Command & Conquer History - Part 1

[First, allow me of course to say that I do not own Command & Conquer. Second, anyone that knows the regular C&C timeline will eventually see that this does not follow the canon timeline of any individual universe. This is my attempt to tie the various games into one consolidated universe, while also incorporating more historical events that may not have been altered due to the shifting nature of the timeline.]

A Recent History of Earth: 1896 – 2046

Part 1: 1896 - 1933

This listed history shall focus on the differences between the original timeline of Earth, and that of the Alternate Universe known as the “Tiberium Universe”. It will focus on history that is known to the peoples of this alternate universe, though some of the merits of these are argued by that universe’s historians.

Overall: These early years are debated by many scholars as when the Brotherhood first began to operate in the Modern Era, though GDI typically refutes these claims on the basis that they do not [officially] believe that the Brotherhood of Nod existed before roughly the 1970’s.

29 December, 1895 – 2 January, 1896: The Jameson Raid. A clash between British Raiders and Boers, in which the British South African Company attempted to spark an uprising of British workers in the Republic of South Africa, may have been the first obvious involvement of the Brotherhood of Nod. This event set the stage for the Anglo-Boer War of 1899 - 1902. It may have been a prelude to their involvement in WW1.

1896 (16 February): The Braamfontein Explosion. An event where a dynamite train exploded in Braamfontein, a suburb of Johannesburg, may have been the next test of Brotherhood operations. Documentation reveals that the mines for which this dynamite was destined already had their stockpiles of dynamite filled. The train was left on a siding for days, in very hot weather, and then a shunting engine hit the train hard enough during unloading to detonate the train. It has been theorized that the Brotherhood may have been testing their infiltration and sabotage capabilities.

1896 (April 6 – 15): The first modern Olympic games, held in Athens, Greece. Various pictures seem to show a man who appears physically similar to the leader of the Brotherhood of Nod, Kane, with a retinue of bodyguards. These pictures would seem to show him mingling with high society from across Europe. GDI wholly refutes these claims.

1897 (26 July – 2 August): The Siege of Malakand. It has been theorized that this battle was another testing of the Western Allies by the Brotherhood, using native forces to do so. The result was a British victory but was also potentially the first time that a future leader among the Allies would encounter enemies being manipulated by the Brotherhood. This leader was Winston Churchill – a Second Lieutenant at the time.

1898 (15 February): The sinking of the USS Maine. This has been argued to be a result of Brotherhood activity, with the intention of destabilizing world governments. The resulting Spanish-American war would indicate the success of such actions, if this is indeed the reality.

1903 (April 19 - 21): The first Kishinev pogrom, beginning on Easter Day, takes place in Kishinev, capital of the Bessarabia Governorate of the Russian Empire. At least 47 Jews were killed, and others injured during mob rioting encouraged by blood libel articles in the press and led by priests; these priests were seen wearing what appears to be Nod symbols.

1903 (11 June): Serbian King Alexander Obrenović and Queen Draga are assassinated in Belgrade, by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization. This may have been an early operation by the Black Hand of the Brotherhood of Nod.

1904 (18 January): Herero Revolt begins, and the Herero Wars will last until 1908. Some agitators are seen wearing familiar scorpion-tail insignia on their collars. It is also theorized by some historians that it was the largest gun smuggling operation that the Black Hand had taken up to that point.

1904 (21 October): Dogger Bank Incident. The Russian Baltic Fleet fires on British trawlers it mistakes for Japanese torpedo boats, in the North Sea. The Priest aboard the Aurora may have been responsible for the incident, as it was reported in the Aurora’s Captain’s Log that he was seen in areas of the ship, near radio equipment and speaking with some of the crewmen responsible for it. The Captain also make note of the scorpion tail pin on the priest’s Roman Collar.

1905 (5 January): Baroness Emma Orczy's play The Scarlet Pimpernel opens at the New Theatre in London, beginning a run of 122 performances and numerous revivals. A man seen mingling with the Aristocracy in attendance of the first few performances fits the description of the man (thought to be Kane by some) that was photographed at the 1896 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

1905 (26 January): Russian Revolution of 1905. At many of the locations where strikes and unrest occurred, Black Hand members were seen among the people – both willing to incite violence and fight themselves.

