An Independant Kalingrad

What sort of POD could create an independant, majority German or Nordic, Kalingrad in 1991 (Dosen't belong to Russia, Lituania, Poland or Germany) ? With the POD being a least a week after the Battle of Koeingsburg and the USSR still falls in 1991. Continuing, how likley would it be for this independant Kalingrad to join the EU?
 

Devvy

Donor
If I understand things correctly, by 1970 it's pretty damn hard as it is an integral part of the Russian SFSR by then (not sure on exact date). I think you'd need a POD in the 40s or 50s following WWII for Kaliningrad to have a different structure when it gets given to the Soviets.

Or I think I saw somewhere that there was a possibility of it being merged into Lithuania but Lithuania didn't want it in the 50s. Maybe the merge goes ahead, but then they split due to the Russian demographic in Kaliningrad.
 

MSZ

Banned
I doubt a majority german Kaliningrad would be possible after 1945, since most germans have already left East Prussia at the time, and it has been decided in Yalta that it would be divided between Poland and Russia. The only way it would be possible would be for Stalin to have a change of heart and keeping all of East Prussia as a "Prussian SSR" within the USSR, leaving the remaining german population there. If there are no massive demographic changes during between 1945 - 1991 then Kaliningrad would be a majority German former SSR with a Russian and Polish minority. Perhaps Patton being more successfull manages to liberate Prague before the Red Army allowing the Czech Government in Exile to form it as a democratic state, for what Stalin would demand being allowed to annex more German territory.
 
What sort of POD could create an independant, majority German or Nordic, Kalingrad in 1991 (Dosen't belong to Russia, Lituania, Poland or Germany) ? With the POD being a least a week after the Battle of Koeingsburg and the USSR still falls in 1991. Continuing, how likley would it be for this independant Kalingrad to join the EU?

A buy out offer by the Germans following the economic collapse of the Soviet Union? Even still, I dont think the Russians would totally give up sovereignty (they turned down a serious offer from Japan in the early 1990s regarding the southern islands of the Kurile chain).

A German cash infusion, however, could yield a "Hong Kong special administrative area" type arrangement for the city.
 
A German cash infusion, however, could yield a "Hong Kong special administrative area" type arrangement for the city.

Though it's rather questionable whether Germany would want that and even pumping money into it. (Though one could always redirect some of the money that OTL went into Rusiia anyways)

Plus, german interest in Kaliningrad could raise worries in Poland (and perhaps elsewhere, too)
 
The most direct way to non-Russian majority Kaliningrad/Königsburg would be Stalin being paranoid in a different way in 1941. If the Soviet Army is prepared for the assault at Barbarossa (or even launches a preemptive attack a few days before Barbarossa commences) it is not unlikely that Germany collapses by 1943 - or even earlier if the generals turn on Hitler earlier. The USSR is not feeling a need for bloody revenge but still wants to de-fang Germany and add a line of buffer states to the West; in the occuped East Prussia, a communist coup brings people to the power who are closely aligned with Stalin. While not being formally annexed to USSR, the People's Republic of Prussia (OOC: or will it be called something else entirely?) is even more a puppet state of USSR than GDR was IOTL; so far that the capital city is renamed Kalininstadt, and is often referred to as Kaliningrad in Russian - so often that the usage becomes internationally accepted.

By the 1990, though, the Prussians are tired of being USSR's lapdogs; they see Polish People's Republic being the "window to the West" and get Soviet money and ressources as window dressing, while Prussia becomes an impoverished backwater only held up economically somewhat by the Soviet navy and strategic air bases. Following example of Lithuania in 1991, Prussians take to the streets; the Soviet leadership, preoccupied by unrest elsewhere in the huge empire, on a reform course and not being able to roll in with the tanks without losing face, has to accept a new, far less Soviet friendly government of Republic of Prussia. Kalininstadt is renamed back to Königsberg, but both names continue to be used colloquially well into the 2000s...
 
A German cash infusion, however, could yield a "Hong Kong special administrative area" type arrangement for the city.
Though it's rather questionable whether Germany would want that and even pumping money into it. (Though one could always redirect some of the money that OTL went into Rusiia anyways)

Plus, german interest in Kaliningrad could raise worries in Poland (and perhaps elsewhere, too)

There is one way I could see this happening. Rather than use the Auslanddeutsche Laws to resettle the Germans from the USSR in Germany, have them resettle in Kaliningrad (a good number were from East Prussia anyways). The city becomes a German-backed-EU SEZ project, which encourages East-ward expansion of the organization, while at the same time, promoting the multi-ethnic plan that the EU is going for.

Although it'd be interesting to see the response from states in Eastern Europe. The Baltics might try to join faster, especially given their attitudes towards the Russians, although you could see a more nationalistic, and perhaps a more multilateral Poland as a result.
 
The most direct way to non-Russian majority Kaliningrad/Königsburg would be Stalin being paranoid in a different way in 1941. If the Soviet Army is prepared for the assault at Barbarossa (or even launches a preemptive attack a few days before Barbarossa commences) it is not unlikely that Germany collapses by 1943 - or even earlier if the generals turn on Hitler earlier. The USSR is not feeling a need for bloody revenge but still wants to de-fang Germany and add a line of buffer states to the West; in the occuped East Prussia, a communist coup brings people to the power who are closely aligned with Stalin. While not being formally annexed to USSR, the People's Republic of Prussia (OOC: or will it be called something else entirely?) is even more a puppet state of USSR than GDR was IOTL; so far that the capital city is renamed Kalininstadt, and is often referred to as Kaliningrad in Russian - so often that the usage becomes internationally accepted.

By the 1990, though, the Prussians are tired of being USSR's lapdogs; they see Polish People's Republic being the "window to the West" and get Soviet money and ressources as window dressing, while Prussia becomes an impoverished backwater only held up economically somewhat by the Soviet navy and strategic air bases. Following example of Lithuania in 1991, Prussians take to the streets; the Soviet leadership, preoccupied by unrest elsewhere in the huge empire, on a reform course and not being able to roll in with the tanks without losing face, has to accept a new, far less Soviet friendly government of Republic of Prussia. Kalininstadt is renamed back to Königsberg, but both names continue to be used colloquially well into the 2000s...

I really like this Idea, has to be my favourite one. I think I'll get to work on it.
 
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