Candidates for an alt-Belgium

Are there any alternative candidates for a nation which, like Belgium, is formed pre-1900 and exists into the twentieth century split nearly equally between two different language/ethnic groups, or religious groups, which exist more-or-less without constantly trying to kill each other.
 

yoyo

Banned
Sri Lanka with Sinhala and Tamizhar
Java containing sundanese and javanese

Vietnam consisting of chams and viet

Georgia and Armenia union

Lebanon that works out

Cyprus that works out

Nepal with Khas and Newars
 
Sri Lanka with Sinhala and Tamizhar
Java containing sundanese and javanese

Vietnam consisting of chams and viet

Georgia and Armenia union

Lebanon that works out

Cyprus that works out

Nepal with Khas and Newars

The Tamil (Sri Lanka), Chams (Vietnam) and Newars (Nepal) are a small minority of their home countries, so they don't count. The Sundanese are about half as numerous as the Javanese, so that probably doesn't count either.

Lebanon works in terms of religion. A unified Georgia-Armenia would fit.

Cyprus currently wouldn't work - Greek Cypriots are about three times as numerous as Turkish Cypriots.

Remember, the OP specifies that the two groups should be roughly equal in size. Therefore, Czechoslovakia wouldn't count, since the Czechs were about twice as numerous as the Slovaks.

Denmark-Norway would work - Denmark has nearly 6 million people, whilst Norway has just over 5 million.

A country formed out of just Quebec and Ontario would also work - both provinces have approximately equal populations.
 

yoyo

Banned
The Tamil (Sri Lanka), Chams (Vietnam) and Newars (Nepal) are a small minority of their home countries, so they don't count. The Sundanese are about half as numerous as the Javanese, so that probably doesn't count either.

Lebanon works in terms of religion. A unified Georgia-Armenia would fit.

Cyprus currently wouldn't work - Greek Cypriots are about three times as numerous as Turkish Cypriots.

Remember, the OP specifies that the two groups should be roughly equal in size. Therefore, Czechoslovakia wouldn't count, since the Czechs were about twice as numerous as the Slovaks.

Denmark-Norway would work - Denmark has nearly 6 million people, whilst Norway has just over 5 million.

A country formed out of just Quebec and Ontario would also work - both provinces have approximately equal populations.

I was thinking that the Chams don't get conquered and instead a dynastic alliance like OTL forms between Viet and Champa. Nepal Mandala and Khas Empire form a military
alliance against the Tibetans early on. Perhaps the Tamizhar incorporate regions as far as Anuradhapura.

How about a turcopolier empire?
 
I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned. Have Denmark retain Schleswig-Hostein and integrate it into Denmark proper.

As of 2018...
Denmark has 5.8 million people.
Schleswig-Holstein has 2.9 million people.


If you want things to be more balanced, have Denmark grab Hamburg and perhaps retain Pomerania (which it briefly had in 1814).

Hamburg has 1.8 million people.
Danish Pomerania has 0.5 million people
 
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A timeline where the czech national revival is slowed and its identity weakened (but not entirely germanized) in the 19th century, that ends up with an Austria+Czechia?

Two baltics countries uniting to face a russian threat?
 
A timeline where the czech national revival is slowed and its identity weakened (but not entirely germanized) in the 19th century, that ends up with an Austria+Czechia?

Austria implodes in 1848 and Bohemia is a Kingdom separate from Austria. Bohemia procedes to organize itself as a cantonalized state like Switzerland in order to accommodate the varying linguistic needs of its population. Bohemia likewise proclaims itself a Swiss-style neutral state.
 
The United Empire of France and Spain, commonly referred to as the Bourbon Empire.

Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy is granted the Illyrian Provinces. The country is divided between Italians and "Illyrians" (Croats and Slovenes).


Poland in 1830 offers its crown to the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (ergo, Catholic Hohenzollerns). Prussia, not wanting to mess with a fellow Hohenzollern entity, doesn't interfere. Later on Prussia is excluded from a unified Germany and somehow merges with Hohenzollern Poland. Prussia-Poland recognizes Germans and Poles as being equal members of the Prusso-Polish state.
 