1905 (3 March): Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly (the Duma). Black Hand members, though often quiet about it (typically only wearing a pin on a lapel, or cufflinks) would hold seats within this assembly until 2005 – when the last of them finally lost his seat after being exposed by GDI Intelligence as a member of the Brotherhood of Nod.

1905 (27 June): Mutiny breaks out on the Russian ironclad Potemkin. Among the mutineers are numerous Black Hand members and supporters.

1905 (20 August): Sun Yat-sen, Chinese revolutionary, forms the first chapter of T'ung Meng Hui, a union of all secret societies determined to bring down the Manchu dynasty. Assisting him are, reportedly, Black Hand members from Europe who back his ideals.

1905 (28 November): Irish nationalist Arthur Griffith founds Sinn Féin in Dublin, as a political party whose goal is independence for all of Ireland. He is assisted and supported by members of the Black Hand.

1905 (7 – 18 December): Moscow Uprising & Shuliavka Republic. A Bolshevik-led revolt in Moscow is suppressed by the army. In support of the Moscow Uprising, the Council of Workers' Deputies of Kiev stages a mass uprising, establishing the Shuliavka Republic in the city, December 12–16. Both uprisings are aided by the Black Hand.

1906 (12 January): Persian Constitutional Revolution. A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah to grant a constitution, and establish a national assembly, the Majlis. Pictures from the event seem to have captured Black Hand agents among some of these leaders, acting as advisors.

1906 (30 December): The All-India Muslim League is founded as a political party in Dhaka in the British Raj; it becomes a driving force for the creation of an independent Pakistan. Black Hand agents - possibly the same that worked with the Persians - were among some of the leaders of this movement, acting as advisors.

1907 (21 February): 1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt. The main cause was the discontent of the peasants over the inequity of land ownership, which was in the hands of just a few large landowners. Following the fall of the Conservative Party government on March 12, the new Liberal government crushed the revolt violently with the help of the Romanian Army, killing thousands of peasants in the process. Agitators from the Black Hand may have been responsible for whipping people into a frenzy, and beginning the rioting in northern Moldavia, which eventually spread south.

1907 (4 March): French battleship Iéna lost due to multiple magazine explosions while in drydock. Multiple reports unable to verify cause. Black Hand agitators possibly responsible, as an act of sabotage.

1907 (11 March): The Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Dimitar Petkov, is assassinated by a member of the Black Hand in Sofia.

1908 (1 February): Lisbon Regicide. King Carlos I of Portugal and Infante Luis Filipe are shot dead in Lisbon by members of the Black Hand.

1908 (3 July): Young Turk Revolution in the Ottoman Empire: Major Ahmed Niyazi, with 200 followers (Ottoman troops and civilians), begins an open revolution by defecting from the 3rd Army Corps in Macedonia, decamping into the hill country. Black Hand agents had been sighted meeting with the Major in the months prior.

1909 (25 July – 2 August): "Tragic Week": The city of Barcelona experiences a workers' uprising, led by the Black Hand.

1910 (20 February): Boutros Ghali, the first native-born prime minister of Egypt, is assassinated. Black Hand involvement is suspected, but unproven.

1911 (10 October): The Wuchang Uprising starts the Xinhai Revolution, that leads to the founding of the Republic of China. Black Hand agents are reported to assist in the uprising and smuggle weapons to the revolutionaries.

1911 (29 December): Sun Yat-sen is elected Provisional President of the Republic of China. An aide later notes that a letter of congratulations arrived from "old friends" in Europe. It was sealed with a scorpion tail design wax seal.

1913 (24 May): Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia marries Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover in Berlin, ending the decades-long rift between the Houses of Hohenzollern and Hanover and marking the last great gathering of European sovereigns. Among the crowd is a man fitting the description of the one seen at the 1896 Olympics, and the 1905 opening of The Scarlet Pimpernel. GDI of course denies that this is Kane, but the resemblance is uncanny.

