# HOI4 Imperial Federation Guide
> This plan covers how to rush the Imperial Federation as the United Kingdom, including the fast fascist route and a more normal autonomy-lowering route. It is for players who want the earliest workable formation date and the tradeoffs that come with it.
- **Game:** Hearts of Iron IV
- **Category:** Nations
- **Author:** LongBeam (https://guides-factory.com/about)
- **Difficulty:** Intermediate
- **Reading time:** 10 min
- **Published:** 2026-08-29
- **Updated:** 2026-08-31
- **Tags:** Focus tree, Imperial Federation, United Kingdom, autonomy, fascist path, hoi4, puppets
- **Adapted from:** [Is The Imperial Federation Useless In Hearts Of Iron IV?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eCN42SGjSk)
- **Canonical URL:** https://guides-factory.com/guides/hoi4-imperial-federation-guide
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Forming the Imperial Federation as the United Kingdom in Hearts of Iron IV is a challenge of speed and planning. You can rush federation event in late 1939 using the fascist shortcut, or opt for a more historical approach by gradually lowering autonomy in the dominions. This guide sets out both routes, explains their tradeoffs, and helps you decide which method fits your style and the payoff you want.
## Quick answer
| What | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| Fastest route shown | 25 October 1939 |
| Mosley route | Black Shirts |
| India requirement | British Raj must be lowered |
| Key bypass focus | Commonwealth Ties |
| Autonomy tool | Supply hubs and lend-lease |
| Formation result | No cores on India |
## Choose the route you want to use
There are two main approaches to the Imperial Federation: the **fastest route using Mosley and the Black Shirts focus**, or the more **standard path where you play as the UK and manage autonomy reductions**.
The rapid method begins on the fascist branch, deliberately triggers a civil war, and leverages unique event chains to bypass much of the imperial setup. After the civil war, you can exploit the **Commonwealth Ties** focus for a quick jump to federation. This shortcut is only possible if you start on the fascist path and are willing to handle the disorder of an early civil war.
The more typical route sticks with the UK government, lowers autonomy step by step in the dominions, and plays through the intended focus tree. In this approach, you gradually build and lend-lease until your subjects reach **integrated puppet** status, then use the conference event to unlock federation. This method takes longer but is closer to historical gameplay and leaves you with a more stable empire.
Uses Mosley, Black Shirts, triggers civil war 2:36 ↗
## Trigger the civil war and bypass the setup tree
If you want to rush the Imperial Federation using the **Mosley/Black Shirts** route, you can skip much of the normal focus tree.
Splits UK, dominions remain with original British tag
Engage all dominion puppets then defeat them 2:36 ↗
This enables forming a new faction and avoiding full annexation
This focus bypasses most remaining setup requirements 2:56 ↗
## Lower subject autonomy as fast as possible
For the regular route, the main bottleneck is getting **dominion puppets** down to **integrated puppet** status. The tools for autonomy reduction are supply hub builds and lend-lease.
Can be placed even in dominions; lowers autonomy 3:51 ↗
Lend-lease is the main autonomy-lowering option 5:17 ↗
Even if limited, every build counts to autonomy 5:47 ↗
This maximizes IC spent in subjects quickly 6:44 ↗
India is often the slowest subject to knock down 8:09 ↗
## Handle India without losing the run
Skipping Indian autonomy is the fastest method. If you don't do Indian autonomy, the **British Raj** will become independent and the federation event will skip them. The **Imperial Conference** branch is where India can say no; Imperial Federation itself does not give cores on India, so annexing them later yields only non-core territory, leading to resistance.
Opting to include Indian autonomy is slower but results in a more historical federation, with India as a dominion before integration. The choice affects both the timing and the post-federation state: skipping Raj means faster formation but more problems after annexation, while including Raj delays federation but makes the empire more complete and stable.
A purely historical approach may still include Indian autonomy if you prefer a realistic Commonwealth with post-formation stability and less resistance.
## Time the Imperial Conference and Commonwealth Ties
Timing is crucial for maximizing the **Imperial Federation** benefits. The **Imperial Conference** introduces a significant minus 100 relation penalty with subjects, so after the event, relations must be raised again to unlock the federation.
Imperial Federation, when triggered, applies a **minus 3 daily autonomy progress** modifier on subjects, hastening integration. Doing the conference earlier is usually better if you are skipping India, as it starts the autonomy reduction immediately.
**Commonwealth Ties** is the specific focus that lets you bypass most setup if you follow the shortcut route. Line up the conference so that the federation decision becomes available directly after relations are repaired.
## Set expectations for the payoff
The fastest rush route shown manages the Imperial Federation by **25 October 1939**. This result was not claimed to be fully optimal—practice and small adjustments could shorten it further.
If you skip normal factory growth and spend early game on supply hubs and autonomy reduction, your starting economy will be weaker than a typical UK build. However, even with these limits, you can reach a strong industry by federation and stay viable against Germany and Italy. The focus of the rush path is speed rather than full development, so only take this route if you want a fast federation rather than a powerhouse start.
## Use a practical benchmark for a historical UK game
If you prefer a more historical, stable empire, use **25 October 1949** as a reasonable challenge date for completion. The guide's author invites players to test faster routes and report results; a viable historical UK run can still end with a functioning economy and solid global position. The goal is to find a streamlined, practical path—not just to copy the rush sequence.
A historical setup may involve letting dominions finish their focus trees for resource bonuses, and waiting longer for autonomy reduction so your post-federation empire is more prepared for world events. Consider this date a benchmark rather than a strict speedrun record.
## Also worth knowing
Before you commit
- **Holding a puppet alive is not strictly necessary.** If you reinforce the empire early and use the colonial elite path, you can bypass much of the setup without needing to keep a specific puppet in the [peace conference](/guides/hoi4-peace-conference-guide).
- **You do not need a fully balanced autonomy grind.** Several players have succeeded with a focus on convoys and factories, reaching federation before Barbarossa without the supply hub spam.
- **Building military factories in soon-to-be-core subjects gives double rewards.** Once annexed, you get both the industry and any equipment those factories produced, which can flood your frontline with gear as war begins.
- **Skipping Indian autonomy avoids resistance issues.** You can get dominions near integrated puppet without Raj if you carefully manage autonomy, but annexing India without autonomy triggers high resistance.
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## FAQ
### Do you need India for Imperial Federation?
No. The Imperial Federation can be formed without India, but India is the one subject that can slow the process down the most. If you skip Indian autonomy, the rest of the empire can reach the required puppet tiers sooner.
### What is the fastest path to Imperial Federation?
The fastest route shown uses the fascist Black Shirts path, deliberately starts the civil war, and then uses the peace conference to keep one puppet alive while bypassing the rest through Commonwealth Ties. That route can reach the formation in late 1939. A more normal historical route is slower because the dominions must be lowered to integrated puppets first.
### Can you keep building in puppets to lower their autonomy?
Yes. Building supply hubs in subject territory lowers autonomy, and lend-lease with trains and convoys also pushes it down once world tension allows it. That is why infrastructure choices in subjects matter even when they are not efficient for your own industry.