Even after being destroyed during WW2 and split in half for 45 years, Germany is still Europes largest economy. So what if the Allies agreed that Germany is too dangerous to be left alive and decided that Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria will be merged with Austria? This idea isn't even that unlikely considering Otto von Habsburg, the last crown prince of Austria-Hungary, was a staunch anti Nazi unlike Willy II who only was fed up with the Nazis when he realized they won't reinstate the monarchy. Otto denounced the Nazis from the very beginning and opposed the Anschluss of Austria. According to Wikipedia "He obtained the support of Winston Churchill for a conservative "Danube Federation", in effect a restoration of Austria-Hungary, but Joseph Stalin put an end to these plans.". Stalin not agreeing to it is understandable considering the Danube Federation Otto suggested would have consisted of Austria, Hungary and Czechia. Of course Stalin wouldn't want to give up of his new conquests. But I am convinced Stalin wouldn't have a problem if the rest of Germany that isn't under Soviet control would be weakened by giving Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria to Austria. Furthermore, it would also make sense in a cultural point of view. Austria, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are all south German and they are very culturally alike to one another. It would also make the population of the resulting 3 German states somewhat comparable with West Germany having 35.3 million inhabitants, the Danube Federation having 22.5 million inhabitants and East Germany having 18.3 million inhabitants (1950 numbers). How would this change history? Assuming the Danube Federation is neutral as Austria IOTL, would they still join the EU (if it still forms) or would they rather be part of the EEA or have a Switzerland style relationship with the EU? Also, how would Americans and the world see Germans? The current stereotype of Germans as lederhose wearing, beer drinking, pretzel eating people originated from American troops stationed in Bavaria.
AHC/WI: Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were merged with Austria after WW2 and formed the Danube Federation?
- Thread starter hirsch91
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- austria germany ww2 aftermath
marathag
Banned
And Baden-Württemberg.
The Wiener WiesenFest in Austria isn't all that different from Oktoberfest, either
Beer, Pretzel, Tubas, Accordion, Lederhose and Dirndl, just less commercial.
Those three areas have much more in common than North Germany
Maybe United Kingdoms of South Germany then?
That's exactly why I made this thread
Given the reality of NATO's relationship with Austria IOTL, i feel like such a proposal would be more attractive in an ATL to a Soviet Union that has overrun all of Austria and most of Germany and met the western Allies at the Rhine. Stalin would be frightened at the prospect of a communist Germany outsizing Russian influence over the eastern bloc, so it's likely he'd support its containment through the creation of a South German communist-aligned state.
marathag
Banned
Union of South German States, since Baden was only a Grand Duchy, unlike Württemberg, that was a Kingdom along with Bavaria, while Austria was an Archduchy. So State is a nice compromise.
My Dad was part of the Army of Occupation in Austria, and I was later in Mannheim.
The North South split was real obvious to me.
My (bad) German picked up on the South German dialects and idioms, that did stand out when in Northern areas.
Or do the opposite: all of Austria becomes occupied by the allies and Resulting in both South and West Germany becoming NATO members.
I wonder how this would affect Bavaria's industrialization. Bavaria had an agrarian economy until after WW2 when it gradually industrialized thanks to the equalization payments and only in the late 1980s it became a net payer. And what exactly would happen to the rest of West Germany? Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria are huge net payers and without them Hesse, North-Rhine Westphalia and Hamburg alone can't balance out the deficit of the other North German states. Would this mean that North Germany's debt to GDP ratio ITTL would be more like Frances or Italys?