AHC: Austria-Hungary and Germany drift apart, Germany and Russia don't reconcile

As the title says, is there anyway for Vienna to decouple from Berlin without Germany and Russia immediately burying the hatchet?

I know Germany's support for Austria's interests in the Balkans was the main thing keeping Russia and Germany apart but surely there were other reasons for their rivalry.
 
Austria won't foster bad relations with both, they know they loose that war. They will figure out how to get along with one of them.
 
This is a pre-1900 POD, but what if Prussia inflicts a harsher punishment on Austria after the Austro-Prussian War. Austria becomes bitter like France IOTL and uses diplomatic and financial means to bring Russia closer to it against Germany. And after Bismarck is dropped from office and later with Kaiser Wilhelm II's incompetent diplomacy, this wouldn't be too difficult for Vienna to achieve, as Willy alienates Russia and drives it closer to Austria.
 

yourworstnightmare

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Germany need an ally. If they lose Austria they'll quickly need to repalce her with another power. If Germany is surrounded by hostile France, Austria and Russia it'd be really bad.
 

yourworstnightmare

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For this to happen you may need an earlier PoD. I think a possibility for German- British ties is if Wilhelm I is assassinated in 1878 (an attempt was made OTL), and Friedrich III thus actually gets time to reign. Bismarck is quickly kicked out and German foreign policy reoriented westwards. Though of course you'll end up with Wilhelm II getting the throne eventually and sabotaging everything anyways.
 
For this to happen you may need an earlier PoD. I think a possibility for German- British ties is if Wilhelm I is assassinated in 1878 (an attempt was made OTL), and Friedrich III thus actually gets time to reign. Bismarck is quickly kicked out and German foreign policy reoriented westwards. Though of course you'll end up with Wilhelm II getting the throne eventually and sabotaging everything anyways.
Would Willy dying of something in 1904 or something change matters?
 
Actually if Germany and Austria alienate the way you propose than we ger 7 years war 2.0.

In this case I dont think Germany can afford to build a fleet: everything goes to the army and land defences if they want to survive. Allies are likely Brittain and Italy, maybe Ottomans and Japan.

A very desperate german warplan will depend greatly upon time even if we add another German army as TTL they didnt have the luxury to limit themselfs because of the only noble officers nonsense:
defend against France, try to slow down the Russian advance and try to knock out Austria as fast as possible - maybe supporting any seccessionist movement you can.
You can try the first with 3 armies and maybe the BEF, and Italy might help a bit as well at least as a diversion, 2 armies against Russia with better defenses in the area. The rest with Italy will try to finish Austria - occupation of Vienna and offering independence to Hungary and maybe Bohemia. They will also try to build on the german nationalism in Austria. Or if the Habsburg are willing a practically white peace as soon as possible.

As Austrian performance OTL was horrible and their mobilization pretty slow - according to their plan as well this might work and surely would be the only chance that Germany has. After beating Austria the forces there will be transferred against Russia.
 
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For this to happen you may need an earlier PoD. I think a possibility for German- British ties is if Wilhelm I is assassinated in 1878 (an attempt was made OTL), and Friedrich III thus actually gets time to reign. Bismarck is quickly kicked out and German foreign policy reoriented westwards. Though of course you'll end up with Wilhelm II getting the throne eventually and sabotaging everything anyways.

I think you can manage to pull off Britain getting alienated from Russia with a post-1900 POD if Russia manages to not totally *French seal* up its campaign in the Russo-Japanese war and manages to pull off a decisive victory over Japan. If Russia seems to be reviving her Asiatic expansion policy and has demonstrated her navy poses a real threat (The Japanese, after all, had their fleets largely built and designed in the same way as the Royal Navy) just as the naval race with Germany is dying down, Britain just might be willing to extend a hand of tact (if cool) cooperation as a useful baton to wave at St. Petersburg.
 
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