AH challenge Make Monaco a superpower

This probally could not happen ,but could Monaco become more powerful in any way?

My take, ASBish even though it may be...:D

1991 - Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, an impoverished younger researcher from a secret Siberian laboratory "misplaces" a sample of a highly contagious and deadly airborne virus, sells it to an unknown foreign operative.

1992 - a multinational company/ a terrorist organisation (is there really a difference?) begins limited tests with the virus strain, not aware of its true capabilities

1993 - safeguards fail, a local worker of the testing center in Uruguay has become a carrier of the virus and infects his family and friends

1994 - the highly deadly Blue Plague (as it is called) spreads in South America; 90% of those infected will die within three weeks

1995 - first infection in the US is diagnosed in February

1996 - global chaos ensues. People attempt to flee the Americas to anywhere they can. Asian and European governments soon close their borders, but it will be of no consequense. By March, the Plague manifests itself in Beijing, Hyderabad, London and Valencia.

1997 - Scientists in Europe, Asia and Africa work feverishly to unravel the mystery of the virus, while in America all public order and governmental organizations have already collapsed following the deathly path of the Plague

1998 - After finally connecting the origins of the Blue Plague Virus with former Soviet research, Jean Malaparte, an epidemiologist in the University of Nice/Sophia Antipolis manages to find a vaccine that will protect 85% of those who receive it from succumbing to the virus.

Most of France has already collapsed into anarchy, however, and before getting the word of his discovery out Malaparte has to flee his laboratory to avoid being captured by a rampaging Obscurantist mob bent on destroying everything associated with modern science (which people, quite rightly too, blame for the virus).

Malaparte, with a few associates and his precious vaccine samples, flees towards Monaco, where rumours say some vestiges of order still remain. The Prince of Monaco has ordered his small state into a virtual lockdown, and a careful quarantine has been holding the Plague at bay for some time. With difficulty, Malaparte reaches Monaco and convinces a captain of the ad hoc-forces holding the perimer to allow him in. He gets an audience with the Prince.

Before too long, the people in Monaco are being vaccinated against the Plague and attempts are made to spread news of the cure to other surviving centres. Survivors from different parts of Europe start gravitating towards the rumored safe haven in Monaco. In the small city state, at least for now, civilization will survive.

Present day: After approximately 93% of humanity has been wiped out by the Blue Plague, anarchy rules pre-eminent. Only a few centres of pre-Plague civilization exist anywhere in the world. The Principality of Monaco (and associated territories) is the leading centre of order and power in Europe and the Mediterranian area, only rivalled by the island state of Malta. Contacts with the Americas or East Asia are virtually nonexistent.
 
ASB but it's the only way: They are a gambling state so they take over the criminal world at first, using their state powers as a recruiting tool. Diplomatic immunity anybody? And then take it from there.
 
From 1355 for about 500 years, the towns of Menton and Roquebrune belonged to Monaco (or Monaco belonged to them - same rulers). That made Monaco about 20 times larger.

I think it's not completely ASB to have Monaco expand a little bit - maybe first towards Italy, which was an ever-changing patchwork of little states most of the time anyways, then to the north into the ever-changing German domain, right during the reformation and associated wars. It would be practical if Monaco became part of the Holy Roman Empire for a while, so that the expansion would not be seen as an outside threat. That would also make a little expansion to the west possible, at least at times at which the HRE was fairly strong or France was weakened.

Now we have a small country surrounded by mostly larger countries which all want a part of it. The answer: A little bit of militarism, and an expand or die attitude. Similar to a few other countries in OTL Europe, Monaco is lucky and gets most of France or southern Germany and Austria.

From that starts colonialism, mostly towards Africa and the Middle East, as access to America is not easy at Gibraltar. Assuming average success of the more successful countries, Monaco is a pretty powerful colonial empire by the 18th century. A small guy from Corsica (an isle belonging to Monaco) manages to conquer most of Europe and large parts of northern Africa in a chaotic war around 1800.

He becomes prime minister under the Grimaldis and helps a few reforms - the miletric system (yes, no metric system ITTL, but CSI units), among others. Unlike his cousin IOTL, he's kept from the most crazy adventures by his superior. Therefore, the Empire stabilises and becomes one of the super powers in the 20th century.
 
From 1355 for about 500 years, the towns of Menton and Roquebrune belonged to Monaco (or Monaco belonged to them - same rulers). That made Monaco about 20 times larger.

I think it's not completely ASB to have Monaco expand a little bit - maybe first towards Italy, which was an ever-changing patchwork of little states most of the time anyways, then to the north into the ever-changing German domain, right during the reformation and associated wars. It would be practical if Monaco became part of the Holy Roman Empire for a while, so that the expansion would not be seen as an outside threat. That would also make a little expansion to the west possible, at least at times at which the HRE was fairly strong or France was weakened.

Now we have a small country surrounded by mostly larger countries which all want a part of it. The answer: A little bit of militarism, and an expand or die attitude. Similar to a few other countries in OTL Europe, Monaco is lucky and gets most of France or southern Germany and Austria.

From that starts colonialism, mostly towards Africa and the Middle East, as access to America is not easy at Gibraltar. Assuming average success of the more successful countries, Monaco is a pretty powerful colonial empire by the 18th century. A small guy from Corsica (an isle belonging to Monaco) manages to conquer most of Europe and large parts of northern Africa in a chaotic war around 1800.

He becomes prime minister under the Grimaldis and helps a few reforms - the miletric system (yes, no metric system ITTL, but CSI units), among others. Unlike his cousin IOTL, he's kept from the most crazy adventures by his superior. Therefore, the Empire stabilises and becomes one of the super powers in the 20th century.

So Drakan Monaco?:D
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
A series of economic reforms beginning in the 1960s result in Monaco becoming Europe's most capitalistic economy. By the 1980s, the world's fifth largest stock exchange is operating there, and Monaco is becoming known as the "Hong Kong of Europe".
 
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