A World Without- A Timeline

A World Without

This is a timeline inspired by my "A World Without" thread. Since this is my first timeline, any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

"Every so often, there is an event which changes the world, one unknown to the rest of Humanity. An unintended consequence. This is one of those events."

October 1916, Western Europe:

An explosion.

Pain.

Agony.

This was his world, to endure this pain. He stumbled to the ground, his gun lost from his hands. Blood poured out of his leg like a babbling brook, uncaring to his screams and curses in German. In another world, it is a superficial wound, a flesh wound.

But here, now, it was something much more dangerous. Unknown to the man, a piece of metal slid through his leg and rested at the femoral artery.

A slight muscle spasm, an involuntary twitch, and the artery was severed. He struggled to get to his feet, but failed. He collapsed to the ground, covered in dust.

Weakened, he began to crawl to the trenches, desperate to find his comrades. Desperate for help.

A second is a lifetime. An hour is stretched onto eternity.

He collapsed in the field, alone.

Crying for someone.

Anyone.

As the light flickered from his tear-stricken eyes, as he saw the white light, he begged for his life to be spared.

His desperate plea was not heard.

Corporal Adolf Hitler was dead.
 
1916:

In the Battle of the Somme, a young man is killed by a piece of shrapnel severing his femoral artery. A young man named Adolf Hitler.

Almost a month after his death, the Battle of the Somme ends indecisively- the Germans are pushed back 40 miles, while the Entente enjoys a favorable tactical and strategic advantage.

Despite the amount of casualties inflicted on both sides, the Germans are not as demoralized as the British High Command originally thought.

1917:

February 1: The German government, suffering from food shortages, restarts their unrestricted submarine warfare against Entente vessels.

April 6: the Unite States formally declares war on the German reich, sending reinforcements and supplies to the weary British and French.

April 9-12: Meanwhile, a joint British-Canadian army attacked the German position at Vimy Ridge. After three brutal days, with almost 4,000 casualties for the British-Canadian divisions, Vimy is taken by the Entente.

The Entente continues to batter the Central Powers, winning in Passchendaele (at a high cost and for a tactical victory only), Cambrai and the taking of Jerusalem.

November 2: The British government issues the Balfour Declaration, and the declaration declares its intention to "view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people."

1918

March 3: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed by Germany and Russia, ending Russia's involvement in the war, freeing 33 German divisions for the Western Front.

March 21- July 18: Despite the German successes, the Spring Offensive remained a strategic German failure and ended unifying the Allied command under Ferdinand Foch. The Germans ended up with exposed positions and severely exhausted with manpower shortages.

The Entente endures through the war, as American forces help the battered British and French (who have endured four years of war), and win the battles at the Marne, Amiens and the Hundred Days Offensive. Following the Hundred Days, the Germans sign an armistice with the Entente powers on the November 11th, 1918.

The Great War was over.

1918-1925: Germany stumbles along, dealing with internal revolts (the attempt by the KPD to emulate the Russian Revolution), armed conflicts between the Freikorps and the KPD, the weight of the Treaty of Versailles and the economic pressure put on the German nation and people.

Germany needed a strong man, a man who could lead their ruined nation out of the ashes of the Great War and into the bright light of the future.

Little did they know what that strong man would bring.

1926: The Deutschnationale Volkpartei (DNVP) had been gathering strength. In the absence of the NSDAP, the DNVP had been slowly swallowing the minor right-wing parties until it itself was the sole right-wing party in the Reichstag.

1928: In the 1928 federal election, the DNVP established themselves as a power in the Reichstag. However, they do not achieve a complete majority and establish a coalition between themselves and the Zentrumpartei.

The Cabinet is comprised of:

President- Alfred Hugenberg (DNVP)
Chancellor- Franz von Papen (Z)
Ministerial Director and Head of the Bureau of the President- Otto Meißner (I)
Minister of the Interior- Theodor Duesterberg (DNVP)
Foreign Minister- Friedrich Rosen (Z)
Minister of Justice- Oskar Hergt (DNVP)
Minister of Finance- Heinrich Köhler (Z)
Minister of Economics- Heinrich Brüning (Z)
Minister of Food- Martin Schiele (DNVP)
Minister of Labour- Franz Seldte (DNVP)*
Minister of Defense- Kurt von Schleicher (I)
Minister of Transportation- Wilhelm Koch (DNVP)
Postal Minister- Paul Freiherr von Eltz-Rübenach (I)
 
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This looks interesting! A right-wing dictatorship looks ready to form, but this one will probably not be batshit insane and so out of touch with reality that it is suicidal. It is also possible that their will be a rightward swing but democracy will be maintained. Either way, you should continue.
Scipio
 
Yeah, I had figured I was going too fast in the post-war period. I'll probably end up revising the post war period, make it slower and include the next addition. Would anyone be interested in being my beta?
 
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A nice little teaser for my fans:

1934- Paris, France:

The man sat calmly in his home, a fire crackling in the hearth. His eyes flickered over the pages of the book, his pale fingers tracing lightly over the spine.

A knock at the door brought him out of his reverie. Smiling slightly, he opened the door.

