India Unbound (American-Nazi Cold War)

Okay. After WW2, India became independent. Gandhi thought industrialization was a bad thing, and wanted lots of villages.

Nehru, OTOH, thought that india should be a modern, democratic state, but that India should limit foreign investment, set up maximum exports, messed up the banking system, and generally made a mess of things, while promoting a lot of state control. Despite this, India did fairly well.

Hmm. Let's hypothesize that the US doesn't enter WW2, although a massive lend lease is likely. We fight a pacific war, in which the Japanese lose. Thanks to butterflies, we'll say that the USSR loses without the American lend lease, pushed beyond the Volga.

So. India's independent, but weak. (It probably still has the partition mess). Indians love FDR for pushing for independence, and the USSR's system is discreditted. There's no third way; India goes into the American camp in this world's cold war, and pushes for heavy American investment, including a minor marshal plan to help build up its infrastructure.

The middle class of India will be rather larger, and might be approaching the levels of some poorer parts of the first world by the 1990's.

Hmm. Depending on how China does, does Nazi Europe=better Asia?

A strong independent India, boosted by US assistance in the 1950's would probably serve as a pillar of democracy in South Asia. I don't know what the situation in China would be like.
India might be the leading member of a NATO like alliance of countries in Asia and Oceania (named the Association of Democratic Australasian Nations or ADAN) dedicated to opposing communism and fascism. With stronger democratic intervention in Asia as a whole, you'd find more liberal democratic governments in South-East Asia as opposed to the quasi-oligarchic governments of Singapore and to a lesser extent Malaysia and the hopelessly inefficient governments of Indonesia and the Phillippines.
Would Hitler be content to stop in Egypt and Arabia? If he (or Mussolini) decides to move into sub-Saharan Africa, things could get nasty- IIRC Nehru was very keen on forging Afro-Asian ties. If India manages to industrialise properly with less corruption and American assistance it would have the potential to be a truly formidable power by the 1990's

Faeelin said:

Hmm. Let's hypothesize that the US doesn't enter WW2, although a massive lend lease is likely. We fight a pacific war, in which the Japanese lose. Thanks to butterflies, we'll say that the USSR loses without the American lend lease, pushed beyond the Volga

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I don't get it; massive lend-lease is likely but the Soviets loose through lack of lend-lease?

Matthew Craw said:

I don't get it; massive lend-lease is likely but the Soviets loose through lack of lend-lease?

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To the Brits, that is. Backing the USSR in late 41 was thought to be bad, since everyone thought they'd collapse; and without the war, the soviets are less likely to get much stuff.

Faeelin said:

To the Brits, that is. Backing the USSR in late 41 was thought to be bad, since everyone thought they'd collapse; and without the war, the soviets are less likely to get much stuff.

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well, they were on the lend lease list from August 1941, i.e. before US entry into the war, and all the arguments that prompted the US to aid the Soviets in OTL are still in force if they stay neutral.

Your POD seems to lead to the Soviets overruning Europe.

Matthew Craw said:

well, they were on the lend lease list from August 1941, i.e. before US entry into the war, and all the arguments that prompted the US to aid the Soviets in OTL are still in force if they stay neutral.

Your POD seems to lead to the Soviets overruning Europe.

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Okay, what would your POD be to achieve the goal of a german victory in the east?

Faeelin said:

Okay, what would your POD be to achieve the goal of a german victory in the east?

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If your focus is India then eliminating the Soviet example would probably have little influence, Congress was a left wing organisation in its right, and the trend towards semi-planned mercantilist economies after WWII extended far beyond the USSR.

The nature of the Indian nationalist movement must be changed into a Conservative force, somehow, I don't really see how it can be done. If it had occured earlier (a worse WWI for Britain?) the conservative forces in Indian society would have retained more influence and socialist ideology wouldn't be terribly important.

1920's

In the 1920 a [hand waved] POD leads to Britian passing a home rule bill for India, following WW1. over the next several years the Traditional force in India come to the fore, pushing the Leftist elements in the Congress party aside.

