Tripartite Continent.
POD: The Nazis invade Switzerland in 1940 and Charles de Gaulle dies on 21 April 1943, after his plane crashed due to German sabotage of the aeroplane's separator rod. The US and Britain win the race to Berlin and USSR occupies Yugoslavia and Northern Greece.
Without de Gaulle leading the French resistance, the Americans decide to occupy the nation after the war. This lead to the French-American animosity, France would lose it's entire colonial empire as it was handed over to the UN. The French protested but had no means to retaliate. Thus leaving France with it's European holding.
The Occupation lasted until 1947, When a coalition of Socialist and communist parties won the 1947 french election the US tried to intervene and remove them from power. This lead to a brief conflict, were the People, the Military and political Parties of France united to remove their occupiers. Ironically this event led to a uptick in Nationalism, and Pied-noirs flooded into the country after the algerian government enacted legalistion targeting them, France would become the foremost right wing state in Europe.
At the same time the US occupied Switzerland using their power to end the Swiss tradition of financial privacy. This along with auditing Swiss banks to find hidden Nazi gold and help survivors of the holocaust regain their family wealth led to a massive drop of confidence in Swiss banks, leading to many looking elsewhere to place their money.
From 1947-50 France, cut off from the Marshall plan and surrounded by American puppets was quiet isolated in Europe. That all changed in 1950 when France went nuclear, defying the 1949 UN charter that limited nuclear ownership to the US, British, and the USSR.
In 1952, France would invade the Iberian Peninsula to remove the last vestige of Fascism on the continent. Installing pro French Governments in Spain and Portugal. In 1953 France also bound them to it economically creating the European Unity Zone (EUZ), alongside Andorra and Monaco, Switzerland would also join in the same year, due to economic troubles caused by American occupation.
In 1954, Greece joins the EUZ, After Turkey enters NATO, Greece's protest would fall of deaf ears. 1955 was and important year in the EUZ, as the Korean war died down North Greece would invade it's southern Brother, The EUZ would respond to Greece's call for help, over 500k French, 100k Spanish, 50k Swiss and 23k Portuguese, soldiers would fight alongside Greece.
During the war Tito would expel Soviet troops from Yugoslavia, leaidng to the Soviets invading and sponsoring ethnic conflict, the Tito would ask the EUZ for help, who obliged and opened another front in the war via Yugoslavia. The War ended in 1957 decisively in the EUZ's favour as they occupied all of Northern Greece and most the western Balkans. Yugoslavia would dissolve Into Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia, and alongside Albaia would join the EUZ. While a communist state called Yugoslavia remained on the Eastern side of the Danube River occupied by the Soviets.
The Success of the EUZ, led to Austria's membership in 1955 when the allied occupation ended. Later Israel and Cyprus would enter in 1960. In 1966, the EUZ would fight a brief war against Egypt, Syria and Jordan, with mostly Israeli, French and Greek troops on the ground. After the war the Sinai peninsula was demilitarised and the three Arab states were forced to acknowledge Israels as a Nation and their sovereignty over their lands and Finally all three were forced to settle Arabs who refused Israeli citizenship in their country.
In 1973, the European central bank was formed to create a unified currency the Euro via the merger of Banque de France, Swiss National Bank and the Central Bank of Israel, headquartered in Zurich. All 3 agreed also on a fiscal agreement, were they and other countries that adopted the Euro, had to accept to keep their spending budgets 97% of their tax revenue.
Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Andorra and Monaco, adopted Euro in 1975, Potugal in 1976, Slovenia in 1977, Albania and Kosovo in 1979 and Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia in 1980.
In 1977, after over six years of economic turmoil known as the years of lead, Italy applied for EUZ membership when the IMF refused to extend them credit. After 5 years of negotiations and austerity measures placed on them by the EUZ to cut down their national debt and Finally leaving NATO, Italy became a member in 1982, and would later adopt the Euro in 1985. San Marino and the Vatican while not members have adopted the Euro as their currency.
In 1983 the USSR started a program of reform, but that would eventually lead to it's collapse in 1988, map below is the 3 alliance
The EUZ in 1990 is the 2nd largest economy in the World behind the US and ahead of Japan. France is the nation with the the fourth largest economy in world behind the USA, Japan and USSR and Just ahead of Germany, whiel Italy has recovered from it's sevenies recession and is the 7th largest economy behind the UK. While Spain comes in 10th, behind southern China and Canada.
EUZ Members: 1988
Albania
Andorra
Austria
Croatia
Cyprus
Greece
Israel
Italy
Kosovo
Macedonia
Monaco
Portugal
Serbia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland
Map: July 21 1988 the day before the collapse of the USSR.
Red: Warsaw Pact
Blue: NATO
Green: EUZ
