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Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM |
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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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An Empire Reborn
Part 7
By Vincent Longobardi
May 6th 1968 School shutdowns spread throughout France with High School students now participating in the protests. May 7th 1968 Communication is lost with Lt. Medici’s unit which is still pinned down engaging with Rhodesian rebels. Close Air Support reports that fighting on the ground is still ongoing. May 8th 1968 Lt. Medici’s unit restores contact with command following a successful breakout attempt occurring in the early morning. Taking a large number of casualties, including Medici who was hit by shrapnel they were able to escape to safer ground and be rescued by helicopters. May 13th 1968 Over a million people in France take part in protests against the government. Union issues, education as well as the Italian occupied lands are all causes for the marches. Many young French people believe that if the government truly wanted to reclaim the French land they would be able to, but instead they prefer the status quo where they can justify increased military spending, increased security while neglecting the demand for easier access to jobs and education. Antonio Medici is airlifted back to Italy to recover from his wounds. He tells reporters that he will serve out the rest of his tour of duty and eagerly awaits his next assignment which will most likely be in one of the provinces of Eastern Europe. May 17th 1968 Strikes wrack France shutting down large sections of the economy as the crisis continues to grow. Rome gives its first statement on the situation is a warning to the free world that the Marxist Plague is still spreading and is now destroying the nation of France from the inside out. June 5th 1968 Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel by Sirhan Sirhan.. June 10th 1968 The riots in France stop almost as suddenly as they started. The government goes back to functioning relatively normally. June 20th 1968 The FBI releases their report on Fascism in American to President Johnson. The Bureau estimates that there is approximately one million members of YFM groups throughout the country. They also believe that anywhere between 2-5% of the population may be deemed sympathizers. July 25th 1968 Pope Paul VI publishes the Humanae Vitae condemning the use of birth control. July 26th 1968 While most of the western world ignores Humanae Vitae or condemns it the Grand Council of Fascists praises the Papacy for their morally upright stance against "preemptive abortion." August 20th 1968 Warsaw Pact nations invade Czechoslovakia in response to the Prague Spring liberalization of the nations politics. August 22nd 1968 The Democratic convention held in Chicago gets off to a very shaky start as anti-war protesters riot in the streets in front of the convention hall. YFM counter protesters also add to the mess and confusion with their attacks against the original protesters. The riots will continue throughout the duration of the convention. September 15th 1968 Crown Prince Vittorio and Princess Margarita are wed in holy matrimony in Rome. Dozens of heads of state are in attendance for the lavish affair. Partygoers would say that the interaction between Consul Medici and President Franco was considerably icy. September 29th 1968 Marches take place throughout Greece demanding closer ties with Rome and integration with the New Roman Empire, the Hellenic Council refuses to respond to these demands preferring to ignore them while grasping onto what little power they have left. October 2nd 1968 Ten days before the start of the Olympics, the Mexican military opens fire on and kills over 200 students who were protesting in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City. October 3rd 1968 The left leaning Peruvian General Juan Velasco Alvardo seizes power of the nation with a coup. October 11th 1968 A coup overthrows the unpopular government of Panama placing the military in charge of the nation. October 12th 1968 The Olympics begin in Mexico City. This will be the first time that non-Italian Europeans will be allowed to compete on the New Roman Empire’s team. The NRE athletes are expected to win multiple golds in the martial sports. October 27th 1968 The close of the Olympics. The NRE made a strong showing the Olympics securing over twenty gold medals and coming in third overall in medal count behind the United States and Soviet Union. As expected, Imperials secured gold medals in shooting, fencing, equestrian and the modern pentathlon. The men’s team however faired poorly in what the Empire had deemed "feminine sports" such as gymnastics and volleyball but the Imperial women’s team more than made up for this deficit. In a victory for the free Greek people’s of Cyprus, the Cypriot water polo team defeats the Greek team. Though the Cypriot team does not go on to win a medal in the event the victory over the puppet Greek government is more than enough. A small controversy erupts from France accuses the NRE athletes of being professionals. Many of the athletes are employed by the government(usually the military) and are given jobs as instructors in fields extremely similar to those they compete in. The charges are thrown out by the IOC but this will become a sticking point for the French anytime the NRE’s Olympic success comes up. November 5th 1968 Republican Presidential candidate Richard Nixon defeats the Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey. The American Fascist Party candidate George Lincoln Rockwell manages to nearly two million votes in the election. While no candidates from the Fascist Party take national office in some locales they have won local elections. November 7th 1968 The Imperial Navy starts the design process on a nuclear propelled carrier. November 10th 1968 Lt. Medici is deployed to Mussolini’s Wall to aid in the vigilant watch for Communist aggression from the east. December 24th 1968 The Apollo Program puts a spacecraft in the Moon’s orbit. January 5th 1969 The Soviets launch an unmanned probe to Venus to gather scientific data. January 6th 1969 Members of the Grand Council attempt to pressure Medici in accelerating the Imperial space program so as not to continue to fall behind. The Consul refuses these requests reaffirming his previous statements that there will be no unneeded deaths in the Italian program, the program will not be rushed and it will be the most efficient and the safest program of any of the great powers. End of Part 7.
Please visit my forum for discussion and access to new parts as they become available. http://z11.invisionfree.com/LongVinsWritingDen/index.php?
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