AHC: French Republic pushes to the Volga

So is it possible with a POD of 1700 for a French Republic to push as far as the Volga River in any of the coalition wars 1793-1815.

How would this be achieved?

Is it possible?
 
1700 is way too early. Any POD that avoids a Seven Years War means that there'll be no French Revolution, and thus France will stay a theocratic, backward, absolute monarchy, though it may reform the absolute part.

Going the snarky way, have Napoleon not declare himself Emperor, but still go on a huge course of conquest. France won't annex land up to the Volga nor will it really annex much land, but it will create sister republics, including a republic in Poland. From here, Consul Bonaparte goes so far as to conduct an invasion of Russia similar to his OTL equivalent. He takes Moscow for a while, which is within the Volga watershed, and marches onward a bit to the Volga River before retreating.
 
I didn't mean Napoleon and the French Revolution still happens

I just wanted to know if it was any way possible for French armies to spread "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" across the European continent.
 
No.
Or, at least it would be very difficult. France and England were the original two nation states, i.e. states whose legitimacy is based on ethnicity. (OK, maybe Portugal counts, too)

If France expands very much at all it either has to rule conquered lands as colonies (not very stable in the long run), change what 'France' means, or conduct massive, MASSIVE amounts of ethnic cleansing of one sort or another.
 

B-29_Bomber

Banned
I didn't mean Napoleon and the French Revolution still happens

I just wanted to know if it was any way possible for French armies to spread "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" across the European continent.

A French Republic kind of needs a decided lack of a monarchy to be a republic.

That's kind of hard to achieve in a country ruled by a monarch without a revolution.
 
I'm seriously confused.
How could the French Republic from 1790 to 1800 conquer all the way to the Volga.

My POD was at 1700 so that whatever demographic or economic changes happen could make this possible.

France is a republic in the scenario, I just set the POD at the beginning of the 18th century so that any structural factors could change or might change in that republic's favor.
 
One of the Louis conquers Europe and, instead of leaving the empire to his son or grandson, provides for a Republic instead. This is after massive deposits of handwavium are discovered in the Dordogne.
 
What's all this negativity about the possibility of a French revolution? "theocratic, backward, absolute monarchy" is somehow inherently French and any sort of Republic is an unlikely outcome? Any Frenchmen and women on the board care to comment?
 
What's all this negativity about the possibility of a French revolution? "theocratic, backward, absolute monarchy" is somehow inherently French and any sort of Republic is an unlikely outcome? Any Frenchmen and women on the board care to comment?
To be honest, answering wouldn't as remotely fun than watching it happening.
 
I didn't mean Napoleon and the French Revolution still happens

I just wanted to know if it was any way possible for French armies to spread "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" across the European continent.

It depends when they dump their monarch and under what circumstances.
 
Which section of Volga?
People often forget that the upper course of Volga is northwest, not east of Moscow. Tver is on the direct road and railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and upper course of Volga goes on quite some way west of Tver.
So what if Napoleon, after leaving Moscow, turns not Southwest of the road he came from (towards Kaluga, on Oka), but instead towards Northwest, and takes Tver?
And does it as First Consul?
 
I'm so glad we're finally discussing France's real natural borders!

Make the alt Seven Years' War worse on everyone, especially the Russians. Then when France tries to conquer Europe there'll be less standing in their way.
 
Which section of Volga?
People often forget that the upper course of Volga is northwest, not east of Moscow. Tver is on the direct road and railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and upper course of Volga goes on quite some way west of Tver.
So what if Napoleon, after leaving Moscow, turns not Southwest of the road he came from (towards Kaluga, on Oka), but instead towards Northwest, and takes Tver?
And does it as First Consul?
A revival of the Tver Republic once ridden of thweir Muscowite conquerers ?
 
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