Indian affairs have been escalating to crisis point throughout 1935 after a seeming cooling down between 1932 and 1934. Events within Persia cause an increase in unrest within Baluchistan and British forces sent to that crisis weaken their hold on vital points of Hindustan. Hindu nationalists take advantage to resurrect their campaign and by early 1936 Britain is diverting most of the army used for the conquest of Palestine to the Indian crisis. King Edward VIII makes a historic speech on BBC radio outlining British success in the Middle East and promising a new order for the British Empire. Made in conjunction with Cecil, this speech alarms Liberal and socialist elements within Britain ; Lloyd George publically denounces the King's interference, whilst his Liberal colleague Churchill speaks out in the Commons. Labour leader MacDonald makes a derogatory speech at a rally in London for which he is much pilloried in the press.
In Italy the Legion d'Italia (modelled on the French League Nationale) seizes power in Rome in a bloodless coup d'etat that has the tacit support of King Vittorio Emanuele III and meets with little popular protest. Italy's mood is one of frustration at the relatively poor result of the Second Great War despite the huge loss of men in Alexandretta and Syria. Few people view the acquisition of South-Western Anatolia as adequate compensation , and the French hegemony over Beirut rankles strongly as Italian influence there vanishes in the wake of the war.
The Sheriffian Arab kingdom allies officially to Britain in a wide-ranging defensive pact that gives Britain the right to construct a naval base at Jedda. Despite difficulties back home , and the unfinished nature of both the Gibraltar and Singapore constructions Cecil's government diverts monies intended for new construction of aircraft carriers to the port of Jedda. In the Commons Churchill denounces the government's 'abdication of its responsibilities for the protection of the empire in the immediate term' and recieves the backing of a number of leading publications.
Aided by Spanish auxilaries and German naval units the Portuguese monarchist government finally succeeds in defeating the last republican strongholds in the South of the country. Spain , Germany and Britain are quick to recognise the full legitimacy of the monarchy and establish full diplomatic relations with Lisbon.
In France new LN leader Laval makes a condemnatory speech, accusing the powers of Europe of going backwards rather than forwards and of Sarrail's government of being inept and inefficient. The seriously ill Sarrail attempts to intervene , sending his deputy Louis Barthou to negotiate with Laval. Sensing an opportunity and encouraged by the success of the L-d-I in Italy Laval has Barthou taken captive and leads a march on the presidential palace where the bed-ridden Sarrail is meeting in emergency session with his most trusted ministers. Paul Reynaud assumes crisis powers in his capacity as Minister of Defence as LN paramilitaries surround the palace. Military units hastily rushed to the scene from their barracks outside Paris refuse to fire on the LN masses, though a firebrand officer named De Gaulle initiates his own action with a small force of tanks under his command, driving into the crowd and forcing them back and apart. Hastily thrown-up barricades halt his advance and he is lucky to escape with his life as an LN mob storm the stationary vehicles. After a two-day stand-off Sarrail resigns and appoints Reynaud in his place. Reynaud and Laval meet in the shadow of the guns of the LN and in a scene replete with bitterness and dire warnings for the future Reynaud agrees to step down and allow 'the popular will' to triumph. September 1936 sees Laval installed as First Consul of a putative fourth republic.
Inonu defeats a Kurdish rising in the centre of the new Turkey. An opportunistic rising in Damascus seizes power for the Syrian Arabs for several months before Turkish forces are free to turn South-West and defeat them, driving the survivors into the Arabian Confederacy