With a pod no early than 1880, how can we get a world war with a country other than Germany as the main "bad guy"?
Like, could there be a world where Britain or France rather than Germany are the 'enemy' ruled by a genocidal megalomaniac that are then crushed by the allies? Maybe Russia? Hell, maybe even a non European country like China?
Is this plausible? Or is Germany just uniquely suited to fill such a position?