AH Question about Germany

The Last Federalist

A question for the many experts about Germany's military and economic capabilities. Would a Germany with a rational (or at least semi-rational) government with the following conquests by 1945 be capable of being a super power?
1. Alsace and Lorraine.
2. Luxembourg.
3. The German speaking counties of the Netherlands.
4. Austria.
5. The Sudetenland, Bohemia and Moravia.
6. Memel.
7. All of pre-1939 Poland.
8. The three Baltic States.
Assume no state of war exists in 1945 and the UK, the USSR (or a nationalistic successor state) and the USA remain antagonistic but not immediately hostile to Germany.
 

WunWun

Hard to say. A regional hegemon sure, but geopolitically still very isolated (Britain controls the ways to the oceans).
Economically also very dependent on rare materials that the two cold war super powers had far easier access to.

Politically it's also hard to see how the Brits would allow this to happen, they'd rather bankrupt and implode their empire than to allow someone dominance over Western Europe (a greater Germany with the Benelux is a European hegemon) (and like the Brits did OTL).

They have the capabilities to do so, but it will require crafty diplomacy. If they inherit the Belgian/dutch colonial empires then for sure. This will give them bases on pretty much every continent to spread cold war style influence and supply regimes in Proxy wars. It also gives access to quite a few rare, valuable resources.

Demographically, the state you describe easily tops the 100 million citizens in the 40ies. No issue there.

Industrially there are quite a lot of innovative and persistent companies and conglomerates, so that is dealt with as well.

Military wise it'd be more than fine as well.

It really depends on the access to the world seas and trade (and resources). Ensure those and you've got your superpower contender.
 

miketr

As with most AH questions, "Answer Hazy Ask Again..."

In 2020 the above area would have roughly 150 million people going by current boarders so 1/3 of the current EU pop. I would have to do totals but could move Germany to if not past Japan at least to very close to it on GDP ranking. Still far behind USA / China for GDP. Unless we assume some impressive per capita income / even higher population numbers because of no blood bath of WW2 I do not see Super Germany being much more than half of USA GDP.

This said Super Germany would be a heavy weight in economic terms. Does it have nuc weapons? Whats the rest of its military like?

Assuming UN isn't better flied away, I suspect Germany would be on of the security council members. Again all down to the details of the POD and what followed.

Michael
 
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