The idea is straight forward enough -- with a PoD no earlier than the Treaty of Frankfurt (1871) (or, at the very least, no earlier than 1867), how do Germany and Russia remain allies until the 20th Century?
Now yes, I do realize threads
like this have been
done before -- however, I noticed they tended to jump ahead straight to WWI, which for some reason always happens around the same time as OTL.
What I want to know in this thread is, first, how do Germany and Russia remain allies? Is it more plausible League of Three Emperors endure, or for a dual alliance between Russia and Germany to emerge? How does Austria-Hungary fare? And are there hurdles in the nations' respective domestic politics that need to be overcome (e.g. for certain Tsars or Emperors to be replaced)?
Second, how does this shift effect European politics
in the 19th Century*? Again, what becomes of Austria? Of the Balklands? Of the Ottoman Empire? And how does the rest of Europe react?
(As a side note, I'm thinking this could have overlap with
this idea...)
*which in turn can affect how a European war breaks out in the first place