AHC: Abolish the Monarchy

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to abolish the British Monarchy with a POD after January 1st 1918. But you have to avoid a POD in 1936 or a POD involving Mosley/Nazis.
 
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SsgtC

Banned
That would be pretty hard to do with George VI and Elizabeth II on the throne. They were/are pretty personally popular. The only way I see this happening is if Elizabeth dies say, 20 years ago or so and Charles ascends the throne and does some fairly stupid things. Even in OTL there's been several instances where he's been seen as crossing the line and involving himself too much in politics. Maybe that could do it?
 
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Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to abolish the British Monarchy with a POD after January 1st 1918. But you have to avoid a POD in 1936 or a POD involving Mosley/Nazis.

Britain becomes a communist country. The communists didn't keep monarchs around in the countries they took over.

Yes I would go with this. A communist revolution would end the monarchy and implement a communist republic.
 
IOTL, the Windsors were deposed, multiple times, on most occasions when a country left the British Empire and became a republic when independent. Also in South Africa and Ireland, though arguably both of these were delayed versions of the former.

Looking at western countries, where the end of the monarchy wsan't associated with an independence movement, we get:

France 1870/ 1 aftershocks of the French revolution/ losing a major war

Brazil 1889 right wing military coup

Portugal 1910 ???

Russia 1917 losing a major war/ communists

Germany 1918 losing a major war

Austria 1918 losing a major war

Yugoslavia 1941-5 various reasons, involving communists and losing a major war

Hungary 1918 or 1944 losing a major war

Italy 1946 losing a major war/ aftershock of right wing coup

Bulgaria 1946 losing a major war/ communists

Romania 1946 losing a major war/ communists

Greece 1964 right wing coup

This suggests that the key ingredients are losing a major war and/ or a communist government, though a right wing coup could do it.
 
That would be pretty hard to do with George VI and Elizabeth II on the throne. They were/are pretty personally popular. The only way I see this happening is if Elizabeth dies say, 20 years ago or so and Charles ascends the throne and does some fairly stupid things. Even in OTL there's been several instances where he's been seen as crossing the line and involving himself too much in politics. Maybe that could do it?

What if Elizabeth died in 1945 or 1946 and we ended up with a Queen Margaret?
 

SsgtC

Banned
She was a bit more of a party animal than Elizabeth. It is quite likely the monarchy would have been abolished in that instance.
Maybe not. She may have been a bit more of a party animal because she wasn't the heir. Look at William and Harry today. Harry has done a gotten away with ALLOT more than William simply because he's not the heir. If Elizabeth is killed in 45/6, that makes Margret heir to the throne and would likely tone her down quite a bit.
 

Philip

Donor
Charles and Diana wed as per OTL, but the union produces no children. Elizabeth II dies in 1986. The Prince of Wales is crowned as Charles III. (There is something appealing about the monarchy ending with Charles III after being restored with Charles II.) Charles continues his relationship Mrs Bowles. Despite the overwhelming gossip, Diana endears herself to the people. Her popularity far outstrips her husband's, and she becomes the face of the monarchy. By the early 90s, Diana's health is suffering from the stress of constant humiliation and embarrassment. As rumors of an impending divorse are swirling, Diana dies in a mysterious accident. Conspiracy theories point through British security forces back to Charles himself. Public opinion convicts Charles of Diana's murder. Parliament elects to end the monarchy.
 
If the UK demonstrably loses the Great War, I think the argument would be either a resulting communist revolution or enough loss of faith in the old order to see a sweeping restructuring. I am doubtful the Kaiser would impose any abdication requirement in a resulting peace so I think it needs to be a domestic up swell. The next possibility would be an even deeper Great depression, again sparking revolution and wholesale rejection of the traditional structure. My best bet is Edward VIII choosing to be a bachelor King, his scandalous behavior erodes all confidence in the monarchy as he lives for decades as a spendthrift, hedonist and pompous ass. Without a popular George VI, a war and the rejuvenation brought by Elizabeth I could accept the possibility once the UK falters from Empire and falls into the malaise for a less than communist revolution to transition to Republic.
 
IOTL, the British establishment accomodated Labour and Labour ministers, but if they opt for ruthless represssion then all bets were off. The last time that was tried against radical movements, in 1816-22, the monarchy did wobble a bit.
 
How much of the post-Great War political turmoil was due to the human, economic, and political costs of the war and how much was due to the effects of the Spanish flu?
 
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