Ok, so to set the stage properly, here in this thread I am attempting to answer an
AHC quoted below;
Make the United States (With a Post-1900 PoD) join the Central Powers in August 1914. There needs to be a great swift in alignment of American politics for that to happen for sure, but how ? Maybe USA and Britain enter in a Crisis during/after the Hispano-American War ? More German Immigrants to America ? A different President ?
And what terms would the USA demand if they won ? Canada ? And what if they Lost ?
This challenge, should you choose to accept it..."
Que up the old mission impossible theme song here"
Ok, for this challenge, a couple things have to be decided here, do we:
- Go with a totally changed world where things go awry years before, and thus the butterflies wings may cause the OTL forces to be changed in radical ways,
- Or do we try to keep the world as close to OTL as we can, so the least changes are needed, so we get an otherwise OTL isolationist/slightly pro-Entente USA into the war by/in August, 1914.
I went with the latter, as I just wanted to have folks be able to use the OTL starting point as a beginning. If you are looking for a POD that gets the USA into the CP years before WWI, and where everyone knows this, and changes their plans accordingly, then stop right now, as this thread will not give you what you seek.
OTOH...
If you like reading things that don't quite fit in a neat little box, and being all logical and straightforward, then maybe, just maybe, this thread is for you.
I have always been a bit 'off' since I was just a youngster, and saw things from my own, warped little point of view, and so this
link to a movie scene I love kinda fits in well with what I'm about to share.
Before reading any further, watch BOTH links, laugh, drink a cold one (or three), smoke one if you got one, and get yourself all mellow and situated...
When I first saw the
AHC, I said to myself, "Self, there ain't no way in heck the good ole USA is gonna be joining the Central Powers in WWI, let alone right off the bat" and so saying, I just decided to lurk and enjoy the fun of folks picking sides and going at it. It wasn't until Nov 30th, 4 days after the OP threw down the virtual gauntlet, that my
INTP Brain, that obviously has both too much time on it's hands and not enough to keep it from doing crazy things, had been working in the background on how to get at least something like what the OP asked for, came around knocking on my conscious mind, and said:
"Hey Shadow Master, remember when you said it couldn't be done, you know, that really hard AHC posted over on the awesome ALT history.com website that you love so much?"
"You mean the CP USA one?"
"Yeah, the one where the USA goes all stupid and declares war on the Entente, and fights alongside the CP?"
"Yeah, I remember that one, couldn't see how that was going to be possible..."
INTP Brain says, "Well, I have been thinking about that, and I have a workable solution that (sorta) gives us what the OP was asking for!"
"Ok mister smarty pants INTP Brain, tell me how your going to create a possible way for that to come to pass! I'm not at all sure that you know what your talking about, so call me skeptical..."
Next post, more Shadow Master bs, but then the third time will be the charm, will actually get down to the long and shamelessly hyped POD.