~April-June 1902: An honourable peace
April 1902: The 1902 US naval program shows the continued dominance of the Mahanist doctrine in the US navy with two battleships, two armoured cruisers and only two gunboats ordered. At 16,000 tons the new battleships are a marked improvement over previous designs, while at 14,500 tons and armed with four 10" guns the armoured cruisers are effectively second rate battleships. However the estimates face a major battle in Congress, with many having reverted back to opposing large scale military expenditure.
April 1902: Filipino insurgent leader Miguel Malvar surrenders to us forces, bringing an end to widespread resistance to US rule in the Philippines. With Malvar's surrender resistance only remains in amongst the Moro people of Mindanao. This allows the bast majority of remaining US forces to be redeployed to Cuba, with the Philippines Scouts and Constabulary taking over the bulk of the suppression of the remaining resistance.
April 1902: The Plains Zebra breeding program in Britain has finally produced a domesticated subspecies, the Hertfordshire Zebra. With its resistance to tropic diseases, this new subspecies will rapidly replace mules in Africa. While a reference population of undomesticated Plains Zebras is retained, work begins on breeding a larger domesticated subspecies suitable to replace horses.
April 1902: The German military has been seriously working on draft plans for a potential war with the US since early 1900. It is recognised any such war would pose significant challenges. While the Germans are totally confident their army would easily out match any force the US could conceivable put in the field, to place an army on US soil would require command of the sea. While it is considered the German Navy, with 19 battleships in commission and ten either under construction or on order, is sufficient to defeat the US fleet, it is recognised a base for operations in the Americas would be required. Several options are suggested to rectify this, a base such as Puerto Rico, Cuba or some other colonial possession could be seized, access to a base could be negotiated with one of the independent Latin American states or possibly transfer of one of the existing European possession such as the Danish Virgin Islands could be obtained. It is understood the last two options, while far more desirable, would trigger an extremely strong US response, therefore planning begins on seize either Puerto Rico or the Danish Virgin Islands, with the Danish Virgin Islands considered the better option.
May 1902: The Venezuelan government of strongman Cipriano Castro, assuming the US Monroe Doctrine will protect him from European military intervention after President Cleveland's intervention in the Venezuelan Crisis of 1895, has failed too respond to the demands of the creditor nations and also totally suspended repayments on Venezuela's debts, putting the nation into sovereign default. German Chancellor von Bulow, seeing the potential to gain a naval base in the Americas, begins pushing for the creditor nations to impose a blockade and occupation of Venezuela's ports to ensure the Venezuelans repay their debt. While the French and Italians are amiable, the British are unwilling to participate in any such operation for fear of damaging relations with the US.
May 1902: Following the Canadian example the new Commonwealth of Australia forms the Royal Australian Navy. As with the Canadian service, the Royal Navy donates a cruiser, the Medusa, for training purposes. To form the core of the new navy two Gem class cruisers and four River class destroyers are ordered, with one of the destroyers to be built at the Australian Cockatoo Naval Dockyard.
May 1902: Italian born British subject Guglielmo Marconi successfully transmits a radio signal across the Atlantic. His success will lead eventually to the establishment of a network of high power radio stations making up a global network rivalling the current global telegraph network. Despite this, the most immediately it will result in the creation of a number of stations to transmit to ships at sea. The Germans will begin work on a global radio network in an attempt to avoid use of the British dominated telegraph system.
May 1902: With Xu Yingkai's failure to take Nanjing, Dowager Empress Cixi orders him removed from command in disgrace and replaced by the Manchu commander Guixiang. Guixiang renews the attack on Nanjing, but will prove even less successful than Xu Yingkai, repeatedly throwing his troops into futile frontal assaults on General Yin Chang's entrenched positions, achieving nothing other than heavy casualties.
May 1902: The Second Boer War is ended with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging. The treaty is negotiated between Orange Free State President Martinus Steyn, Acting Transvaal President Shaik Burger, with President Paul Kruger having gone into voluntary exile in the Netherlands, along with Boer Generals, Louis Botha, Jan Smuts, Christiaan de Wet and Koos de la Rey, with Arthur Milner and Lord Kitchener representing the British. Under its terms the Boers agree to lay down their arms and accept British sovereignty. In return the British agree to a general amnesty, eventual Boer self government, to respect the Afrikaans language and allow its use in schools and government, and respect Boer property rights and the right to private firearms ownership for hunting. The British also commit to provide £3,000,000 {£2,996,059} in reconstruction aid with the The Orange Free State and Transvaal will become the Orange River Colony and Transvaal Colony respectively. The war has been exceptionally expensive, costing the British £211,156,000 {£210,808,608} and requiring over 600,000 troops to defeat some 55,000 Boers and foreign volunteers, with over 125,000 casualties.
June 1902: The Australian federal parliament passes the Commonwealth Franchise Act, establishing a common electoral system for Australian federal elections. The act theoretically allows any male or female British Citizen who has been resident in Australia for six months to vote in federal elections, thus establishing women's suffrage. However, in line with the 'White Australia' policy, the act also specifically bars 'indigenous people' from Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific from voting with the exception of New Zealand Māori.
June 1902: For years there has been intense lobbying in the US over the location of a trans-oceanic canal between the Supporters of a route through Nicaragua and those who favour a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. Supporters of the Panama route have made much of the threat posed by the Nicaraguan stratovolcano Mt Momotombo on the shores of Lake Managua. The devastating eruption of Mt Pelée on the island of Martinique convinces most in the US Congress of the seriousness of this threat resulting in the passing of the Spooner Act authorising the construction of a canal cross the Isthmus of Panama.
June 1902: After the success of Naval raiding parties, the Guangxu Emperor authorises the formation of the Dìguó Hǎijūn Lùzhànduì (帝國海軍陸戰隊) or Imperial Marine Corps as a specialist marine unit as part of the Southern Qing Navy patterned after the British Royal Marines. This is to consist of two regular infantry battalions, one artillery battery with four mountain howitzers and five specialist Hǎijūn Lùzhànduì Tújí Duì (海軍陸戰隊突擊隊) or Marine Assault Groups. Each of these is a 142 man company with two maxim guns per unit. These are intended to operate behind enemy lines to disrupt communications and supply lines. Drawn from the very best of the Southern Qing forces, the Tuji, as these troops will usually be referred to, will soon acquire a fearsome elite reputation. While they never inflict serious damage on the Northern Qing, their activities tie down disproportionate forces in an effort to halt their operations.
June 1902: The Venezuelans seize a British merchant vessel on suspicion of shipping arms to his opponents. This, together with Venezuelan President Cipriano Castro's refusal to engage in diplomatic talks convinces Lord Salisbury's government to support the German proposal for military action, though only in the form of a blockade to pressure the Venezuelans into accepting mediation, though with the proviso the US be informed before any action is taken. This last demand is both to increase pressure on the Venezuelans and avoid any conflict with the US.
June 1902: After twenty years, the Triple Alliance between Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy is renewed for another twenty years. As part of the negotiations, the Austro-Hungarians and Italians agree they will not alter the situation in the Balkans without prior consultations between each other. However the Alliance is significantly undermined two days later when the French and Italians sign a secret agreement. Under the terms of this agreement the Italians agree to support the French claims to Morocco in return for them backing the Italian claims to Libya. Though far more important is an Italian commitment to remain neutral in the event France is attacked by Germany.
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