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The West Indies Federation, officially the Federation of the British West Indies, French Departments of Guadalupe, Martinique, and French Guiana, is a country consisting of the former British West Indies, and French Departments of Guadalupe, Martinique, and French Guiana. Its capital is located in Kingston, Jamaica.

British Guiana and French Guiana represent the mainland holdings of the Federation - British Guiana is bordered by Venezuela, Brazil, and Dutch Guiana, and French Guiana is bordered by Dutch Guiana and Brazil. The French Colony of Saint Martin (within the Department of Guadalupe) also shares the island with the Dutch Colony of Sint-Maarten. The West Indies Federation still claims the former territory of Belize, which was seized during the British Revolution by Guatemala.

History

The 1921 peace treaty between Britain and Germany left the British still in control of its colonies, but the general strike and resulting revolution meant that the colonies of the Empire were effectively cut adrift. Some, particularly in the Pacific, were occupied by Germany, but the West Indies were left a troubling matter. With growing Syndicalist revolutionaries declaring loyalty to the Communard governments of France and Britain, the Canadians proved incapable of directly controlling the colonies. This resulted in the West Indies Autonomy Act, signed on June 23rd, 1925. This gave the British West Indies official autonomy within the empire equal to the likes of Australasia.

The two immediate parties born out of the Federation were the National Consolidation led by Edward Marsh Merewether, a Conservative Party wishing to incorporate the French West Indies which were also prone to Syndicalist actives, and the Unity Party, led by Sir Gordon James Lethem, a Liberal party wishing to consolidate rule over the British West Indies before moving forward to incorporate more land. The eventual winner in August of 1925 was the National Consolidation party. They met up with the French Republic in March 1926 to discuss ownership of the French West Indies.

With Syndicalist activity rising in the location and the French proving incapable of crushing the unrest, the colonies were officially transferred in May 1926. However, with the Federation now not only having to deal with Syndicalist unrest in their own territories but also Syndicalists in the French colonies of an entirely different culture, the Federation was not left in a good state. With Syndicalist activity on a heavy rise, multiple Canadian interventions were required to keep the Federation stable. Not only that, but the topic of what status the French colonies had in the Federation was left a frozen matter, with the National Consolidation Party wanting nothing less than full incorporation which would only make issues worse.

This turned around in the 1929 election. April saw Edward Marsh Merewether resigning as the head of the National Consolidation Party and being replaced with Edward Brandis Denham. Denham proved to be much more inexperienced with West Indies politics, and the support of the National Consolidation Party was on a sharp decline. The result of this was a landslide victory of the Unity Party in August of 1929, and Lethem vowing to "Solve the French issue once and for all". Lethem then held the Cayenne Conference where he and his party met up with Félix Éboué, governor of the French West Indies and his political accomplices. The eventual agreement, known as the "Cayenne Agreement", resulted in a moderate increase of French autonomy compared to English, along with full voting rights for the French population and the ability to make political parties.

While satisfying some of the English and French population, this only served to further radicalize viewpoints on the left and right. The National Consolidation Party managed to get a re-surge in popularity among the British population which felt mistreated by the special rights for the French and gaining the support of a large amount of the right wing of the federation. The NCP follows a strict agenda of the French being completely integrated and treated on an equal level to the French. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the first French party known as the Parti pour l'Autonomie was formed in 1932. A loose coalition between French Liberals and Socialists led by Henry Lémery and Joseph Lagrosillière. United under the goal of increased autonomy of the French and English, it has a dispersed base of support all over the country but a large concentration in the French islands.

The 1933 elections were not quite as favourable for the Unity Party as the 29 elections, but them barely passing by the PA and NCP. The 1937 elections are not expected to be much better, with the Unity party's base of support slowly dwindling as their opposition grows.

Military

The West Indies military is a new creation and is very young and inexperienced. They rely heavily upon Canadian aid and use Canadian Equipment.

Army

The army is severely lacking in manpower and any form of combat experience. The main rifle used by the West Indies army is the Canadian Ontario-Enfield rifle.

Navy

The West Indies navy consists of little more than a few Weltkrieg era destroyers given to them by the Canadian Government.