AH Challenge: The Peoples Federation of Europe

[Jimbrock]

Your Challenge is, that with a PoD not before May 8, 1945, you have the Soviet puppets of Eastern Europe, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, etc., unite in some sort of Federation. The capital can be anywhere, and the name can be anything. It must be more centralised than, for example, the North German Confederation, but it still can be a very loose union.

Bonus if you include East Germany (Berlin not a must)
Super Bonus if you include East Austria (Vienna not a must)
You win the challenge with super extra bonus cookie points if you have the federation survive the inevitable fall of communism, become at least half way democratic, and grow to be a Great European Power.

Any takers?

 

[CanadianGoose]

Balkan communist federation (Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania) idea from 1945 could materialize very easily. And, with some tweaking, old Czech Corridor idea (and Czechoslovakia entering federation later, turning it into Central European Federation) could be implemented in 1945. Now, how to dragoon Poles, Germans and Hungarians into the fold, I have no idea. I'm equally clueless as to how make this federation work, Yugoslavia doesn't provide a lot of inspiration. Am I getting the cookie?

 

[Thande]

An idea I've thought about in the past - though I've no idea how it would work - was if there was a counter-Communist revolution in Russia early on, but the Communist states of Eastern Europe continue on and huddle together into an economic union that becomes a federation.

A more likely one could be if Eastern Europe follows China in the Sino-Soviet split and the same ensues - though you have to deal with the problem of all the Soviet troops and how to avoid a repeat of the Prague Spring and so on.

 

[Jimbrock]

Balkan communist federation (Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania) idea from 1945 could materialize very easily. And, with some tweaking, old Czech Corridor idea (and Czechoslovakia entering federation later, turning it into Central European Federation) could be implemented in 1945. Now, how to dragoon Poles, Germans and Hungarians into the fold, I have no idea. I'm equally clueless as to how make this federation work, Yugoslavia doesn't provide a lot of inspiration. Am I getting the cookie?

Well, Yugoslavia was very independent so I doubt that it would join the Soviet puppets in the north, but idea. You get a Bourbon biscuit.

An idea I've thought about in the past - though I've no idea how it would work - was if there was a counter-Communist revolution in Russia early on, but the Communist states of Eastern Europe continue on and huddle together into an economic union that becomes a federation.

A more likely one could be if Eastern Europe follows China in the Sino-Soviet split and the same ensues - though you have to deal with the problem of all the Soviet troops and how to avoid a repeat of the Prague Spring and so on.

But the actualy people in the Soviet puppet states hated the communists! They would never continue it with the occupying Russians gone.

 

[avokado]

Hm...
Yugoslav leader Tito wanted a great state...
Made him not to have conflict with Stalin, Yugoslavia then unite with Bulgaria and Albania (Dimitrov from Bulgaria also seek federation with Romania). This would butterfiy Greek communist to stand on Stalins side, Yugoslavia will still send thnem weapons,... Suppose they won, there are still borders between nationalities to consider and ethnic conflict.
Then, they can be in conflict (although, with Romania on their side, Soviets might attack this state). When treatened by Soviet tanks, Hungary and Czechoslovakia wanted to join this "People federation". How it goes afterward, I cannot imagine. But, you can gave Yugoslavs occupation zones in Austria and Germany.
Big ASB, but I cannot imagine anything normal right now.

 

[CanadianGoose]

Well, Yugoslavia was very independent so I doubt that it would join the Soviet puppets in the north, but idea. You get a Bourbon biscuit.

ITTL Czechoslovakia could evolve into something different. IOTL they, even before Communist takeover of 1948, were enthusiastic supporters of both planned economy (heck, they called their new car, symbol of new Czechoslovakia, Tatraplan) and close alliance with the USSR. ITTL Benes (or somebody else) could choose to join new Federation, rather than become Soviet puppet. IOTL Slansky was tried as being Titoist but Israeli sources (which gave surprise amount of attention to both Czechoslkovakia and Yugoslavia of the day, former being the main arms supplier for Israel and latter being the main transit route for Czech equipment) consider it a phony charge. Well, it might be not so phony ITTL.

 

[ninebucks]

But the actualy people in the Soviet puppet states hated the communists! They would never continue it with the occupying Russians gone.

Please, the myth that Eastern Europe was full of free-market-loving pro-Western libertarians was forged by the post-Communist ruling élites in the 80s and 90s. The fact is that the Communist parties in Eastern Europe never had any problem winning support on ideological grounds. People objected to Soviet domination, yes, but that it took a while for distaste towards the Russians to translate into distaste towards Communism - especially considering how popular socialism was across Europe following the catastrophe that was WWII. If Britain, the nation of shopkeepers, was willing to vote for a socialist government post-1945, then it makes sense to assume that the nations of Eastern Europe, (much less developed, and much more devastated), would have happily chosen a free-marketeering right-wing government if given the chance.

 

[Aelita]

Perhaps you could have some sort of a snowball effect from the Prague Spring.