AHC: Make the world as terrible as possible

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Have the British not create a military alliance with Poland in 1939 on the basis of not interfering with continental affairs. Hitler then invades Poland with only France coming to it's aid. Hitler then invades France (have Britain still be neutral even after Belgium is taking over as part of the invasion) and then after that the Nazis quickly mobilize to the east and declare war on the soviets. No western front and better (earlier helps) allows Hitler to invade the Soviet Union. Now the continent is basically his, he can commit generalplan ost and also start to build a navy with all of his newfound industrial resources for a future invasion of Britain.
 
Reactionaries, Tories and Pinkertons are more successful in breaking labour radicalism BEFORE the 1970s, leading to a lessened impact of ford-taylorism as labour discipline / enclosure, leading to a low equilibrium match from the 1920s.

Think about wage stagnation from the 1970s in the advanced developed societies, now project that onto 1915.

This immediately cuts off the Asian development pathway. It means Central and Eastern Europe lack the "kindness" of electrification and Fordism. It means serfs in Hungary to the present day. It means very nasty things for India, China and Africa.

A low equilibrium path in capital basically stops the "but our wages are cheaper" development strategies for the global South. Basically only Japan will manage to pull itself up, and that on the historical back of captive markets and proletarian hellships.

There's no economic incentive to generalised high school, socialise medicine, have safety or environmental laws. And no labour movement with a radical corn in the foot of the state to demand, effectively demand, otherwise.

I think low equilibrium is the winner: you can frost General disease and starvation with whatever genocides and general imperialist wars you please. I'd guess three to four general wars. And with the price of labour so low equatorial pork is on the menu somewhere.

Yours,
Sam R.
 
Interesting question indeed and thank you. Makes one think a bit. Nothing natural. That also would be cheating. No volcano. No meteor. No comet either. No big flare. No ice cap breakup. Has to be people caused. Most likely world spanning. Most likely politically or religiously caused or oriented? No nukes. No nasty bad space aliens either. How about a lingering nasty bio weapon let loose then gets loose? Consider another Spanish Flu pandemic only 100x worse? Plague? But these are natural. Humm.
 
USA remains strict neutral for both world wars and after in 20th century

This would mean no US involvement in WW1, Allies still might win, or it might end up a draw as both sides exhaust themselves

WWII, USA enacts lend lease, but does not embargo supplies to Japan in Japan's invasion of China even after Japan is known to commit atrocities. No Pearl Harbor …. Germany still invades Russia, slugs it out, Japan is still stalemated in China. More death than OTL between these warring factions.

USA does stand up to any global thugs. No global policeman. Bad guys run rampant.
 
What about a "black death" that kills most of mankind say caused by a biological disease artificially created in a lab is released?
 
PoD is Germany practices armed resistance against French Occupation of the Ruhr in 1923 and are crushed. The Weimar Republic falls into chaos; the Communists rise in Danzing; the monarchy in Germany is restored backed by the far right (including Ludendorff and his Nazi allies). When Stalin's capos make a move too soon and the Stalinites are purged, the eventual result is the reign of the Trotskyists, with the Government headed by Ivan Smirnov -- though Trotsky himself is eventually placed into an exile of sorts as diplomat in Haiti. Foreign Secretary Rakovsky, meanwhile, continues to push hard for international revolution. With Continental Europe falling to authoritarians of all stripes, and with a war with the Soviets looming, the economy goes into another free fall similar to 1920. As a result, in the US, the Democrats win in 1924 -- only their Presidential candidate is the KKK endorsed Wiilaim McAdoo. Oh, and not only do butterflies mean DC Stephenson doesn't get caught in 1925, but that in turn gets him appointed US Senator that year.
 
A 'simple' one might be having Yellowstone blow, that's going to cause a lot of damage when that goes and trying to recover from it will take decades.
 
Reactionaries, Tories and Pinkertons are more successful in breaking labour radicalism BEFORE the 1970s, leading to a lessened impact of ford-taylorism as labour discipline / enclosure, leading to a low equilibrium match from the 1920s.

Think about wage stagnation from the 1970s in the advanced developed societies, now project that onto 1915.

This immediately cuts off the Asian development pathway. It means Central and Eastern Europe lack the "kindness" of electrification and Fordism. It means serfs in Hungary to the present day. It means very nasty things for India, China and Africa.

A low equilibrium path in capital basically stops the "but our wages are cheaper" development strategies for the global South. Basically only Japan will manage to pull itself up, and that on the historical back of captive markets and proletarian hellships.

There's no economic incentive to generalised high school, socialise medicine, have safety or environmental laws. And no labour movement with a radical corn in the foot of the state to demand, effectively demand, otherwise.

I think low equilibrium is the winner: you can frost General disease and starvation with whatever genocides and general imperialist wars you please. I'd guess three to four general wars. And with the price of labour so low equatorial pork is on the menu somewhere.

Yours,
Sam R.

oh hey it's this thread's timeline
 
Belgium grants Germany the right to pass through its territory to attack France. Central Powers victory. Britain sits out of the war, and it, rather than Russia, goes Communist.
 
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