His friend stood in the doorway, a smile gracing his thin lips.

"Hello, my friend." the second man began, clasping his friend's hand tightly.

"Hello, my friend. I'm so glad you could come to meet me," the first began, motioning to the seats in front of the heart, "Please, sit down. We have much to discuss, no?"

"We do. My organization is interested in...collaboration with yours." the second began bluntly.

"Are you proposing a...coalition?" the first prodded.

"I am indeed." the second confirmed.

"A grand coalition between us. To take l'assemble nationale away from those who betrayed us. Those who stabbed us in the back."

Charles Maurras stood up, stretching lithely. He extended his hand, catching his in the hand of his new friend and ally- Francois de la Rocque.

"We are now le Grand Coalition de les patriotes- the Grand Coalition of the Patriots. Let us restore la France to her rightful place. "

The two men smiled grandly, clasping each other's hands tightly. They were now bound to each other.

France would not ever be the same.

Europe would not ever be the same.
 
*Borat voice

Very nice!

In all seriousness though this is really interesting. Definitely not something that you usually see.
 
Revision of the Postwar Period and Addition

- revision -

1918-

March 21- July 18: Despite the German successes, the Spring Offensive remained a strategic German failure and ended unifying the Allied command under Ferdinand Foch. The Germans ended up with exposed positions and severely exhausted with manpower shortages.

The Entente endures through the war, as American forces help the battered British and French (who have endured four years of war), and win the battles at the Marne, Amiens and the Hundred Days Offensive. Following the Hundred Days, the Germans sign an armistice with the Entente powers on the November 11th, 1918.

The Great War was over.

1922- The British government carves off almost 80% of the Palestine Mandate and places it under the rule of the Hashemite clan. The remaining 20% of the Mandate is agreed to be the subject of the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the subsequent League of Nations laws.

Jewish immigration to Palestine reaches into the tens of thousands, particularly from Eastern Europe and Germany.

Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck is declared the Army Chief of Staff, Hermann Göring is declared the Air Chief of Staff and Karl Dönitz as the Commander-in-Chief of the Reichsmarine.

1926- The Balfour Declaration of 1926 is approved, affirming the British Dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland and Ireland) as autonomous communities within the British Empire.

1928- The Simon Commission lands in India to study constitutional reform in the Raj.

- end revision -

1929- In October 1929, the collapse of the stock exchange in New York City triggers a worldwide economic collapse, thrusting the world into the Great Depression.

1930- The Imperial Conference in the British Empire decides to begin Imperial Preference, where the Dominions would have free trade with each other but coordinate tariffs against other nations.

1931 to 1934-

Action Francaise and Croix-de-Feu, under the direction of Charles Maurras and Francois de la Rocque, band together into “le Grande Coalition de les patriotes”- the Grand Coalition of the Patriots.

6 February 1934: Various French fascist groups manage to overthrow the French government and establish a fascist dictatorship. Jean, duc de Guise, is proclaimed His Majesty Jean III of the House of Bourbon.

Most of the smaller right-wing parties are absorbed into “le Grande Coalition de les patriotes” to, as de la Rocque puts it, “to unify the far-right under a single ruler, a single ideology, a single hope and a single dream.”

1935- The Grand Coalition of Patriots assumes total control over the French Third Republic and reforms it into the French Corporatist State. Charles Maurras officially declares himself Director-President of the French State, while his partner Francois de la Rocque assumes control over the French State Council and the Senate.

Despite the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, total power lies with the Director-President and the President of the French Senate and Council.

Cabinet and Government of the French Corporatist State:

King of the French Corporatist State- His Majesty Jean III
Director-President: Charles Maurras (GCP)
President of the French Senate and Council: Francois de la Rocque (GCP)
Foreign Minister- Gaston Henry-Haye (GCP)
Minister of National Defence- Philippe Petain (GCP)
Minister of the Interior- Pierre Pucheu (GCP)
Minister of Finance and Commerce- Paul Baudaoin GCP)
Minister of Labour- Eugene Deloncle (GCP)
Minister of Food and Labour- Alexis Carrel (GCP)
Minister of Justice- Joseph Darnard (GCP)
Minister of Merchant and Military Navy- Francois Darlan (I)
Minister of Air- Joseph Vuillemin (I)
Minister of National Education- Abel Bonnard (GCP)
Minister of French Family and Veterans- Paul Touvier (GCP)
Minister of Agriculture and Supply- Henry Coston (GCP)
Minister of Colonies- Jacques Doriot (GCP)
Minister of Corporations- Francois de la Rocque (GCP)
Minister of Education and Propaganda- Marcel Bucard (GCP)
Postal Minister- Henry Coston (GCP)
Minister of Public Works and Transmissions- Pierre Étienne Flandin (I)

1936: The members of the Peel Commission set sail for Mandatory Palestine to propose changes for the British Mandate following a worse outbreak of the Arab Revolt.

11 November 1936: The Peel Commission, headed by the Earl Peel, arrives in Palestine to investigate the reasons behind the uprising.