1914 (28 June): Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria: Serbian nationalist and Black Hand member, Gavrilo Princip, 19, assassinates Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Duchess Sophie, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, triggering the July Crisis and World War I. Anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo and Zagreb break out.

1914 (28 July): World War One begins.

1914 (15 September): The Maritz Rebellion of disaffected Boers against the government of the Union of South Africa begins, supported by a small contingent of the Black Hand.

1914 (28 October): Participants in the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria are sentenced at Sarajevo. Gavrilo Princip, being under 20 years of age at the time of the assassination, cannot be given the death penalty, and is given a 20-year prison sentence instead. Later that day, all participants, Princip included, escape with the aid of other, heavily armed, members of the Black Hand. It is reported that a German "Flammenwerferapparaten" (flamethrower) was among the weapons used in the breakout. After this event, the Black Hand ceases all activity in continental Europe for the duration of The Great War.

1915 (26 December): The Irish Republican Brotherhood Military Council decides to stage an Easter Rising in 1916. Members of the Black Hand are present to aid in the planning.

1916 (24-30 April): The Easter Rising occurs in Ireland. Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, with help from the Black Hand, proclaim an Irish Republic, and the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army occupy the General Post Office and other buildings in Dublin, before surrendering to the British Army.

1916 (10 June): The Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, to create a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo to Aden, is formally declared by Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. Agents of the Black Hand advise the Sharif of the Sykes–Picot Agreement, which is to divide Arab areas of the Ottoman Empire, following the conclusion of WWI and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire, into French and British spheres of influence. They are not initially believed.

1916 (22 July): Preparedness Day Bombing: In San Francisco, a bomb explodes on Market Street during a Preparedness Day parade, killing 10 and injuring 40; Warren Billings and Tom Mooney are later wrongly convicted of it. Evidence later pieced together suggests that the true culprits were members of the Black Hand – marking their first recorded operation on US soil. However, the identities of the bombers are never determined.

1916 (30 December): The mystic Grigori Rasputin is murdered in Saint Petersburg by members of the Black Hand.

1917 (19 January): Silvertown explosion. A blast at a munitions factory in London kills 73 and injures over 400; the resulting fire causes over £2,000,000 worth of damage. Information gathered after the fact seems to indicate sabotage by the Black Hand. This was apparently not the first or last of such acts. Around this time, the evidence from the Faversham Munitions Factory explosion in 1916 was finally being compiled and indicated the same. As well, the next year would see the National Shell Filling Factory, Chilwell, suffer the same fate. The Death Toll for all three tops out at 325, with many hundreds of others injured, and millions of Pounds Sterling in damages.

1917 (10 April): An ammunition factory explosion in Chester, Pennsylvania kills 133. Black Hand involvement is suspected, but unconfirmed.

1917 (21 May): Over 300 acres (73 blocks) are destroyed in the Great Atlanta fire of 1917 in the United States. Evidence at the scene seemed to indicate arson, and witnesses reported individuals that seemed to wear the patches and typical dress of the Black Hand. However, the arsonists remain unidentified.

1917 (1 July): East St. Louis riot. A labor dispute ignites a race riot in East St. Louis, Illinois, which leaves 250 dead. It would appear that the Black Hand fanned the flames, though left when the riot got going.

1917 (16-17 July): Black Hand-supported Russian troops mutiny, abandon the Austrian front, and retreat to the Ukraine; hundreds are shot by their commanding officers during the retreat.

1917 (16-18 July): July Days. Serious clashes occur in Petrograd; Vladimir Lenin escapes to Finland with a Black Hand escort; Leon Trotsky is arrested.

1917 (6 November): Black Hand Militants aiding Trotsky's committee join with trusty Bolshevik soldiers, to seize government buildings and pounce on members of the provisional government.

1917 (7 November): October Revolution in Russia. The workers of the Petrograd Soviet in Russia, led by the Bolshevik Party and leader Vladimir Lenin, with a large contingent of heavily armed Black Hand Militants, storm the Winter Palace and successfully destroy the Kerensky Provisional Government after less than eight months of rule. This immediately triggers the Russian Civil War, in which the Black Hand takes an active part on the side of the Soviets.