The United Empire of France and Spain, commonly referred to as the Bourbon Empire.
.

I fear it wouldn’t work, the two countries would likely have separate administration, only united by their monarchy. Much like Sweden-Norway, and both countries had a long and proud independant history and had developped national identity (particularly for France). While in the long term both countries could keep having very close links I feel like come the industrial era and mass literacy the various people will want to live in their own country, especially if there is large socio economic difference - say if Spain doesn’t industrialise as much as France -,
Spain would also have the additional problem of its regional identities (although France may have too if they don’t suppress them like IRL) which would complicate the whole thing - although I wonder if there is a big France as the cultural enemy, if the various spanish people wouldn’t rally under a common identity in opposition of France?

I just see it as a 18th century construct that wouldn't Work in the 20th century
 
A timeline where the czech national revival is slowed and its identity weakened (but not entirely germanized) in the 19th century, that ends up with an Austria+Czechia

Could we just keep Czechoslovakia from breaking up and may be get it to start in the 19th century as per challenge guidelines. Pushing it back merely 20 years would be enough already.
 
Eltass lothrigen...not seriously, one is more balanced, maybe even with luxemburg and become the natural buffer as a longer netherlands is into france so that is the only buffer of Germany and France
 
A surviving Austria-Hungary with just Austria and Hungary.

Alternatively, a surviving Austria-Hungary with neither Austria nor Hungary. My suggestion is Austria-Hungary gets reduced to a rump-state in Bukovina, which operates as a de facto bilingual Romanian and Ukrainian state, with Austrian German and Hungarian as official languages that almost nobody except court officials in the Imperial Court in Chernivtsi can speak.
 
Haven’t folks occasionally suggested that a state with a large German, Hungarian, and Slavic population could have been formed in the Banat?
 
Usually, for a country to come into existence, there needs to be some concept binding the disparate parts together; either the new country used to be a smaller territorial unit within a larger country, the various parts of the country have a habit of being governed collectively (Spanish Netherlands ==> Belgium), there is a mythical past the inhabitants of a territory can exalt, there is a common interest being seved by forming the country (control over the Alpine passes in the Swiss case) etc.

Likely areas where such polities can arise are in the big European empires if they would fall apart sooner than IOTL like for instance in 1848, think Galicia-Lodomeria, Bukovina, Transylvania, Silistria if the Turks don't get expelled, Crimea, all of historical Macedonia and so on. An independent California and Texas also sound like likely options.
 

jocay

Banned
A good candidate for an alt-Belgium that has not been mentioned so far would be the Zone of the Straits established by the Allied Powers with Sevres. Imagine a secular state based in Constantinople controlling territory on both sides, composed of equal numbers of Greeks and Turks with smaller numbers of Armenians and other ethnicities like the Bulgarians and Kurds, etc. Given the time, it might become a place of sanctuary for political exiles escaping Soviet repression. Call the country Thrace or Roumelia.
 
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Macedonia consisting of the entire region would have an even mix of Slavs and Greeks (plus a significant Jewish and Turkish population). In this case, Bulgaria could play the role of France and Greece the role of the Netherlands, although I suppose they're likely to want to partition Macedonia. This Macedonia could maybe form as some sort of "stabilization" of the region. By that same logic, maybe we could see Thrace as independent (minus Constantinople, or maybe even including it depending on the PoD) with an even mix of Turks, Greeks, and Slavs. Perhaps the Slavs could identify with the Greeks as "Romans" (like OTL at one point) and assimilate into a "Christian Thracian" identity rather than OTL's Thracian Bulgarians.
Alternatively, a surviving Austria-Hungary with neither Austria nor Hungary. My suggestion is Austria-Hungary gets reduced to a rump-state in Bukovina, which operates as a de facto bilingual Romanian and Ukrainian state, with Austrian German and Hungarian as official languages that almost nobody except court officials in the Imperial Court in Chernivtsi can speak.
Bukovina had a significant number of Germans though. Maybe best for a former Austro-Hungarian Empire state would be Galicia where Poles and Ukrainians could play a balancing act.
 
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