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Alright gents, this is a start up for a new TL I'm going to do, which I have dubbed the "Anti-Undecided Peace" (The Undecided Peace was a rather lengthy TL I did back when).

That said...




This TL is based on the idea on a more successful (but far costlier) Entente campaign in 1918 that brings Germany to the negotiating table BEFORE the revolution and makes Wilson more arrogant.
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September 23, 1918:

Successful offensives by French, British and American forces have seen the frontlines pushed back to the pre-war German border. The situation is not without hope for Germany, as the Entente powers have paid a dreadful price for their rapid advance while Germany has lost far fewer men and is place to defend the Fatherland.

Anxious at the prospect of a more such losses, the decision is made by the Entente leadership to offer the German government an Armistice in order to discuss peace terms. The offer is made through back channels in deep secrecy.

General Ludendorff, the de facto dictator of Germany, takes the Armistice offer to General Hindenburg and after some heated discussion, Hindenburg endorses an acceptance of the Armistice offer with the stated agreement that it will not lead to an acceptance of surrender but rather as an opportunity to improve Germany's strategic position.

The German agreement to the Armistice is passed back through the back channels and reaches Entente leaders on the afternoon of September 24th. At the agreed upon time of 9 a.m. September 25th, 1918, fighting along the Western Front comes to an end.

By noon President Woodrow Wilson loudly claims that American intervention on the Western Front was THE deciding factor that brought Germany to the bargaining table. This statement puts a serious damper on American relations with the other Entente Powers.

The terms agreed upon in the Armistice require the withdrawal of German troops from Belgium, and Alsace-Lorraine while establishing a demilitarized zone along the border. The Naval Blockade remains in place around Germany on the firmest insistence of the British. There were members of the Entente leadership who greatly pushed for Germany to surrender her navy and large amounts of military materiel to Entente or neutral harbors as well as requiring Germany to renounce the Treaties of Brest-Litovsk and Bucharest but louder voices warned that such drastic demands would undo the delicate Armistice.

This cautious response came from the rather steep losses along the Front that had accompanied the equally great advances, and it was seen in most circles as wiser to pursue a more cautious course in bringing the Great War to an end and Germany 'to justice'.



October 1st-12th 1918: The delegates of the Big Four arrive at the peace conference in Paris and meet in secret to organize their demands for the peace treaty with Germany. The leaders quickly prove to have conflicting goals regarding the treaty; especially Woodrow Wilson.

At the conference, Wilson quickly (and loudly) makes his views and goals on peace with the Central Powers known not only to David Lloyd George and George Clemenceau, but the German Foreign Minister as well. Italy's Vittorio Orlando is left out of the conversations but when he finds out the content of the conversations, he is infuriated that Italy would be left out of those deliberations as it is primarily the Central Powers other than Germany that concern Italy. Somehow, the papers are informed of the developments and a firestorm erupts in the press and in public opinion.



October 18th-30th, 1918: Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire all agree to individual armistices, recognizing that the war is effectively over. Austria-Hungary proceeds to disintegrate while both Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire experience internal disorder.



November 1st, 1918: After several weeks of arguing, debating, demanding, haranguing and backroom dealing the Entente falls apart. Woodrow Wilson has been operating on the idea that it was American intervention in the war that had defeated Germany, and that America should be the leader and originator of any treaty presented to Germany. This attitude, and Wilson's stubborn refusal to accept anything but his proposed 14 Points and League of Nations causes total gridlock in advancing terms against Germany. Finally, Wilson issues an ultimatum to his erstwhile partners in Britain and France: Accept the 14 Points and the League of Nations as the terms for any treaty with Germany or the United States will withdraw all troops and support from Europe and seek a separate treaty with Germany. Clemenceau immediately calls Wilson's bluff, while Lloyd George takes only a short while before following suit.



November 5th, 1918: Wilson is outraged at the "blind arrogance" of the French and British and orders the recall of all American soldiers and support from Europe in a move that he tells papers is "an end to our foolish European adventure." In Europe, the Entente nations are stricken that Wilson would follow through with his ultimatum and find themselves in a very serious position.



November 5th - December 27th, 1918: American troops, supplies and assets are removed from Europe as per President Wilson's orders. They receive a hero's welcome when they return to the United States, and the papers tout Wilson's withdrawal from Europe as "washing our hands of the corruption and decadence of Old Europe". The adoration and support are not universal however - many Americans, including former President Theodore Roosevelt, whose son Quentin was released as part of the POW exchange included in the Armistice, excoriate Wilson in speeches and editorials from coast to coast. The President's critics argue that the rapid withdrawal from Europe abandoned all the goals and achievements that American lives had been lost to achieve.

On the other side of the Pond, British, French, and Belgian newspapers call the American withdrawal "cowardly, ill-advised, and dangerous". For the Germans, this is excellent news, and almost as soon as the Americans had committed to pulling out, the German negotiation team hardened their limit for treaty terms, further stalling any progress of the peace treaty.

The fragmenting of the Entente leadership also strengthens the resolve of Generals Ludendorff and Hindenburg to hold onto power and resist reforming the government towards more liberal lines in spite of public agitation. The Armistice brought an end to the fighting in the West but did nothing to alleviate fighting in the East where volunteers and Imperial Army units remain in combat against ethnic nationalists and revolutionaries across Eastern Europe, nor to improve the conditions in the Army or among the civilian population. Public opinion, already sour darkens steadily.



November 28th, 1918: Several prominent newspapers across Germany are raided and members of the Reichstag are arrested by Army units when they begin to protest against the government. In an edict from Generals Ludendorff and Hindenburg, political speech by the press is prohibited and the Reichstag dismissed. The Silent Dictatorship has become the official power of Germany. The Kaiser, already in seclusion is placed under de facto house arrest.
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