IMAGI-NATIONS. PART 28

 THE AFTERMATH OF THE WAR FOR THE FEDERATION.

Following the defeat of Germany and the armistice on 11th November 1875 the UNION had secured full control of the whole of the Federation. Exhausted UNION forces were strung out along the border with Germany while the supply services rushed to provide temporary accommodation for the troops to shelter during the oncoming winter. In Seattle UNION troops took over the old German barracks amid a sullen and angry largely German civilian population. In the east UNION armies were camped in and around Boston although in that city they were greeted as the bringers of freedom.

Having learned how difficult it was to campaign without adequate railways in the vastness of the Federation the UNION gave a very high priority throughout the winter to railway construction. This had continued on the lines to Seattle and Boston with completion of both in March. Immediately reconstruction of the line between those two cities commenced. 

During the winter the UNION encouraged the Federation's existing civilian authorities to continue with normal activities. In the Boston area this policy worked well and involved the continuation of regular railway commerce with Canada. Around Seattle the usual services with Germany had ceased and complaints were frequent to UNION military command that various goods were becoming scarce and with the German markets for local food stuffs closed the economy was failing. Although UNION quartermasters purchased large quantities of goods the economic problems added to the tensions with the civilian population and caused frequent riots in the city which the UNION army had to suppress in the absence of an adequate police force, many of whom, being German, had fled with the retreating German army. However the use of UNION troops to reestablish order tended to exacerbate the whole situation.

Over the winter the UNION government grappled with the question of to what extent the army should be enlarged especially in light of how much the army had been strained to meet the demands of fighting such a strong enemy as Germany while maintaining sufficient forces to deter Russia and China. It was decided to create two new armies. 9th army would be located at a new base called  Fort Fetterman near Seattle and Fort Benning outside Boston would accommodate the new 8th army. Additionally the Government gave much thought as to how to incorporate the Federation into the UNION given the hostile population around Seattle. The conclusion was that the peace and stability of the UNION could not be maintained with such an antagonistic people within the country. It was decided to initiate a policy of ethnic cleansing as the only way of securing long term peace and security.

In Spring 1876 construction of the two new army bases commenced. The UNION armies then in the Federation were returned to their bases after absences of a year or more and 5th army from Fort Bridger near Tucson was moved to the Federation. One brigade was based in Boston while the bulk of the army moved to encampments near the German border with one brigade  stationed in Seattle to maintain law and order. 

The ethnic cleansing policy decided on by the government was based on the principle of encouraging the disaffected population around Seattle to return to Germany by using economic incentives rather than force. Accordingly it was proclaimed that the UNION government would purchase at market rates plus ten percent all the property of those who wished to move to Germany together with a lump sum payment in gold for each person who wished to move. Free transportation would also be provided. The British secured the agreement of the Germans mainly on the basis of the wealth that the returning settlers would bring with them to Germany. In addition an agreement was secured by the British with Canada for them to accept any Federation citizens who would prefer to move to that country in exchange for UNION agreement to the establishment of a Canadian embassy in Rio Diego next door to the new British embassy.  As a result of negotiations with local authorities in Seattle the property purchase premium was increased to 20%. 

The uptake of these generous terms was far greater than the UNION government expected. All together some 28% of the population of the Federation accepted the offer. This compared favorably with the independence referendum where 27% had voted against joining the UNION. During the rest of 1876 over half a million people moved mainly to Germany using trains to the border but with a large percentage going to Canada by through train to Vancouver. 

By early 1877 Seattle had become almost a ghost town with only a few inhabitants left. The UNION government now encouraged UNION citizens to move north by selling the properties it had purchased at knock down prices. At the same time UNION citizenship was granted automatically to all former citizens of the Federation from 1st January and recruitment to the UNION army was opened to these new citizens. In order to provide the large number of officers and NCO's for the new armies, soldiers currently serving in the existing armies who were marked qualified  were offered promotions into the new armies. With almost a quarter of suitable young men already opting to serve in the army it was not until late 1878 that the new armies were at full establishment. Army commanders were pleased to note that volunteers from the old Federation had come forward at a similar rate to their comrades from the south. Those volunteers however had been posted to armies south of the border just to be on the safe side.

By early 1878 the population of the old Federation had almost returned to its original number as a result of migration from the south. UNION federal buildings had been established in both Seattle and Boston bringing government services to those places. The UNION marshal service had recruited local police forces in both cities and provided suitable training.The railways connecting Seattle to Chicago and Boston to Lincoln as well as the line between Seattle and Boston had all been completed. Local trade between Boston and Canada by rail had continued although at a reduced level due to UNION made products now becoming available in Boston. In Seattle trade was developing via the new railway to the south as the new population established itself. A military railhead had been built using the old German railway from Seattle to Cologne about 40 miles from the German border in case of a need for a military campaign against Germany in the future and UNION cavalry were patrolling the border with Germany without incident.

In the far south the British sponsored port construction in Miami had been completed and British ships had started to call on the long voyages to and from Australia bringing new income and employment opportunities. It had been found necessary to secure the city to ensure British sailors remained in their prescribed areas only and the marshal service had established a strong presence to police those restrictions. The new British and Canadian embassies had been opened and although their diplomats worked under considerable restrictions as to travelling within the UNION a new trading opportunity had been identified for the export of Canadian timber to Australia via UNION railways to Miami. 

In Mexico anti terrorist operations continued but at a much lower level than in previous years. In Ukraine UNION cavalry continued to patrol towards the Russian border and south to Kiev occasionally sighting Russian patrols on the same mission. Ukrainian traders in Kiev regularly petitioned to trade with the UNION saying it was too far to use Russian markets, a question that would need to be addressed soon. On the border with China UNION cavalry patrolled far into the south of that country without incident with no sign of any Chinese attempt to reclaim the border lands.

Overall the UNION was enjoying another period of considerable economic growth and prosperity while an ever more powerful army guarded the nation against its many enemies.