I was thinking on one of the, for a spaniard, most irritating AH clichés ("no matter the POD, there will be a Spanish Civil War in the early decades of the 20th century") when an idea stuck me.
If there is not Spanish-American war, or Spain actually decided to give more than a token effort and somehow wins, there is a chance it keeps Cuba and Puerto Rico until the great decolonizations (not a huge chance, the rebellions are not solved by a lack of war). It could even keep the Philippines, it they have some luck.
The loss of Cuba was a huge -probably THE- factor in the political insability of the next years, than ended in the Civil War. If Cuba is not lost, there is no war. But that does not save Spain from the same social motions than ended up in fascism in Europe, so it could (and probably would) end a fascist nation.
Now, for the sake of discussion, lets ignore than with a POD around 1898 World war I and II could be butterflied like the Spanish war; Europe was heading to war anyway and the industrial revolution ensures than this war will be as traumatic as the Great War even if it moves a few years.
Hitler, on the other hand, was born in 1889, before the POD, and he probably has no more artistic talent on TTL, nor is European society more pro-jewish. Cue on the alt!nazism, with an Axis Spain.
Initially my idea was about Europe, but, well, we all can guess what goes on there. Between the Regia Marina and the Armada, Gibraltar and Malta are gone. This is a problem, a huge one. But the Royal Navy is the Royal Navy. Egypt stands, Cyprus stands. Spain will lose northen Africa and probably the Canary islands to Britian and Free France soon; likewise with Italy and Lybia. Hitler is still insane and incompetent; Spain's addition is a bost at the beggining but in the end it is simply a huge coastline to unsucessfully defend against invassion. Madrid falls, Rome falls, Berlin falls, cheers for the good guys.
But now the colonial war has suddenyl gotten interesting. The Axis has bases a hundred miles of the US coasts. The US simply cannot ignore the war until Pearl Harbor.
And if Spain somehow still has the Philippines, the Pacific war has gotten a huge new twist. The Philippines are Axis. In fact, depending on which POD led to the islands remaining Spanish, one or several of the Islands could have been sold to Germany and/or the US. Germany wanted to buy then, and while Spain had not the tradidion of selling colonies, there are quite a few islands, so might sell a couple; even if they have no war, the US still wants the pacific ports -unless they lost an alt!Spanish-American war in unfriendly terms, I am sure Spain would at least sell then Guam.
But the core of the Philippines would still be Axis, so Japan has no reason to invade the islands (or, more interestingly, but for some other thread, it joins the Allies to invade them) Would the US even attack Japon, thousands of miles away, when Cuba is far more dangerous?
If there is not Spanish-American war, or Spain actually decided to give more than a token effort and somehow wins, there is a chance it keeps Cuba and Puerto Rico until the great decolonizations (not a huge chance, the rebellions are not solved by a lack of war). It could even keep the Philippines, it they have some luck.
The loss of Cuba was a huge -probably THE- factor in the political insability of the next years, than ended in the Civil War. If Cuba is not lost, there is no war. But that does not save Spain from the same social motions than ended up in fascism in Europe, so it could (and probably would) end a fascist nation.
Now, for the sake of discussion, lets ignore than with a POD around 1898 World war I and II could be butterflied like the Spanish war; Europe was heading to war anyway and the industrial revolution ensures than this war will be as traumatic as the Great War even if it moves a few years.
Hitler, on the other hand, was born in 1889, before the POD, and he probably has no more artistic talent on TTL, nor is European society more pro-jewish. Cue on the alt!nazism, with an Axis Spain.
Initially my idea was about Europe, but, well, we all can guess what goes on there. Between the Regia Marina and the Armada, Gibraltar and Malta are gone. This is a problem, a huge one. But the Royal Navy is the Royal Navy. Egypt stands, Cyprus stands. Spain will lose northen Africa and probably the Canary islands to Britian and Free France soon; likewise with Italy and Lybia. Hitler is still insane and incompetent; Spain's addition is a bost at the beggining but in the end it is simply a huge coastline to unsucessfully defend against invassion. Madrid falls, Rome falls, Berlin falls, cheers for the good guys.
But now the colonial war has suddenyl gotten interesting. The Axis has bases a hundred miles of the US coasts. The US simply cannot ignore the war until Pearl Harbor.
And if Spain somehow still has the Philippines, the Pacific war has gotten a huge new twist. The Philippines are Axis. In fact, depending on which POD led to the islands remaining Spanish, one or several of the Islands could have been sold to Germany and/or the US. Germany wanted to buy then, and while Spain had not the tradidion of selling colonies, there are quite a few islands, so might sell a couple; even if they have no war, the US still wants the pacific ports -unless they lost an alt!Spanish-American war in unfriendly terms, I am sure Spain would at least sell then Guam.
But the core of the Philippines would still be Axis, so Japan has no reason to invade the islands (or, more interestingly, but for some other thread, it joins the Allies to invade them) Would the US even attack Japon, thousands of miles away, when Cuba is far more dangerous?
