AHC: Largest possible puppet state

[avernite]

At various points, the HRE served as close to a puppet of the English or Dutch (cash for loyalty, basically). Of course the internal politics were mostly beyond their influence, and the HRE danced happily between near-puppet and ally.

Rome at some points had several of the Macedonian successor states as basically puppets (prior to annexation), which were pretty big if fragile powers.

British India, crazy conglomerate between Company and puppets as it was, operated close to as a big puppet (i.e. the government was independent from the British one, even if strongly influenced, and its having nominal independence is dubious). Same-ish for the DEI.

Late in WW1, Austria-Hungary was devolving into a German puppet (from its earlier status as a seriously inferior ally).

And of course, for bits of the 19th century, the Ottomans were close to a British-French protectorate (if not quite puppet).

 

[Wallet]

The British do in China what they did in Iran OTL

Kill the monarch and put his young child on the throne. Has his royal advisors and generals all on British payroll.

Now they can sell all the opium they want in China

 

[Lord Of Tacos]

I really want to say something about current Politics but I don't want to get banned, so I won't say anything.

I can only think of Manchukuo, Vicky France or perhaps an alternate British India if the English make someone a Emperor or King of India in name only.

 

[Indicus]

or perhaps an alternate British India if the English make someone a Emperor or King of India in name only.

This is OTL, actually. The Mughal Padshah-i-Hind was the puppet of the British until 1857, with a farman, or a tax monopoly, given to the BEIC. The Mughals were also, at different points, puppets of the Durrani and Maratha Empires.

 

[ben0628]

Yes, there is. A puppet state is a country with no de facto independence, but with de jure independence. A self-run colony is a country with neither de facto nor de jure independence, but with self-governance.

But they are used for the same reason. If the only difference is that you lie in public about a puppet state being independent then I fail to see how they're truly different.