Has anyone thought about what a realistic(ish) Kaiserreich could be, while still maintaining most of the original key elements?
I would think :
- British Revolution either doesn't happen or occurs as a more general pushback against the conservative monarchy, and it establishes a SocDem Republic with Liberals still being a major force.
- Russia by 1936 is either under a reactionary White figure's control, or Savinkov's faction is about to seize power. This makes Russia into more of France's right-wing mirror.
- Entente is either fully fascist or highly reactionary. Russia should almost always join the Entente, making the faction into more than the Reichspakt's lapdog.
- American Civil War is less of a three-way war, but more of a two-way war. In that Long and the Syndicalists realistically should form a kind of United Front at the start of the war to oppose the Federalists, who would in turn gain assistance from Canada and the Entente. With opposition to the current regime centralized under a single banner, a Civil War is in turn more likely. Additionally, it opens up new options for post-civil war content, as either the Longist faction or the Syndicalist faction can gain influence/power over each other.
- Not only should Germany go through Black Monday, but if it mismanages the crisis too much, Mitteleuropan puppet countries will rise up against the Reich.
- Mussolini doesn't become a socialist again (he left the socialist movement before the KR POD)
- Thus, Totalism isn't a major thing on the Left, being replaced more by general authoritarian socialism.
As someone who is still a fan of Kaiserreich's more "meme-y" paths, this as a general alternate history scenario still intrigues me alot. In your scenario is mainland France still syndicalist and the french government in exile in Africa, or is France a united republic more along the lines of this scenario's Britain?
As for the general idea, a couple of other ideas I've had:
The 2ACW would be fought between the "Populists", a coalition of various left-leaning groups including traditional Progressives, Syndicalists and Huey, and the "Nationalists" which is the moderate liberal/conservative US establishment, MacArthur, and Right-Wing groups like the WPC and KKK. The Populists would control the great plains, rustbelt, and Texas-Louisiana area while the Nationalists control the deep south, New England, and the Rockies. Floyd Olson leads the Populists as a member of the Progressive faction, but if the war goes on for too long he dies due to Stomach Cancer and Huey Long takes leadership of the Progressives and the nation (though under him they become more authoritarian). In response, socialists and communists split from the Populists and form a Socialist faction, like how in base HoI4 the Spanish Civil War can devolve into a 4-way war.
In a parallel to KR's Russia, Russia is at the start mostly controlled by Kolchak, with a small eastern state controlled by Kerensky. An event for an assassin striking Kolckhak at the beginning of the game will occur, though its the choice of the player if the assassination succeeds. All of Russia's paths lean Right, and can at best be a Wrangel-led Junta or Constitutional Monarchy, or at worst can be a Black 100s Monarchy or a Russian Hitler analog (Perhaps it would be led by Savinkov, I don't know much about him in real life and if his portrayal in KR is accurate). Kerensky's far eastern government, meanwhile, is made up of Liberals, SocDems, RadSocs, and even the remnants of some Soviets that are only united against Kolchaks Russia, with Japan reluctantly guaranteeing them since they're a good buffer.
The Austrians and Ottomans have already collapsed despite winning the war, considering how bad of a shape they were in. The Germans occupy Austria and have to manage relations with the new Hungarian State. They can either prove to be a useful ally or a sponsor for Eastern Europe anti-german terrorists. The Ottomans have lost control of their Middle East Holdings and a civil war is ongoing in Turkey, with each of the major factions being able to back a different combatant.
Is this a bit too unrealistic? Any other ideas from anyone?