1917 (23 November): The Bolsheviks, at the behest of the Black Hand, release the full text of the previously secret Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916 in Izvestia and Pravda; it is printed in the Manchester Guardian on November 26. For the first time, there is proof for all the world to see that the Black Hand was not lying to the Sharif. The next time that Black Hand agents have a meeting with him, he is more willing to listen to what they have to say.

1917 (28 November): WWI. The Bolsheviks, under Black Hand advisement, offer peace terms to the Germans.

1917 (6 December): Halifax Explosion. Two freighters collide in Halifax Harbor at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and cause a huge explosion that kills at least 1,963 people, injures 9,000 and destroys part of the city (the biggest man-made explosion in recorded history until the Trinity nuclear test in 1950). It is rumored that Black Hand agents were responsible, but this is never able to be confirmed.

1918 (3 March): WWI. The Central Powers and Bolshevist Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending Russia's involvement in the war. In attendance of the signing are multiple Black Hand members. German papers make quite the fuss and well document the occasion, considering that the Black Hand’s assassination of Franz Ferdinand, and Russian’s subsequent entry into the war on Serbia’s side, is quite possibly responsible for the war taking place, not to mention so much else, and now has the ear of Russian Bolshevik Leadership. The German government, however, is more than happy to sign the treaty and be rid of an enemy. The Triple Entente by this point care little about Russia and simply nullify their former agreements with the nation in revolt.

1918 (27 August): Battle of Ambos Nogales. U.S. Army forces skirmish against Mexican Carrancistas and their Black Hand advisors at Nogales, Arizona, in the only battle of WWI fought on United States soil.

1918 (4 October): The T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion in New Jersey kills 100+, and destroys enough ammunition to supply the Western Front for 6 months. Initial reports viewed the incident as an accident. However, the remains of a Black Hand agent were found at the scene later, during the official investigation.

1918 (3 November): German Revolution. Sailors in the German fleet at Kiel mutiny, and throughout northern Germany soldiers and workers begin to establish revolutionary councils, on the Russian Soviet model, with Black Hand agents acting as advisors. Initially called traitors by the press, it would be this revolution that somewhat ironically paved the way for the Weimar Republic – a future enemy of the Soviet Union, and the Black Hand.

1919 (21 January): The Irish War of Independence begins, with veteran Black Hand units from Russia aiding in the conflict. The result of this will be different from the Irish War of Independence that we are familiar with in one key way – instead of Ireland being divided at the end of the war, thus leading to Civil War in Ireland, the war ends with a united Irish Republic. The “Government Act of Ireland” in May of 1921 is never written. Instead, the “Anglo-Irish Treaty” that would otherwise have been signed in December is bumped up to September, and recognizes the Irish Republic as being wholly independent and encompassing the entirety of the Emerald Isle.

1919 (19 November): The Treaty of Versailles fails a critical ratification vote in the United States Senate. It will never be ratified by the United States. Coincidentally, Black Hand operations seem to cease after this date, and the shadow organization seems to go underground, everywhere but Soviet Russia – where the Black Hand is acting as Special Forces for the Reds.

1923 (16 June): The Russian Civil War finally comes to a close, with the Black Hand cemented as a strong military and political force within Soviet Russia. Russia will be a safe haven for the Black Hand to work from for decades, and many agents of the Soviet intelligence services will be serving two masters – the Soviets, and the Black Hand itself, often mixing their interests, but with a core loyalty to the Black Hand rather than the Soviets.

1924 (20 December): Albert Einstein (circa 1947) arrives in the past and removes Adolf Hitler from the time stream when he is released from prison – having been sentenced to five years, and released after only one, for his acts of treason; including, but not limited to, the Beer Hall Putsch. From this point forward, history begins to rapidly divert for this timeline.

1924 – 1933: Major Events and Differences by Nation.

Germany: With Hitler removed from the timeline as of December 1924, the Nazi Party never manages to regroup, and is eventually labeled a terrorist organization for the Beer Hall Putsch. The Nazis never rise to power, and Mein Kampf is never published.

