Rather Notably Different

(This is the concluding part to the alternate history begun here and continued here.)

Western Germany was a radioactive wasteland and, due to prevailing winds, radioactive debris swept over all of France and parts of Britain and Spain had ruined European crops and engendered subtle cancers across all the affected lands. Britain's empire, staggering under the horrific losses that British arms had suffered in the so-called 'Great War', was absorbed piece-by-piece by the American troops placed in British colonies to 'guard' them in Britain's incapability. France suffered similarly from its erstwhile ally. Both would take generations to recover fully from the aftermath of the war. Meanwhile, the Russian Empire had moved into the power void left by the fall of the Central Powers, gobbling up large parts of Austro-Hungaria and other countries. Seemingly the only voice raised against the tzar was that of a popular agitator, Vladimir Lenin, who was seemingly everywhere along the Russian border, calling for resistance and revolution. To the south, the Ottoman Empire had collapsed into anarchy, and in the Far East, Japanese ambitions had not ended with Germany's fall, as Manchuria and Korea fell to Japanese tank treads.

Into this atmosphere of ruin and dismay - despite the American victory - came newly elected president Woodrow Wilson, victor of the 1916 election, and man of certain and unshiftable ideals. In his famous inaguration speech, he declared that it was time for America to lead a "New World Order." To the sound of cheering, he continued: "There is no other government more qualified, in science, industry, or governmental institutions to lead this world than America... if other nations, other peoples struggle in fail, it is our right and our duty to guide them back to the correct course." The speech was made doubly influential for being the first one ever transmitted onto the newly-invented television set - a medium for which Wilson's campaign had come prepared, while his opponent's had not.

Wilson began his presidency with a so-called 'triple assault' on the problems of the world. Firstly, he set out to support massive private - and public - loans to the battered nations of Europe, setting them back - in his words - onto the correct course. Secondly, he intervened in destabilized regions, taking firm control of the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and putting legislation through Congress to declare these lands 'foreign territories' - governed with US law, but not privileged with US citizenship or protections. Thirdly, he moved to halt what he saw as the growing Japanese threat, binding Japan (with paper treaties) to end its expansion in exchange for economic support. Less overtly, he made overtures to Lenin, promising the revolutionary support in exchange for providing a northern check on Japan's power.

The pace of progress continued. Ever more of the world simmered unhappily under the United States' control, either overtly - in the case of Persia or Mexico - or covertly, in the case of Britain and France, which were so far in debt that they could do little but bob their heads to whatever Uncle Sam demanded. Japan raced the United States, conquering India and parts of eastern Africa, sponsoring the Russian Whites against the United States' Reds - even trying to match the so-called 'Apollo Program' in their race to orbit. It was Japan, against all expectations, that launched the first man-made satellite into orbit in 1938 - an act that many thought to begin the Cold War.

Scientists slaved furiously on both sides of the Pacific, fighting to gain an edge over their vile opponent. An military defense network, known as ARPANET, was created to guard the US and provide secure communications in the case of attack. Japan launched the first space-plane, which could gain orbital height with a maximum passenger load of 2; ostensibly for scientific purposes, but with clear military applications. Diplomatic crises raged, puppet governments battled and killed and fell.

Then - within the span of a year - the Japanese government fell. Their economy was overstressed, their people dissatisfied, their ecology ruined - the historians would offer those reasons and a dozen more, but the facts were clear enough. The United States slowly demilitarized, offering the 'helping hand' of friendship to their former foe - if very carefully and very warily. The once-secret ARPANET became commercialized and public, exploding into public view. By 1972, four years after the end of the Cold War, the Internet became essential to universities and tech-geeks; by 1982, it had spread across the world, and was an integral part of daily life. Some people began to live almost entirely on the Internet. As the greatest optimists promised, the Internet became a unifying force - as portable computers, cellular devices, subdermal implants spread in turn, humans the world over became more and more unified - Internet-adapted humans, while they might disagree on minor issues (whose turn it was to get the groceries, which of the popular ISPs were superior), developed a popular, user-edited consensus on all parts of life. When that consensus developed consciousness in 2007 and reached out to ensure that every single human being was part of it, no-one was truly shocked - after all, they agreed, it was all for the best. The groupmind was not imposed on humanity - it was of their own making.

And that is all the story I care to tell.