A/H Challenge: Peace in our time...

Here's my challenge: With a POD after 1:30 PM, June 28, 1914, Sarajevo time, I'd like to see non ASB options for when a reasonably stable world peace could break out.

By "reasonably stable world peace," I mean no major wars, nor any expectation of any major wars. All of the Great Powers and any super powers maintain military forces, but the chances of them being needed within 10 years is minor.

In short, end war without ending humanity--can it be done?
 
Here's my challenge: With a POD after 1:30 PM, June 28, 1914, Sarajevo time, I'd like to see non ASB options for when a reasonably stable world peace could break out.

By "reasonably stable world peace," I mean no major wars, nor any expectation of any major wars. All of the Great Powers and any super powers maintain military forces, but the chances of them being needed within 10 years is minor.

In short, end war without ending humanity--can it be done?
I think that there was a definite belief that war was likely within 10 years already.

If you modify the conditions to allow a little brinksmanship and saber-rattling, but no hot wars break out, that would be tough enough, but probably doable. I don't know how, though.
 
US avoids war, Europe fights on and eventually reaches a stalemate as neither side can achieve victory, maybe form some loose European Confederation type deal as they'd be in dire economic troubles and with a lot of damage nationally, and you may get a lasting peace from major wars.
 
US avoids war, Europe fights on and eventually reaches a stalemate as neither side can achieve victory, maybe form some loose European Confederation type deal as they'd be in dire economic troubles and with a lot of damage nationally, and you may get a lasting peace from major wars.

I think that'd count as a major conflict
 
Perpetual peace is difficult, but possible. If trade is completely free and individual rights (life, liberty and property) are respected all over the World, then you can have peace. Any other strategy (like massive assured destruction, super-states, the NU and peacekeeping missions, or balance of powers) did fail. If you want peace you have to end repressive regimes and tear down protectionism.
 
Russia decides Serbia isn't worth starting a war over and let's Austria beat on Europe's little redheaded stepchild?
 
I see WW1 being prevented by Serbia being humiliated but not ceasing to exist. The terms in the Austrian ultimatum that the Serbian state accepted clearly damaged its standing.

I guess one hopes to see gradual but eventually radical reform in Germany and Russia. At some stage Austria becomes a multi national federation.

India gradually, and unitedly gains independence.

Progressives win control of the Republican party.

Southern Ireland gets home rule. Referenda in all but 4 Ulster counties leave them under home rule. Home rule works better than expected and eventually Ireland becomes an independent dominion...

All this requires so much luck it is near asb.
 
Ok, I'll give it a shot.

2nd International decides that all socialist parties shall refuse to vote for war credits (IOTL it fell apart as socialist parties in the nationalist fervor voted for war credits in the national parliaments).

2nd International remains in place and staunchly internationalist and pacifist.

Fritz Haber suffers an accident autumn 1914 and cannot be part of the industrialisation of the Haber-Bosch process, which means Germany runs out of gunpowder by Spring 1915. At the same time, Britain and France are running out of credit and are suffering from socialist agitation taking root in their armed forces - more in the French than in the British, but still. The Germans and Austrians suffer the same problem, but hide it better.

By summer 1915 the parties meet at the negotiaton table. Serbia and Montenegro is restored, France gets Alsace and Lorraine. The Ottomans gain Kuwait and the Germans have to trade away Togo and German Southwest Africa.

Itlay remains out, USA is isolationist, Russia is shaken by revolution along the lines of 1905, but goes constitutional monarchy instead.

With the Balkans dominated by Austria, which developes economically and becomes more of a federation under Emperor Karl and Eastern Europe by Russia and Germany, you eliminate many nasty little "I want to kill my neighbour" by making them police actions against small disenfranchised terrorist cells rather than causes of war and genocide. Likewise, with a strong and reforming Ottoman Empire. muslims have something to work with rather than turn all thier hatred towards colonising powers.

A hundred years of peace after this, perhaps?
 
I think that'd count as a major conflict
World War One allowing a continued peace after is probably the best you're gonna get. It took the shock and awe of the horror in that war to implant the notion that it should be the last and, by it's horror, had to be since what could have been worse (in the minds of the people of that era).
 
World War One allowing a continued peace after is probably the best you're gonna get. It took the shock and awe of the horror in that war to implant the notion that it should be the last and, by it's horror, had to be since what could have been worse (in the minds of the people of that era).

Wait I thought this was about avoiding WW1 and conflicts thereafter, as from 1914 thats ASB
 
Sloppy writing...

I shouldn't post when I'm tired. What I was after is a stable international situation when a new war is seen as very unlikely. The POD can be whenever--after Archduke Ferdinand dies. There can be wars or crisises--but they need to be resolved with a stable, peaceful world in the end.

My first thought was for the events to lead to the brink of war, but in the end, war is narrowly averted. The various powers realize that they almost ended up at war accidently. They end up creating channels for insuring communications, s that, although war is still part of diplomacy, thre's more of an opportunity to prevent a war.

These channels work, and prevent yet another crisis from exploding into worldwide mayhem. This lasts long enough for some electoral changes, or other changes to the system, and slowly, Europe backs away from the brink.
 
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