Michigan dispute

  

Michigan dispute

Disputed region Other names: Peninsular dispute
Geography
Location	Michigan, North America (Anglo-America)
Area	208,073 sq km (83,352 sq mi)
Highest point	Mount Arvon 603 m (1,979 ft)
Administered by
United Commonwealth
Continental Republic	American Continental Republic
State	Michigan
Capital city	Lansing
Largest city	Detroit (639,111 (2020))
Claimed by
United Commonwealth
Citations	New Orleans Accords
Superior
States	State of Michigan

The Michigan dispute is a recurring and ongoing territorial dispute between the United Commonwealth and Superior over the region of Michigan located in the Midwest territories of Anglo-America. Situated on the northernmost area of the border between the two countries, the dispute is over the region of Michigan with Superior claiming that Michigan is rightful Superian territory that was aggressively seized by the United Commonwealth during Great War I and has been accused of being under occupation by the Continental Armed Forces. The Continental government claims Michigan as legitimate territory of the United Commonwealth and has adminstered the region since 1938, having been organized as a state within the American Continental Republic. The dispute is centered on the Michigan mainland with 208,073 square kilometers (83,352 square miles) of land being contested between both countries. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the only area of the region that remains under Superian jurisdiction and has been organized as part of the state of Uppasala.

The dispute traces its origins back to the War of Contingency where Michigan was the site of numerous battles between the young Superian state and the United Commonwealth of America (successor state of the United States) during the Superian Revolution. Michigan would be contested between pro-independence and Unionist forces with the Michigan mainland being contested between the pro-revolutionary German-American Protection Army and the pro-Unionist Federal Protection Army with factions of the Michigan National Guard siding with both combatants. The mainland was deeply contested whereas the Upper Peninsula fell into Superian hands. When the war ended in 1868 with the signing of the Christmas Accords, Superior was in full control of most of Michigan and the the subsequent Treaty of Salinas in 1869 formally declared Michigan a state of the Kingdom of Superior with the United Commonwealth recognizing it as such. While the American Commonwealth established formal diplomatic relations with Superior, Michigan was a source of internal contention and resentment within the American government and thousands of people fled the region after it was lended over to Superior due to ideological and political motivations, mainly loyalty to the former union. Between 1869 and 1938, Michigan was organized as the State of Michigan within Superior with the upper peninsular being organized into a separate state in the form of Uppasala. Michigan would industrialize and became a source of major urban development and a large working class population within cities such as Lansing and Detroit.

Come the 20th century, Michigan would be a source of conflict once again, both military and political. During the allied intervention in the Continental Revolutionary War, Superior participated in the conflict in support of the Federalist regime and Michigan was a staging ground for the deployment of troops from the Superian Royal Army and other military forces from the intervening powers. In 1919, Leo Jani organized what would become Jani's rebellion, an attempted communist revolution inspired by the Continental Revolution next door where he sought to overthrow the monarchy and establish a communist state under the guiding principles of Marxism–Landonism. During the rebellion, Michigan would be a major base of support for Jani and his forces with Detroit being his main operational headquarters until it was retaken in 1922. In 1932, Michigan was invaded by the Continental Army as part of the wider Continental invasion of Superior at the beginning of Great War I with the entire region being occupied along with Uppasala and the other nearby states of New Hanover, Lansing and others. Throughout the entire war, Michigan was under military occupation as part of the Superian Continental Republic with small bridgeheads being made by the Continental Army following the Great Plains Offensive, but Continental counter attacks into central Superior combined with war exhaustion and the capitulation of its allies in the Entente Imperiale compelled Superior to reluctanty agree to a ceasefire and later signed the New Orleans Accords on May 25, 1938, formally recognizing Michigan as part of the United Commonwealth while Uppasala and all formerly occupied lands were lended back to Superior.

Since 1938, the Michigan dispute has been an ongoing territorial dispute and the longest foreign policy dispute in Superian history. It has also been described as an "on and off again" conflict as the dispute has on several occasions beign rescinded during the tenure of certain presidents from Superior. Nicknamed "pauses", they have occured between 1938 and 1949 under Floyd B. Olsen, 1989 to 2003 as part of the New Liberal Initiative by several leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party and more recently between 2015 and 2022 under Liberal Democrat Jennifer Granholm. The dispute was officially revived in 2022 under Isaac Dillon of the United Conservative Party who formally declared Michigan rightful land of Superior under Continental occupation, a major escalation from past presidents including conservative presidents such as Alexander Ludendorff and Alexander Harper.

The Michigan dispute has been the biggest source of contention within the complicated relations between Superior and the United Commonwealth. While the federal government in Superior has relinquished its claims to Michigan on numerous occasions, many within Superior view Michigan as rightful land and support reclaiming said territory, mainly through peaceful and diplomatic means. The Superian government has often cited the Treaty of Salinas as proof of their claims over Michigan whereas the United Commonwealth cites the New Orleans Accords and the Saint Anthony Agreement from 1998 to justify their claim and ongoing administration over the region.

See also

• Territorial disputes of the United Commonwealth
• Superior–United Commonwealth relations
• Superior–United Commonwealth border
• Michigan (U.C. state)
• State of Michigan
• Continental empire