AHC: How to Chnage the Course of the Top 20

So I've seen a lot of Alternate History Challenges on here, and I've had one in the back of my head for a long time. Now being the creative bunch that you all are, I want to see some interesting ideas or ways to make this possible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)

I took the top 20 GDP (nominal) nations of 2013 by the UN standard, and completely randomized them into a new order. I want to see you guys somehow make these nations somehow fit into the archetype. Again alternate history anything goes, any PoD you need to make these nations this powerful by 2013 you do it. Also they do not have to be OTL sized, you can give nations more land or territory to suit who they are suppose to represent.

New List:

  • Switzerland (OTL USA)
  • Spain (OTL China)
  • Brazil (OTL Japan)
  • South Korea (OTL Germany)
  • Italy (OTL France)
  • India (OTL UK)
  • United Kingdom (OTL Brazil)
  • Mexico (OTL Italy)
  • Japan (OTL Russia)
  • Indonesia (OTL India)
  • Canada (OTL Canada)
  • France (OTL Australia)
  • Australia (OTL Spain)
  • Saudi Arabia (OTL South Korea)
  • Germany (OTL Mexico)
  • China (OTL Indonesia)
  • United States (OTL Netherlands)
  • Russia (OTL Turkey)
  • Turkey (OTL Saudi Arabia)
  • Netherlands (OTL Switzerland)

Also have fun doing this, I'm actually really interested in how you guys create this world.
 
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For Switzerland, it just seems impossible unless you completely change the definition and space of what is this country.

By 2013, size matters a lot. Much more than 1 or 2 centuries ago. This is globalization and it was an unavoidable event, though delayable : countries can't stay backwards forever. Knowledge, technologies and capital spread to other countries.

So you need Swtitzerland to be at least 10 times as crowded as it is OTL to have it have the number 1 GDP on earth.

Other possibility is to have some catastrophic demographic meltdown in other OTL big countries and to have them stick to malthusian behaviours for any reason you can find.

If you want Spain to be number 2, you could have Spain retain a part at least of its colonial empire : all central America including Venezuela to have this "Spain", which would be "Spain + New Spain (in its pre-1848 borders ???) + New Grenade" be one of the oil superpowers.
 

jahenders

Banned
Agreed. For most of that list to work, you'd have to use some kind of per capita measure instead of standard GDP.

For Switzerland, it just seems impossible unless you completely change the definition and space of what is this country.

By 2013, size matters a lot. Much more than 1 or 2 centuries ago. This is globalization and it was an unavoidable event, though delayable : countries can't stay backwards forever. Knowledge, technologies and capital spread to other countries.

So you need Swtitzerland to be at least 10 times as crowded as it is OTL to have it have the number 1 GDP on earth.

Other possibility is to have some catastrophic demographic meltdown in other OTL big countries and to have them stick to malthusian behaviours for any reason you can find.

If you want Spain to be number 2, you could have Spain retain a part at least of its colonial empire : all central America including Venezuela to have this "Spain", which would be "Spain + New Spain (in its pre-1848 borders ???) + New Grenade" be one of the oil superpowers.
 
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