A German Conservatism

In order for this to work, I suppose we have to get rid of Hitler somehow. Imagine whatever you will--he was killed in WWI, emigrated to the US, was shanked in prison after his Putsch, whatever.

Who would have replaced him? Namely, I'm partial to any strong conservative leader without a Nazi bent but with ironclad links with the Wehrmacht. Basically, I'm interested in a TL without Hitler and the Nazi Party, with the military becoming the driving force in post-WWI German politics.

So, who would have "replaced" Hitler? What would a conservative, stratocratic Germany look like and how would it have acted? Would it have been better received by the Western powers?
 
Considering that the conservative forces were not in themselves a monolithic block, you might end up with several different things.
In any case, the leader of the military junty which couped the republic and killed the communists in the streets could have to be a hero of World War I, so that the general populace supports them. That could be

in the best case Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck :)
and in the worst case Erich Ludendorff. :(

Don't have enough time right now to put more thought into it, but I'd assume a general anti-union and anti-socialist tendency, revanchism against Poland first and foremost, then attempts to unify with Austria.
 
I assume that more conventional conservatives rule in Germany would be notices as a military threat earlier.

I also suspect that they would be much more cautious than Hitler was in OTL.
 

Redbeard

Banned
By the early 30s nationalistic conservative forces considered themselves favourites to take over in Germany, and saw Hitler as a controlable stepstone on their way to power.

Without Hitler, and certainly if we someehow have PoDed a strong Nazi party out, I think the conservatives, and with support from capital, would rule Germany in the 30s. Respect for democratic RoE would be superficial at best, and Mussolini's fascism probably a main source of inspiration. The Monarchy has a good chance of a comeback.

Crushing the communists probably would be on top of the agenda, silently applauded by the western world. I guess the conservatives would have to re-enter the Rhineland and initiate some degree of rearmament - and would be allowed to - if they abstain from naval rearmament outside what the British can agree to.

Reclaiming the German poulated areas of Danzig and Sudeten would also be on the agenda in this ATL, and would also here meet a large degree of understanding in the western world. If the Czechs and Poles are not careful, they might easily end up the loosers in the fight over global opinion. Anschluss could also happen in this ATL, but I'm not sure. Mussolini will feel more seniority and without Hitler's gamble like foreign policy I'm not sure it will happen. Hitler's personal ambitions as a former Austrian might also have been a factor.

Italy's ambitions about a new Roman Empire would probbaly be of greater concern to at least the British than German claims on obscure continental provinces. With a little more flexible German diplomacy in this ATL I could actually see the Germans gaining old territory back for supporting GB vs. the Italians. The French might be satisfied with guarantees concerning the French-German border and would not cry for the Italians.

The parliamentary democracies of Europe will be seriously challenged by various authoritarian ideas - adopted to national needs.

If this "system" will keep out of major war until around 1940, the big threat in the horizon will be the USSR, as the Soviet rearmament becomes obvious. In this context I could very well see Germany as a leading front line state in the new anti-Soviet alliance of mainly authoritarian regimes.

Regards

Steffen Redbeard
 
Well, the German conservatives of the time were clearly monarchists, militarists, and revanchists. The post-Versailles Entente would have preferred an unknown exotic clown like Hitler to a new Kaiser.

What makes you say that?

It's not like they weren't aware that the National Socialists were a militarist party bent on rearmament.
 
What makes you say that?

It's not like they weren't aware that the National Socialists were a militarist party bent on rearmament.
The conservatives and especially the military were associated with Prussia, home country of Wilhelm II., which to this day is used as a synonym for aggressive militarism.
Whereas Hitler was someone new and pretty much a blank slate.
 
The conservatives and especially the military were associated with Prussia, home country of Wilhelm II., which to this day is used as a synonym for aggressive militarism.
Whereas Hitler was someone new and pretty much a blank slate.

What about an anglo prussian anti-communist alliance? Resulting in a joined US/UK/ alliance with a non-nazi Germany during WW2? Which after Stalin goes after Poland. Slames into the USSR.
 
I think that would entirely depend on the Briths leaders - any German conservative government will attempt to do this, if only to have the Brits close both eyes while they go after Poland.
 
I think that would entirely depend on the Briths leaders - any German conservative government will attempt to do this, if only to have the Brits close both eyes while they go after Poland.

What We have to take into account here is with no threat to the Jews in Germany and W-Europe. Germany would be able to count on the brilliant jewish scientists who in OT escaped to United States and UK.

Making Germany into a threat to both the United States and the UK!
 
Because apparently the only difference between Nazis and a German run-of-the-mill military dictatorship is their relation to Jews? :confused:

The Nazis used to many resources on the race and religion issue. Imagine if these resources had been availible to the Wehrmacht insteed for fighting the war?

/Fred
 
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