United Kingdom

"Keep Calm and Carry On" British Motivational/Propaganda poster

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the head of the British Empire, the leader of the Commonwealth of Nations, the former hegemon of the Western World and one of the last remaining major powers that is still sane and has its head screwed on right. The Great War destroyed the British Empire's momentum and has left it in a state of crisis and decline. The Empire is overstretched and its internal structure is rotten. Now the British Empire must drag itself back from the brink of death and crush the political radicals to reinstitute sanity across the world.

## Historical Background

Prior to the Great War, the United Kingdom, at the head of the British Empire, the largest empire the world had ever seen, had established itself as the hegemon of the western world and the leading great power across the world, commanding a pivotal position in global politics and diplomacy, with its fleets patrolling the world's sea lanes, its armies keeping the dominions and colonies orderly and its government and people enjoying a golden age of sorts. The 19th century became known as "the British Century" and by the turn of said century, by all accounts, it seemed as though the next century would be no different, with the British Empire still as the leading european power driving western civilisation forwards through a steady pace of progress.

The United Kingdom, at the helm of the British Empire, entered the Great War in 1912(Verification needed) expecting it to be a quick and satisfying affair that would be done and sorted out by Christmas or, barring that, within a year or two. Oh, how fate was cruel to the British, for the Great War ended up becoming one of the greatest disasters and bloodiest tragedies ever experienced by the Western World. At Verdun, the Somme and several other battlefields, countless young British men fought and died in droves for a victory that seemed ever more vain for every year that went by. Yet the war just kept on going, with more and more people dying, with the belligerent powers resorting to ever more gruesome and horrible methods ot achieve victory and with the people growing ever more and more desperate.

The carnage and slaughter of the Great War kept grinding onwards for many years until, one day, it all finally came to an end in 1919(Verification needed). France was defeated by Germany, then Germany was defeated by Russia and when finally it seemed like peace was about to be achieved, it all came crashing down when the people of Europe, exhausted and disillusioned by the ceasless horrors, rose up in anger and overthrew their governments, precipitating a flood of revolutions that that rose and swept most of the continent to radicalism. A successful Spartakus revolution turned Germany into a socialist state, France fell to clique of artists and futurists while Russia crumbled into an unstable mess of warlords.

The British, kept safe from the carnage on the continent by their sceptered isle, were left standing over the ruins of the world they once knew and could only watch in horror as Europe descended into chaos. But the war was still not a death knell to the empire and the British even managed to seize control over a lot of territory in Africa and the Middle East following the collapse of France, Germany and the Ottoman Empire. When the United Kingdom entered the 1920s, there were signs of recovery to be seen and many hoped that they would never have to fight another war like the War Without Victors. The death of king George V in 1927 and his succession by Edward VIII marked the beginning of a new age for the British Empire.

But fate is a harsh and sometimes even cruel mistress, for this light at the end of the tunnel was abruptly extinguished in 1931 when a nationwide general strike flare up and Prime Minister Arthur Henderson was assassinated by presumed anarchists. Violence gripped the streets with riots and protests mushrooming in every city, causing cracks to appear throughout the bedrock of the entire empire. In an attempt to stabilise the situation, a snap election in 1932 brought Austen Chamberlain and the Conservative Party to power, but things would just kept getting worse. A large-scale revolt in British India mushroomed into a revolution leading to the collapse of the British Raj, the eruption of violence in Ireland and with the United Kingdom's inability to respond due to a weakening economy, the British and American stock markets crashed simultaneously in 1931 and collapsed completely in 1934, bringing about the Great Depression and more years of torturous pain.

## Current status

The British Empire in 1936 is in a state of crisis and decline. It is overstreched and its internal structure is rotten. The British economy is in a state of utter devastation after the economic crisis and the United Kingdom's dismal performance in the Great War still hangs over the nation into the present, and it is unclear if they'll ever be able to truly shake off that shared trauma as trouble brews on the horison. The British people continue to go about their lives, maintaining the Victorian belief in British Stoicism - the "stiff upper lip" of self-discipline, fortitude, and remaining calm in the face of any adversity, trying to keep their heads calm and collected and stay sane as the world descends into madness all around them.

With the national unity government unable to adress the various problems that have affected the United Kingdom and the empire over the past years, new elections have been called for in 1936. Three parties - the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and the Labour Party - all stand a chance of winning the election and competing to become the one to drag the United Kingdom out of the chaos it’s mired in. All of these parties offer alternatives for the future of the United Kingdom but they are all united in one goal; Preserve the Empire! No matter the cost!

While the empire is relatively stable for now and the coast is clear, the rising tide of madness in Europe may very well drag this struggling empire into another war against its will. If this ever comes to pass, then come hell or high water, the British Empire shall weather the storm like it has done before and emerge victorious once and for all. The German Socialists must be neutralized, the French Accelerationists shall be crushed and, should the situation require it, even the Americans across the ocean may need to be subgjutated (again) to ensure the safety and survival of the British Empire. The War Without Victors showed that liberal democracy has failed, the British Crown and Empire are the only truly enduring constants in this troubled world. The Empire shall stand eternal! RULE BRITANNIA!

## Sources

1. ↑ Red Flood Progress Report #6: Europe (Retrieved from Reddit, subreddit r/RedFloodMood)