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Just another thought... IOTL, the Republic of German-Austria declared its independence as the Hapsburg Empire collapsed, and clearly stated its intention to join Germany. An majority of the Austrian population continued to support union, and the only reason why it didn't eventuate was because it was forbidden at Versailles. If A-H, for whatever reason, collapses, but the Central Powers have won the war, then I don't see any reason why anschluss would not be pursued.

Hindustani Person said:

Hey lads, lasses, and others! I just wanted to tell you all that i’ll be back soon and I think we might just see a new world map so get ready for the hype!

Click to expand...

Speaking of world maps... here's my idea of what the world could look like in the months before the Second World War.

View attachment 490380

Notable features include:

• My rather feeble attempts to illustrate the situation in China, Korea and Japan, where three different civil wars continue to rage.
• My similarly feeble attempts to illustrate the scenario in India and South Asia.
• How I could see borders evolving in Central and Eastern Europe through the interwar period (incl German northern Sudetenland, a very large Romania and a very angry Hungary).
• Rodzaevsky's Russia has reclaimed the Siberian Republic with almost no sound from the international community, and is now beginning to clamour for referenda in Crimea, Kuban, and eastern Ukraine.
• Much of Central Asia has slipped away from Russia, and has splintered into various nations with varying degrees of recognition.
• The Imperial Commonwealth of Britain, under Proactive rule, has been slowly integrating the dominions (an exact opposite to OTL Britain's actions) and attempting to reassert their colonial power; some, most notably Australia and New Zealand, are resisting this and calls for outright independence are increasing.
• Not that you can see it on the map, but Greece, Spain, Portugal, the Roman Republic (formerly Italy), Argentina and Chile have fallen under Romanist governments
• In a similar vein, ultra-Orthodox governments have seized power in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.
• The Turkish Nationalists have 'won' the Ottoman Civil War, with all Turkish (and Kurdish, and Armenian, but we don't talk about them) regions now under the control of the Turkish Republic; secular, democratic and doing fairly well for themselves, considering.
• The Kingdom of Arabia, however, while managing to defeat the Sultan's forces and the Wahhabis, remains plagued by instability, conflict and strife; and pretty much the entire northern third of the country has some kind of active independence movement.

Any questions? Comments?

My idea for how this would progress up until the outbreak of war:

• As Rodzaevsky becomes ever more assertive on the international stage, his demands for a renegotiation of Vilnius grow ever louder. Eventually, Germany agrees to referenda in eastern Ukraine, Kuban and Crimea, which result in all three regions rejoining Russia. (Ignore those election irregularities. I'm sure a ruthless dictator wouldn't resort to ballot stuffing and intimidation to influence an election...)
• The Japanese Emperor returns from his exile in Siberia to Japan - still in chaos - and with Russian troops and Russian weapons, sets about reconquering his nation.
• Pro-Russian revolts in Litbel erupt and the government is forced to ask for foreign assistance in quelling the violence.
• Seeing the situation closer to home intensify and grow ever closer to war, Germany withdraws all non-diplomatic support for the Chinese Empire, and orders a retreat of their own forces back to only the Shandong Peninsula.
• The Kuomintang seizes the opportunity and promptly launches a series of sucessful offensives into the territory of a country in disarray.
• France, isolated on the diplomatic stage and seeing Germany prepare for war, establishes a non-aggression pact with Russia. Secretly, they also carve out zones of influence in Germany in the event of a war, which is increasingly being seen as inevitable.
• With most revolts crushed, the Japanese Emperor returns to Tokyo. This is typically seen as the end of the Interregnum period of Japanese history. No sooner than he has established some semblance of control over his own people, he begins an invasion of China on the Liaoning Peninsula (with Russian backing).
• Meanwhile in Russia, a series of ever more violent pogroms results in Russia's Jews being rounded up and deported to the Far East - ostensibly for their own safety.
• A series of escalating diplomatic incidents, confrontations and condemnations results in a heightening of global tensions; almost universally, the question is now when, not if, a war will break out.
• The Chinese Empire, squeezed on both sides, sees Bejing fall to the Japanese. The government flees south, and begins negotiating with the Republic.
• Amidst the fraught situation, no one even notices when British troops march into the Bombay Republic and Confederation of Gujarat.
• Turkey officially concludes an alliance with Germany. Russia, seeing her link to the outside world closing off, decides now is the time to act.
• Rodzaevsky issues an ultimatum to Germany and her allies:
  • Transfer Belarus to the Russian State
  • Provide for a referendum in what remains of Ukraine on joining Russia
  • Withdraw all German forces from the Baltic states
  • Provide for the establishment of an international administration of the Bosporus and Marmara Sea region
• Germany, of course, refuses Russia's (deliberately) outrageous demands. Within half an hour of their rejection, Russian troops steamroll into Ukraine and Belarus. Kiev falls within the day. The Second World War has begun.