AHC: Britain in the Axis

Pre-war, Germany had tried to be friendly with Britain and hoped to push them into an alliance. How could the government and populace of the UK agree with this and what would a subsequent WW2 look like?
 
The only possible way I could see this sort of happening would be through having a USSR so aggressive that Nazi Germany is seen as a lesser evil, but even then I can't imagine France and Britain actually allying with them. It'd be a neutral pro-German relationship, think of it as similar to USA and Britain before Pearl Harbor.

So nothing good comes out of Britain joining the Axis, and it wouldn't have happened. End of story.

the USSR and Japan sign a pact instead of Germany-USSR and the Soviets host and support Chandra Bose to overthrow the British in India?

this (insane) version of USSR decides they can defang Germany by capturing or destroying the oil of Poland and Romania? when Germany and UK look to be aligning, they invade Iran (a source of oil for both?)

still think you need an English-speaking Goering as leader of Germany, with maybe a surviving von Seeckt as ambassador to smooth any collaboration?
 
the USSR and Japan sign a pact instead of Germany-USSR and the Soviets host and support Chandra Bose to overthrow the British in India?

this (insane) version of USSR decides they can defang Germany by capturing or destroying the oil of Poland and Romania? when Germany and UK look to be aligning, they invade Iran (a source of oil for both?)

still think you need an English-speaking Goering as leader of Germany, with maybe a surviving von Seeckt as ambassador to smooth any collaboration?
The problem with that is even a pact between the USSR and Japan above the OTL pact would never happen.
 
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Exactly: Germany-UK Axis wouldn't happen either. Japan also considered Russia its biggest enemy at that point because of the history of conflicts dating back to 1820. And this is the biggest Communist nation on Earth making a pact with an old rival with a history of what could be called "bourgeoisie aristocracy" we're talking about. Also their sphere of influence in Asia would still collide against each other. The USSR was founded on a basis of revolution against their emperor so I don't know how on God's green earth they would ally or even make a pact that could lead to an alliance.
 
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Exactly. A Germany-UK Axis wouldn't happen either. Japan also considered Russia its biggest enemy at that point because of the history of conflicts dating back to 1820. And this is the biggest Communist nation on Earth making a pact with an old rival with a history of what could be called "bourgeoisie aristocracy" we're talking about. Also their sphere of influence in Asia would still collide against each other. The USSR was founded on a basis of revolution against their emperor so I don't know why they would ally or even make a pact.
The USSR had no qualms allying with the US to serve its goals - why would they be unable to make a deal with Japan? Ultimately, safeguarding their European portions takes precedence. I don't think the alliance would last too long - but it's definitely possible Japan and the USSR split the difference and focus on their common enemies. In a world were Germany-UK is happening, Japan-USSR is likely happening too.
 
essentially the difficulties come in making the Nazis and the UK be allied. Once that happens, Japan-USSR is a very natural state of affairs.
 
2) Australia and New Zealand would do the same as they would have to seek protection from Japan.

I'm sure the nazis, for ideological reasons, would've much preferred to ally with "fellow aryan" Britain than Japan. Without a war with the reich Britain could invest more in Far Eastern defense.

4) Britain would have to return Germany's African colonies to it.

Did Adolf really want them back? He wanted lebensraum to the east, in Europe.

So nothing good comes out of Britain joining the Axis, and it wouldn't have happened. End of story.

Britain would've avoided an exhausting war that ultimately cost it its colonies.
 
Britain would've avoided an exhausting war that ultimately cost it its colonies.

Instead it would lose them by the Dominions doing a collective "NOPE" and from being on the wrong side of the US in a war that Nazi ideology almost certainly would provoke at some point. If Japan goes Allied, they're really screwed because now their Dominions are in the American sphere, and a massive anti-European-colonial power just got a green light to go after British possessions.

An alt-WWII like this would be Britain, Germany, Italy?, and China vs. Soviets, Japanese, French, Dominions, and USA. That's a more balanced playing field than OTL, but still not in Britain's favor to be hitched to.
 
Britain like many countries sought allies to protect itself from its greatest threat. Thus Germany needs to be small threat and somebody else needs to be a big threat. Britain also preferred not to ally with megalomaniacs who were likely to start a war - ruling out Hitler and the Nazis.

Germany building a high seas fleet and being generally beligerant filled that threat niche very well pre-WW1, so you would need a weaker and peaceful Germany and a strong aggressive France and Russia for the UK to be a natural ally to Germany.

The POD of departure for such an environment needed to have been laid in the 19th century (perhaps Germany badly lost the Franco-Prussian war) and there probably needed to have been no Great War. Britain, Germany, Austria and Japan could in theory be aligned against an alliance led by France and Russia.
 
Britain like many countries sought allies to protect itself from its greatest threat. Thus Germany needs to be small threat and somebody else needs to be a big threat. Britain also preferred not to ally with megalomaniacs who were likely to start a war - ruling out Hitler and the Nazis.

Germany building a high seas fleet and being generally beligerant filled that threat niche very well pre-WW1, so you would need a weaker and peaceful Germany and a strong aggressive France and Russia for the UK to be a natural ally to Germany.

The POD of departure for such an environment needed to have been laid in the 19th century (perhaps Germany badly lost the Franco-Prussian war) and there probably needed to have been no Great War. Britain, Germany, Austria and Japan could in theory be aligned against an alliance led by France and Russia.
Fashoda (and potential ITTL aftershocks of it), and the conflicts in Manchuria, and tensions in the Balkans all neatly align in regards to timing here...
 
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