~Jan-June 1886: Achieving balance
January 1886: Since the Mahdist Uprising Emperor Yohannes IV of Abyssinia has been allowing Egyptian forces in Sudan to be evacuated through Abyssinian territory. This has resulted in fierce fighting between the Abyssinians and Mahdists. In retribution the Mahdists under Khalifa Abdullah Ibn-Mohammed launch an invasion of Abyssinia.
January 1886: The Federal Council of Australasia meets for the first time in Hobart. While its powers are limited and it has no mechanism for enforcing any decisions it reaches, it is hailed in the Pacific Dominions as the precursor to a full Imperial Federation.
January 1886: The Peruvian loss in the War of the Pacific has left a strong desire for revenge against the Chileans. The Peruvians have desired to rebuild their forces since their defeat, but the war has left their economy in ruins and such ideas have been well beyond their means. However, US President Blaine, seeking to build his anti Anglo-Chilean bloc in South America, offers US assistance. He proposes loans on exceptionally favourable terms to assist in rebuilding their army along with assistance in easing Peru's crippling debt from the war. The new Peruvian President Andrės Cáceres readily accepts Blaine's offer, ordering 12,000 surplus M1873 Springfield rifles in 0.45”-70 (11.6x53.5mmR) Government and several artillery pieces.
January 1886: Despite having only been in government for a little over three years, Campbell-Bannerman calls a new general election, hoping to capitalise on the enlarged franchise, favourable economic situation and goodwill generated by the relief of Khartoum to win an absolute majority. However the election once again results in a hung parliament, with the Liberals winning 320 seats, while the Conservatives take 219, Progressives 58, Irish Reform Party 51, and the Irish Home Rule Party 22 seats seats, leaving the Liberals 16 seats short of a majority. Campbell-Bannerman once again negotiates a confidence and supply agreement with Irish Reform Party. However its leader William Shaw, stung by the defection of the Parnellites, demands some firm commitment to movement on home rule. Campbell-Bannerman is able to satisfy Shaw's demands with a promise of effective Irish local government initially, with home rule to follow by the end of the parliamentary term. This agreement leads to another six Irish Reform MPs defecting to the Irish Home Rule Party. Campbell-Bannerman elects to retain Randolph Churchill as Colonial Secretary.
February 1886: Following the Guangxu Emperor's example, his three year old half brother Zaifeng is sent by his father Prince Chun to join the Emperor in Britain for his education.
February 1886: Prominent Liberal MP Charles Dilke is named as co-respondent in fellow Liberal MP Donald Crawford's divorce case. Crawford's wife Virginia does not appear in court and the only evidence is her husband's testimony reporting her alleged confession. The court finds there is no evidence to support Dilke as co-respondent but grants Crawford a decree nisi regardless, leaving Dilke's 'respectability' in question, with the journalist Thomas Stead questioning his ethics in a series of articles. Though he desires to attempt to clear his name by opposing the decree absolute, Charles Russell, his legal counsel, advises against it and he remains silent. While the scandal is temporarily damaging to his political career, it will recover within a few years.
March 1886: After requesting proposals from all major European shipbuilders, the Chileans eventually order the ships authorised in 1885 from Samuda Brothers in London, despite the French bid being lower. This results in considerable comment in the French press, with the British accused of unduly influencing the ordering process, biasing it in their favour. More significantly, the Chilean program causes alarm in Argentina and Brazil who, encouraged by the US, will order their own warships in response, sparking a South American Naval Arms Race,
April 1886: The new US administration of President Blaine, stung by the humiliation at the hands of Chile in the Panama Crisis and reiterating the intention to match the British in naval power, presents its first naval estimates. The estimates call for no less than six battleships, four monitors, again masquerading as repairs to Civil War era vessels, four armoured cruisers, six other cruisers and twenty torpedo boats, along with the establishment of a naval base in Puget Sound. Naturally this brings strong opposition in the economy minded Congress. However the humiliation at having to have backed down in the face of Chile proves vital in mustering support for the program. Eventually a revised program of two battleships and four armoured cruisers along with four monitors and eight torpedo boats, felt useful for protecting the coast. The provision for a naval base in Puget Sound is also retained, though scaled back. Ironically, the navy chooses to favour British designs for the ships, with the battleships directly designed by William John of Barrow Shipbuilding and the armoured cruisers patterned after the Brazilian ironclad Riachuelo built in Britain. While the program has been scaled back, Blaine's open declaration of his intent to challenge the dominance of the Royal Navy finally raises concerns in Britain, with many papers running articles decrying the state of the navy and calling for action.
May 1886: Since the formation of the International Working Peoples Association or Black International in 1881, the anarchist group has gained much influence in the US labour movement, agitating strongly for an eight hour work day and other reforms. In support of this goal a well organised general strike has been called. When police try to break up a rally at Heymarket Square in Chicago in support of the strike a bomb is thrown at the advancing police. In the resulting clash seven police and four demonstrators are killed. This act is portrayed as an example 'propaganda of the deed,' as advocated by the 1881 London International Anarchist Congress, leads to a massive crackdown on anarchist and labour groups in the US, with four leaders of the Black International executed for involvement in the bombing. This crackdown will all but destroy the anarchist movement in the US and much of Europe. However a number of prominent members, particularly Lucy Parsons and Johann Most will choose exile in Britain where they will continue the movement.
May 1886: In an initial attempt to keep his word to Shaw, Campbell-Bannerman introduces the Local Government (Ireland) Bill. The bill proposes to introduce directly elected local bodies throughout Ireland on the basis of the Parliamentary franchise, These new County, District and Town councils would have extensive powers, giving the Irish people a far greater say in decisions directly effecting them, ending the control of local bodies by absentee landlords. The bill is only opposed by the Conservatives and Irish Home Rule Party, thus passes easily through the Commons, as well as gathering widespread popular support at large. Fearing it is just the first step to Irish Home Rule, the Conservative dominated Lords return the bill to the Commons. The Liberals are outraged, calling for the reform or even abolition of the Lords. As with the constitutional crisis over Trevelyan's reform bill in 1884, Queen Victoria attempts to mediate a settlement. However Campbell-Bannerman is far less inclined to compromise than Trevelyan was. Eventually, with it clear Campbell-Bannerman is willing to go to the polls over the issue and likely to win, Lord Salisbury agrees to pass the bill, providing it applies to the entire United Kingdom, not only Ireland.
June 1886: In response to the Heymarket Bombing President Blaine arranges for the Mckenna Act to be passed, heavily restricting trade unions in the US. Though the act will eventually be struck down as an unconstitutional violation of free speech by the Supreme Court, it will greatly restrict the activities of the labour moment. The act prohibits strikes by workers outside a business directly involved in a dispute or strikes for 'political' reasons, allows the imprisonment of union leaders found to 'inciting violence, limits financial support for striking workers, allows for union leaders to be held directly responsible for violence which occurs during labour protests, and prohibits the involvement of anarchists in union activities or unions for exposing “anarchist principles.”
June 1886: The British begin reforming and retraining the Egyptian army. The new army is intended to include eight Egyptian and four Sudanese dual battalion infantry regiments, two dual battalion cavalry regiments, a single camel battalion, and eight artillery batteries. The new army is similar to the Indian with British officers in command of Egyptian troops. Like the Indian army however, the Egyptians will be equipped with obsolete British weapons.
