AHC/WI: 'Napoleonic' alliances in WWI

Eurofed

Banned
The purpose of the thread is to devise and discuss an event chain, with a POD as late as possible, by which an alternate WW1 occurs with the following alliance system:

Central Powers: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, USA
Entente: British Empire, Russia, Habsburg Empire, Ottoman Empire, China

Japan, the USA, and China may join the conflict at a later date.

Germany, Italy, and the USA must be united and have at least the same territory as OTL (except France may keep Alsace-Lorraine), so PoDs like Austria wins the Seven Weeks War, France wins the Franco-Prussian War, or the Union loses the American Civil War due to Anglo-French intervention for the CSA are not allowed.

An easy PoD is acknowledged to be the success of the 1848 revolutions in France, Germany, and Italy, but not the Habsburg Empire; however it would be much more interesting to accomplish the scenario with a post-1860s PoD.
 
I can't see this working personally but it is an interesting idea

How would the war start though?
 
Why would Germany be allied with France in such a scenario when Prussia, one of the most important German states of that period, opposed Napoleon and stood with the allies?
 

Eurofed

Banned
Why would Germany be allied with France in such a scenario when Prussia, one of the most important German states of that period, opposed Napoleon and stood with the allies?

No need to go back so far. As I see it, a fairly easy way to set up this kind of alliance system in Europe would be to let the 1848 revolutions win in France, Kleindeutchsland, and Italy, but not the Habsburg Empire (well, apart of Italian possessions, obviously).

Ideological antagonism squares the Western European bloc (cemented by Anglo-French, German-Russian, and Austro-Italian rivalries) against the conservative powers of Austria, Russia, and Turkey, which feel threatened enough to bury potential rivalries in the Balkans. Britain later joins the latter bloc, despite political differences, because it deems the Franco-German alliance a worse threat than Russia.
 
No need to go back so far. As I see it, a fairly easy way to set up this kind of alliance system in Europe would be to let the 1848 revolutions win in France, Kleindeutchsland, and Italy, but not the Habsburg Empire (well, apart of Italian possessions, obviously).

Ideological antagonism squares the Western European bloc (cemented by Anglo-French, German-Russian, and Austro-Italian rivalries) against the conservative powers of Austria, Russia, and Turkey, which feel threatened enough to bury potential rivalries in the Balkans. Britain later joins the latter bloc, despite political differences, because it deems the Franco-German alliance a worse threat than Russia.

While true, I was looking at it from the 'Napoleonic Alliance system' aspect and if so, parts of Germany at least should be in the Entente camp. If we look at some 1848 Revolution scenario, maybe a federal system for Germany that has some states sitting out of the conflict? A north/south divide perhaps?
 
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