AH Challenge: Larger EU

So, here's my challenge. How can most of the European countries keep their large(ish) empires and still form the European Union? Also, how would this affect their larger (than OTL) colonies?
 

Skokie

Banned
I think a more cohesive solution would be to dampen the anti-colonial movements of the post-war period--both among the colonized and in US foreign policy. Empire could be seen as the only bulwark against Communism.

Without the experience of WWII and the Cold War, I don't know if the EU even makes sense. There is some precedent in OTL of an empire being part of the EU (or its early antecedent). In the fifties and sixties, France which at that time maintained a pretty decent empire was part of the European Economic Community.
 
One problem with the idea of keeping empires: they would probably be more hostile than ever with modern weaponry.
 
So, could we possibly get a WWI in the mid to late 20s that would be sufficient for making such a body, that is if it is extremely devastating?
 
I think without a huge prevailing influence to threaten the European states - as the USSR was in OTL - this is unlikely. If the European states can remain powerful in their own right then they will feel no need to unite with each other. The EU really was just a political backlash to the USSR, a coming together of Europe in the face of possible total conquest.
 
But one of the basic reasons for the EU was to avoid further large scale wars on the continent, preventing WW1 simply continues the pre WW1 attitudes to war.

That and bringing Europe together economically, Empires with large colonies don't need to be so fussed about trading with each other.
 
You can have that if the Treaty of Versailles is not as hard on the Weimar Republic as it is and then the European countries band together in order to better defend themselves from the Communist threat in the East.
 
If the German Empire wins the Great War then they would have already have formed a proto-union with their allies and satellites. Given a broken France, and an isolationist Britain, then most of Europe probably already falls into the German economic sphere. Extend this over a decade or so, and Germany is probably financing a shaky White regime in Moscow/Petrograd, as well as German companies investing in France. By the 1930s you would have some kind of quasi-EU in existence, and all the main members would be colonial powers

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
I suspect you may need a WWI to force Europeans to realize they need a proto-EU.

I think that WWI is still early enough to save the various empires ( in some form - India is going to go 'independent', but maybe as part of a tighter commonwealth.)

If there is the possibility for 'colonies' to advance to being (junior at least) members of this federation, it would help in the future. So, for instance, the 'white Dominions' might all be 'junior' members (only junior, still the Westminster conference is probably butterflied away, and none of them are truly 'independent' yet). How all that would play out in the future, who knows.

Heck, this could be the nucleus for an effective world government! You've already got all Europe, half of North America, half of Africa (and mounting), all of Oceania, south Asia, most of South East Asia.

If Brazil and the south american countries were allowed in (as ex-colonies, or as 'European' in culture), then we're well on our way to world domination...:)

If enough of the world joins, even the US might (trade trumps a lot of things).
 

Skokie

Banned
Maybe if the US and USSR are more warlike and Europe is more the third party, sort of like Gaullism on steroids. The Third World might find the protection offered by empire, if not ideal, then preferable over US and USSR aggression.
 
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