend voting rights to women. Otherwise, military service is made compulsory for all able-bodied men. Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting is made compulsory for all boys and girls -- OK, it ain't the Hitler Youth, but still. The PRP has a party salute -- right arm straight out -- that at that time, in our own timeline, was called the "Bellamy salute" and was the way schoolchildren saluted the flag. The United States responds to the political turmoil in Mexico by conquering the country and placing under a protectorate. And the Federal Bureau of Security acts as a secret police force. However, the stories are mainly about agents of the espionage agency, the Black Chamber.
Another divergence is that Germany develops nerve gas during WWI and uses it to conquer France and Russia. (It is noted at one point that the Jews of Russia are glad to be under "civilized German administration," which from their POV is certainly an improvement on Russia's.) America soon develops the same gas, and a cold war ensues -- characterized, as in our timeline, by the sides being restrained from open war with each other by having weapons nobody dares use, for fear of retaliation in kind. The Canadian provinces apply for admission to the U.S. because Britain apparently can't protect them -- Britain having lost much of its population to nerve-gas bombardment.
The PRP government is aggressive about enforcing labor rights and some industries are nationalized. Federal power expands enormously (as, of course, does the military establishment). The only apparent resistance comes from Southern white supremacists, who in the first novel are colluding with the Germans.
The striking thing is that all this is portrayed as very beneficial to American society, and very popular. Is this plausible?
The first half of every Black Chamber novel to date -- four of them -- can be read online on Stirling's website.
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