Contribution 4: It all falls apart by Ended

Here you go Ed. take a break!

Omake - It all falls apart. (July - Sept, 1908)

[Germany]

Things seemed to be the same as always. The Kaiser was making his plans. Moving his navy and army around the world. Ordering new ships, weapons and war material to be produced. Like the year before and the year before that.

Except, this year there were stock market failures, bank failures, agriculture failures, import and export failures, lingering fashoda war disease deaths, strikes, homelessness, joblessness, socialist unrest, rampant emigration of people who could afford to leave the country just to name the major issues of the day.

It came to a head when the head of the German Central Bank quit. He did not resign in the normal way. Instead, on July 15th he turned up missing. The investigation found that he took most of the gold reserves of Germany with him. His family, some friends, some workers all missing with the gold.

Germany descended into chaos.

[Britain]

Things seemed to be the same as always. The navy building bigger and better ships, the army being given as little as possible. Like the year before and the year before that.

Except, this year there were stock market failures, bank failures, agriculture failures, import and export failures, lingering fashoda war disease deaths, strikes, homelessness, joblessness, socialist unrest, rampant emigration of people who could afford to leave the country just to name the major issues of the day.

And now they had pissed the Indian sub-continent off by keeping them out of the new union. No rights, increased taxes, starvation and unrest everywhere.

They revolted. Unrest everywhere. Everything shut down. No exports or imports. Dockyards and government buildings burning. It snowballed from there. The Empire depended on those Indian exports. Cheap agriculture and mineral goods, no longer moving around the world.

The British economy, already in trouble, disintegrated.

British territories around the world descended into chaos.

[USA]

Things seemed to be the same as always. Big business taking advantage of the workers. The government supporting big businesses and crushing strikers and people of unwanted ethnicity. Like the year before and the year before that.

Except, this year there were stock market failures, bank failures, agriculture failures, import and export failures, lingering fashoda war disease deaths, strikes, homelessness, joblessness, socialist unrest, rampant emigration of people who could afford to leave the country just to name the major issues of the day.

One more strike was the catalyst of America falling apart. Just a group of workers unhappy with work hours, pay, working conditions and a management staff that treated them like dirt. Except this time it was a critical ammunition plant for the army. By the time it was resolved the army's logistic train had fallen apart. Along with food supply issues the army in Mexico was unsupplied.

A push by the Mexican army snowballed. Win after win. American soldiers without proper supplies surrendering left and right. Within five weeks the entire expeditionary force in Mexico was destroyed. Ninety percent of occupied Mexico was back in the Mexican government or at least not in American hands any more.

It was a political, economic and military disaster. Everyone in power blamed everyone else.

America descended into Chaos.

[World]

July 27–28 – The 1908 Hong Kong typhoon sinks the passenger steamer Ying King, causing 421 deaths.

August 31 – The Great Storm of 1908 starts to pound the Bristol Channel, lasting into the morning of September 2

AN: World event from Wikipedia.