WI: Franz Ferdinand had lived?
The age old question. What would have happened if the Archduke survived?
Bonus points for detail.
The age old question. What would have happened if the Archduke survived?
Bonus points for detail.
WI: Franz Ferdinand had lived?
The age old question. What would have happened if the Archduke survived?
Bonus points for detail.
Even if he doesn't die after being shot, I'd assume A-H is still pretty damn infuriated at the assassination attempt. I doubt much changes.
Evading the assassination attempt would be quite easy actually.
From what I understand he only encountered the assassin while going to visit the victims of a previous assassination attempt earlier, if you make so he returns home immediately, at most they'll be pissed someone tried to kill him but not enough to declare a war since they won't be able to confirm it was carried out by Serbian nationals as the previous assassin was beaten to death by members of the crowd.
While there are many potential flashpoints, it's entirely possible that without the assassination, and without something else popping up, that you would have seen a sort of detente between Germany and Britain, if only in the sense that both had reason to fear a modernising Tsarist Russia.
Or would a link up of Germany and Russia be more likely? From a German point of view, the British don't have much to offer. Sea control becomes important only in a long war and by 1917 the "Russians will be in Berlin before we are in Paris"- at least that was the Kaiser's thought
So, an alliance with England offers Germany nothing. Peace with Russia would be the better solution. That would require uniting with the Tsar in Asia- a reorintation of Russian policy back to its pre Japanese War days. Pushing them into China or Persia