18 January 1937: The Peel Commission returns to Britain to give the reports of their findings. According to the report, Arab allegations against the Jewish residents and their land purchases in Palestine are unfounded.

Rather than proposing partition of the Mandate into a Jewish state, an Arab state and a rump British Mandate over Jerusalem, the Commission proposed the voluntary transfer of the Arab population to Transjordan as well as the option of further partition of the Palestine Mandate.

Ultimately, the Jews accepted the option of further partition while the Arab residents of Palestine rejected it. The British government then began the arduous task of planning the voluntary transfer of Arabs to Transjordan, seen as the result of functional partition, looking at the past Arab incidents of violence against the Jewish residents.

1938: The Grand Coalition institutes the “Les lois concernant la santé raciale et politique de l'État corporatiste français” (The laws concerning the racial and political health of the French Corporatist State). Jews, Freemasons, political leftists, métèques (foreigners) and French Huguenots were now deemed “enemies of the state”, and were slowly stripped of their political and religious rights.

Some French Jews begin immigrating to Mandate Palestine to escape the Grand Coalition, while most refuse to believe what is unfolding before their eyes.

Those who do not leave will make the worst mistake of their lives.

1939- After the end of the Arab revolt in Palestine, the Arab residents of Palestine are given the option of staying in the future Jewish state or voluntarily moving to Transjordan. Most of the Arabs choose to immigrate to Arab Transjordan and the move is overseen by the League of Nations.

Camps are being constructed in rural France, under the orders of Charles Maurras. These camps will deal with the internal enemies of the State...permanently.

The world will know the true meaning of "hell on Earth" in a few years.

No one will be safe.
 
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This looks really interesting! A little confused why hitlers death would cause French fascism but an interesting perspective.
 
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Benjamin XVIII: French fascism managed to take hold due to the police failing to hold the bridge over the Seine on the 6th February. In OTL, the police and guards managed to hold the bridge and keep the right-wing parties from crossing the river. In TTL, a few police fled like cowards and caused a ripple effect among the rest of the police and guards.

Thanks for all the positive comments!
 
That sounds fairly reasonable. I was not previously aware that France had ever been in danger of fascism, or is that made up for the tl?
In any case I'm sure that it will be interesting.
 
No, it almost happened. On the 6th of February 1936, a coalition of French far-right political parties and organizations protested on a bank of the Seine river opposite the National Assembly. In OTL, they didn't cross the bridge due to the heavy police/guard presence. In TTL, when a few of the guards fled like cowards, the members of the 6 February (as it is known in TTL) broke across the river, deposed the French Third Republic and instituted the French Corporate State.

Italy, right now, is completely neutral. Italian fascism was very tolerant of everybody (even had Jewish, Muslim and (IIRC) African members of the National Fascist Party) so long as they were loyal to the Fascist State and Il Duce.

The next update I do will show how Europe is reacting to the French fascist rule and the DNVP-Zentrum coalition dictatorship.
 

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Italy passed a number of anti-jewish laws in '38

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifesto_of_Race

Two months later, the Council of Ministers passed a sweeping set of racial decrees. Signed by Mussolini, King Victor Emmanuel Ⅲ, the minister of justice and others, the Royal Decree Law of November 17, 1938 – titled “Laws for the Defense of the Race” – decreed that intermarriages between “Aryans” and “non-Aryans” were henceforth illegal (Art. 1), a law that applied equally to Jews and blacks, or any other non-Aryan people, regardless of nationality, thus forming part of a larger racial policy in the wake of Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia;[SIZE=-1]9[/SIZE] Jews could no longer perform military service in peace or wartime (Art. 10a); Jews were banned from being guardians of non-Jewish minors (Art. 10b); Jews were henceforth barred from any state employment and from owning or managing any business with more than one hundred employees or which received defense contracts (Art. 10c); Jews could no longer own land that had a taxable value of more than 5,000 lire or urban buildings worth more than 20,000 lire (Art. 10d, 10e); Jews were banned from employing domestic servants “of the Aryan race” (Art. 12); and Jews could lose legal parental control over children “who belong to a religion different from the Jewish religion, if it is demonstrated that they give them an education which does not correspond to their religious principles or to the national purpose” (Art. 11).[SIZE=-1]10[/SIZE] In addition, Italian citizenship granted to Jews after 1919 was henceforth revoked (Art. 23) and all foreign Jews – with the exception of those over sixty-five years of age or those married to Italian citizens – were ordered to leave the country within four months or be forcefully expelled (Art. 24 and 25).
Additional regulations to the “Laws for the Defense of the Race” sought the complete segregation of Jews from Italian society. On June 29, 1939, a new law banned Jews from the skilled professions, affecting some 1,599 Jewish doctors, lawyers, architects, journalists, dentists, and engineers.[SIZE=-1]11[/SIZE] Other additions included prohibitions on Jews frequenting popular vacation spots, on placing advertisements and death notices in newspapers, on owning a radio, on publishing books, on public lecturing, on having their names listed in telephone books, or on entering certain public buildings.[SIZE=-1]12 http://assets.cambridge.org/052184/1011/excerpt/0521841011_excerpt.htm[/SIZE]
 
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