The rise and stabilization of the Weimar Republic, known officially as the German Reich, leads to a golden age in the later half of the 1920’s. A stable government and growing economy lead to the end of major civil unrest, and political maneuvering to gain close ties with the United States abroad see relief aid come that helps Germany begin repaying its debts to the Entente Powers, while also putting down Communist counter-revolutions that are supported by the Black Hand.

For the first time, the Black Hand is officially labeled an enemy of the German Reich and is hunted down throughout the country. By 1929, the Black Hand no longer has a serious presence in Germany, and strong anti-communist / anti-anarchist sentiment is a uniting force for the Reich. Unfortunately, the Great Depression does impact Germany, but a young politician named Rudolf Schultz rises to the position of Chancellor in 1933 and begins a sweeping overhaul of Germany’s infrastructure and automotive industry, providing a great many jobs. The country feels the pains of the depression, but weathers the storm, united.

Soviet Union: From records recovered from Soviet archives, it would seem that the Black Hand representation in the Soviet Duma – which in this time period was substantial – was incensed at their forced removal from the German Reich, and began pushing for military buildup in the Soviet Union.

After the Red Revolution and the Russian Civil War, the Soviets had a very negative opinion of the nations that had tried to stop their rise and were easily swayed by the war-hawkish nature of the Black Hand. However, it was not until the middle of 1929, fully six years after the end of the Russian Civil War, that the national infrastructure was capable of putting itself toward more militant endeavors. Even then, the buildup started slowly, and was not ramped up until 1933.

In the meantime, two things happened that would spur on a Russian technological revolution. The first was that Nikola Tesla, a man of impressive scientific skill – and an unfortunate amount of naiveté – began his experiments in earnest in Russia. The Soviet “Tesla technology” that would later be displayed during the following World Wars had little or nothing to do with any intentional military designs by Tesla himself, and more to do with copied and reverse engineered technology the Soviets got their hands on when Tesla left in mid-1939.

The second thing to happen was that a mysterious benefactor – a man who would come to be one of Stalin’s closest advisors, and someone thought to be a leader of the Black Hand – began giving the Soviets advanced technology. Technology that they had no right to know about, much less utilize, as early as 1933. This advanced technology was initially hidden, so as not to arouse suspicion before their ultimate goals were achieved.

United States of America & Empire of the Rising Sun: Much like our timeline, the Roaring 20’s was a time of plenty in the United States, followed by a terrible economic crash. However, unlike our timeline, the United States also had an overseas commitment to the German Republic and was suddenly strapped for cash. Fearing instability in Europe as a result of a sudden halt of aid, the United States began looking at foreign holdings that it believed it could let go of for a profit. Long story short, that pretty much amounted to all its Pacific holdings, minus Hawaii.

The Empire of the Rising Sun, ever-interested in expanding its territorial borders in the Pacific, was all too happy to buy the US Pacific Territories – which, dirty a deal as it was, included the Philippines. In 1933, the Empire paid the USA a whopping $1.5 billion for them, with the only caveats being that US Citizens within those territories would retain their US Citizenship, property, and would pay their federal taxes to the United States.

From this, numerous trade deals and a relaxation of tariffs between the two nations began, boosting the US economy, and increasing ties between the US and the Empire. US concerns over the Invasion of Manchuria were a major issue during the talks and resulted in initially strained relations during the deals. However, in the middle of 1933, Emperor Hirohito agreed to meet with an American Military Attaché – Captain Horatio Chiba, who was of mixed Japanese and British ancestry, and fluent in multiple languages, as well as knowledgeable regarding various cultures. In this cultural and linguistic knowledge was that of the Japanese language and customs.

Meeting someone so very obviously influenced by the Western Powers, and yet so well versed in both the Japanese language and culture, quickly caught the Emperor’s attention. What held it was Captain Chiba’s cunning, keen perception, and willingness to speak in a frank manner with someone so widely regarded as ‘above’ others. During initial interactions, Chiba made no attempt to make it seem as though he were anything other than a loyal US Marine, there to represent the United States and her interests. However, he also showed proper respect to the Emperor in his manner and bearing.

