Alternate WW1

With a POD no earlier than 1864 make the countries involved in WW1 be as follows:
Britain, North German confederation Russia, Italy, Serbia vs Austria-Hungary, France, Ottoman empire, Denmark, South German confederation
For reference the South German Confederation is an austrian puppet consisting mainly of Bavaria and a few other small south German states and bonus points if you make France have at least a part of the Rhineland. The North German confederation is controlled by Prussia
 
Serbia would only be there if you don't butterfly away Franz Ferdinand's assassination by Princip. Otherwise it wouldn't be participate in said war.

On the other hand, the possible POD/PODs for said sidings would be this:

The Austro-Prussian War goes similarly to OTL, but isn't as decisive. Thus, while the Northern German states remain within the Prussian sphere, Austria doesn't lose face with the Southern German states (though Hohenzollern province is still a big thorn in the side for Austria and the SGF) and so they remain in the Austrian sphere.

Nappy III still calls Bismarck's bluff over the Luxembourg crisis and/or the proposal to put a Hohenzollern on the Spanish throne, and thus starts the Franco-Prussian War. The NGF still wins this one, but since the SGF is still Austria-influenced, it sits out this one, so no Kleindeutsche German Empire. The French are gonna be revanchist, regardless if the government is still Bonapartist Imperial or Republican. One likely butterfly is that Frederick III lives longer, and though not exactly Bismarck's greatest ally, he knows that alienating the British isn't a good move.
 
Serbia would only be there if you don't butterfly away Franz Ferdinand's assassination by Princip. Otherwise it wouldn't be participate in said war.

The Austro-Prussian War goes similarly to OTL, but isn't as decisive. Thus, while the Northern German states remain within the Prussian sphere, Austria doesn't lose face with the Southern German states (though Hohenzollern province is still a big thorn in the side for Austria and the SGF) and so they remain in the Austrian sphere.

Nappy III still calls Bismarck's bluff over the Luxembourg crisis and/or the proposal to put a Hohenzollern on the Spanish throne, and thus starts the Franco-Prussian War. The NGF still wins this one, but since the SGF is still Austria-influenced, it sits out this one,


wouldn’t a stronger Austria-Hungary help france (or try to stop Prussia going to war in the frist place) and as Prussia looks like its going to be eaten up by Austria-Hungary Russia might step in to help out its friendly Germanic neighbour which may well bring in the Ottoman empire so you end up with
North German confederation,Russia vs France,Austria-Hungary,South German confederation, Ottoman empire
or Bismarck might just not risk it
 
wouldn’t a stronger Austria-Hungary help france (or try to stop Prussia going to war in the frist place) and as Prussia looks like its going to be eaten up by Austria-Hungary Russia might step in to help out its friendly Germanic neighbour which may well bring in the Ottoman empire so you end up with
North German confederation,Russia vs France,Austria-Hungary,South German confederation, Ottoman empire
or Bismarck might just not risk it

That's what everything hinged on in OTL: Wilhelm II's lack of diplomatic guidance made Europe even more of a tinderbox.
 
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