AHC: Free Kraków survives to the present day.

Isaac Beach

Banned
I used to have a bit of a love affair with Polish history, especially when I was rather new to alternate history. Beginning with the Commonwealth and extending out to the Grand Duchy and then the Free City of Kraków.
Your challenge is to have Free Kraków survive to the modern day; with extra points allocated for having them remain independent between their establishment in 1815 out to 2017, with further points awarded for extrapolating as to the likely shape their economy and culture will take and their relations with their larger neighbours-and unlike most I actually keep score ;)-.
Obviously this means avoiding or mitigating the Austrian response to the Cracow Uprising.
 
Firstly, Austria, Prussia & Russia have to ignore the City until WWI, because if not, its over. The largest threat to the survival of Free Cracow (forgive me for not using the correct spelling) after the Empires is the existence of any other Polish state. So after the War, there are a few things that can be done to prevent willing annexation.
- Firstly, a less successful Polish-Soviet War results in the end of the Polish State. Here, Cracow would be a bastion of Polish capitalism, like a mini-West Germany. It may even become the legitimate Polish government after the USSR falls.
- Secondly, the only Polish state formed after the War is a United States of Poland or an Intermarium, whose only way to stay together is to promote a "Pan-Eastern" identity. The Cracowiaks, now proud Poles, see the new Poland as just another multiethnic empire & reject it. This Cracow is a nationalist alternative to the patriotic Pole.
- Thirdly, the Polish government agrees to make an alliance with the Nazi Germans. Cracow, who had been putting the annexation off for some reason, refuses to join. They keep a tense neutrality with they & the Soviets until the USSR falls. This Cracow isn't likely to stay for long, with calls to be annexed happening frequently.

That's all I got. thanks for the scenario.
 
Last edited:
Can Cracow become Poland? Obviously this would be their most robust form of survival--if a later Polish rebellion unified under Cracowiak leaders
 

Isaac Beach

Banned
Can Cracow become Poland? Obviously this would be their most robust form of survival--if a later Polish rebellion unified under Cracowiak leaders

Admittedly it wouldn't be in the spirit of maintaining the free city, but it's close enough I suppose. Ironically the biggest problem with keeping Kraków independent is the fact it's so damn Polish.
 
Top