It was only after a series of these meetings that Chiba finally asked the Emperor to speak to him privately. Once alone, he pointed out to the Emperor that the guards and servants all seemed very nervous at the mention of it, even though there were no weapons in the room, aside from the blade that Hirohito himself had at his side. Knowing that the Emperor was the only one with a weapon should have put them at ease, but it didn’t. Even the translator, who had never once been needed – as both had been speaking in Japanese from the beginning of the talks – had tried to stay. It was then that he brought up Japan’s withdrawal from the League of Nations earlier in the year over the Lytton Report.

Despite their friendly relations to that point, Hirohito was initially angered over the mention of it, until Chiba handed him two files. The first was the Lytton Report itself – a document that Hirohito had never seen in its entirety, at least not without edits, apparently. The other was one containing a great deal of evidence gathered – including some from Japanese sources, among which were articles from Japanese newspapers that had spoken out against the Mukden Incident and the subsequent Invasion of Manchuria. As well, there were accounting records from other major Japanese papers reflecting low sales of anti-conflict articles followed by jumps in sales of pro-conflict articles – signs that sensationalism was what was getting people behind the conflict, not patriotism.

With this information in his hands, it quickly became clear to the Emperor that his Generals were going well beyond their duties, and he took Captain Chiba as an advisor, in the hopes of getting his Empire back under his control, rather than risk losing control to his military. As time wore on, it was discovered that some fairly high-ranking Japanese officers and politicians, including General Seishirō Itagaki, Prince Fumimaro Konoe, and General Hideki Tojo, were members of the Japan-based branch of the Black Hand. They were soon thrown out of their positions – the Generals being dishonorably discharged, and General Tojo being convicted of Treason that December.

With order restored, and the command structure of the Kwantung Army being sifted through with a fine-tooth comb, Emperor Hirohito ensured that the economic dealings went smoothly for both sides. The Emperor even credited Captain Chiba in a 1962 speech with “saving the Empire from a potentially disastrous fate.” The last grand act that Chiba pulled off, however, came in November of 1933, when he was able to convince the Emperor that the Empire of the Rising Sun should return to the League of Nations, and work with it to return Manchuria to the Chinese. It was not a popular move in the Empire, but the Emperor was shrewd enough to see that returning it would be more beneficial to his nation, in the long run, than trying to keep it.

However, Hirohito had one major caveat of his own – Japan would only return to the League of Nations, if the United States finally joined it.

China & the Middle East: The story in each is very much the same. While the Black Hand went mostly underground following the end of the First World War, they still retained a presence in areas where they had found friends in the past. They now used these connections for the benefit, supposedly, of the Soviet Union.

The Arab States, bitter over continued European – dominantly English and French – interference with their affairs, not to mention the backstabbing that took place after the Arab Revolt, remembered well that the Black Hand had tried to warn their leaders early on that such would happen. Thus, when the Black Hand returned, having aided in successful revolutions and independence movements in Russia, China, and Ireland, the leaders of the Arab States, including King Faisal of Iraq, were more than willing to listen to what they had to say.

In China, the story was very much the same. Knowing of their talents and influence from past experience, the Chinese welcomed the Black Hand in preparation for striking out against the Western Colonizers – as well as the Empire of the Rising Sun. It did come out that some of the military leaders responsible for the Invasion of Manchuria were Black Hand members, however, the Black Hand explained that it had been in an effort to amass weapons, men, and materials for an eventual overthrow of the Imperial Government. Later evidence would prove this unlikely, but in the moment that Chinese were accepting of the answer – so long as the Black Hand and the Soviet Union would aid them in striking back.

To that end, an agreement was reached in both locales, that if it came to war the Soviet Union would back them. Though, by the end of 1933, the manner in which this would be accomplished was not yet established. In the meantime, however, China and Iraq, as well as many other Arab nations pledged support to the Soviet Union – and with that pledge, shipments of resources began, thereby bolstering the Soviet economy, hastening their recovery, and ensuring their ability to build up a capable fighting force.