We Handwave the whole Hitler-Nazi- Japan-China the same as OTL till 08-12-1941. Hitler gets a Minor Accident and doesn't DoW on the US. FDR gets a DoW on Japan, but the Isolationists prevent one on Germany.

While Hitler is in the Hospital, the Army stops the British raids, and a Informal Ceasefire takes affect in the west. This allows more resources to the Eastern front with the Milatary in charge, [no hold at all cost orders]

Dispite the lend lease to Russia, Germany has more sucess in Russia

When the war started a Major debate broke out in India about what to do.
Large numbers of Indians enlisted in the British Indian Army and were sent to North Africa. During one of the last Bombing raids in England, Montgomery was killed, so that Indian Army General stayed in Charge in NA,

By early 1941 the British had defeated the Italians in NA. The British controlled Libya and Ethopia, and the Free French had Algeirs.

In 1942 With the Japanese attack on SouthEast Asia , India DoWed on Japan, Almost immediatily Large amonts of Lead lease started arriving in India.

By 1943 the American industrial Base was hitting it's stride. Concentrating on Ships and Landing Craft. The American's with 99% of it's focus on the Pacific, were able to go for Both the Northern & the Southern Island hopping.

In Mid '43 Sitwell was able to convenice the powers in Washinton, and in late "43, the US opened a Burma Front, With a mixture of American & India Indian Army Troops.

In '44 the US & Indian troops entered China, Headed North. Meanwile in Europe the Germans had managed to Hold the Russians just outside of Moscow for several years, the 1942 line having ended like the WW1 Trench lines. Behind the lines the Germans were starting to bring the Baltic & Ukraine Industrial & Agucultrial systems into the Fight.

By mid '44 In China the US - Indian - Nationalist- Army was approaching Japanese Manchuro, In the South the US had invaded Indonesia, & the Phillipines. In the Center the Formosa, & Okinawa and in the North Sahlikin Island and the Kuriles.

In the Fall '44 the US lanched a Sea invadsion of South Korea While its China Forces entered the North, & the Indian & Nationalist entered Manchuro.

At this point Lead lease is going- 15% England, 25% Russia, & 30% to each India & China. As the US never went up againt the Panthers or T-34's, The Sherman is still the Tank, and the Pershing is still a Designers Wish.

Given the Focus on the Pacific the Blockade of Japan was Sooner and more effective, In spring '45 Suffering from Mass starvation, with most of the cities and even the larger towns being Carpet/Fire Bombed, the militarist Gov't Collaspes and Japan Surrenders.

With a Stalemate in the East, and Germany beginning to deploy Jet Fighters, and Bombers, Churchhills Gov't collaspes, And the new Gov't enters into Peace talks with Germany

1946 opens with peace on the Western Front, Britian keeps Italian North Africa, Italy keeps Yugoslavia & Greece. Germany keeps france et al.

India keep all the US Equipment & Burma, and is starting to slip into the US Orbit.

The US is occupping Japan, Korea, & Indonesia, Britian is occuping French Indo China, Lead lease is going 25% Russia, 40% China, 25% India, 10% England, when it is stopped for all except Russia.

1947 opens with the US Converting back to a Civilian ecomony, The lose of Wartime Jobs is troubling, So the US comes up with The Marchall Plan.

Most of the Funds go to India, China, Indonesia , Korea, & Free French Algiers. By the end of 1947 US Industry, is Humming with Devolopment Sales. England isn't happy with seeing India moving Farther in the US Sphere.

1949 see the Nationalist Forces with Indian Army help defeat the Communists
It also sees Japan, start getting Marchall Plan Funds, It also sees the begining of the US-German Phase of the 90 Year War.

1952 The US-Japan sign a Peace Treaty [same as IOTL] Ending the Second World War. the US returns Sahlikin, Okinawa, & Formosa Islands to Japan. [ while retaining Major Basing Rights] The Germans and Russians sign a Formal ceasefire in Place [Basically the 1942 Trench line] Both side have a elaboate Trench system like Mirror Maigots Lines. Germany declares the Third Reich Jewish Free. India Sells the First India Built car in the US.