Challenge: 2009 as 1940

Greetings and salutations.

With 1800-1899 PODs, create a timeline in which 2009 looks like OTL 1940: a (non-Communist) German dictatorship and its Italian ally face off against a French-British alliance, while in Asia Japan is busy trying to subdue China, and the United States and a Communist/hardline Socialist regime in Russia remain mostly neutral. Technological progess needs to be slowed enough so that there are no nuclear weapons to be had yet, although they may be on the horizon.

Of course, if you want to do this with post-1900 PODs, that's fine too, although I'd think it would be harder.

Bruce
 
Does it have to be like exactly in OTL - like Germany winning against France early on and what not?
I think not. I am assuming that you wish for the french-british alliance to be colonial powers? okay then, this is my best shot.
Fashoda war, no assassination of franz ferdinand. these last two, a) burning of some tension, and b) preventing the stat of WWI for some time. this slows down technological development. WWI starts in 1923to1925, and ends in the late 1920s during this, a gathering of theoretical physicists in the US is killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty boiler. these include people from both sides of the conflict in europe, as well as several students. this delay in WWI leaves time for the british to get over fashoda and realise that germany is a threat. no US involvement. world wide depression, lasts for several years, so a) no investment in new(risky) technologies, and b) very peaceful, as counties want to take care of their own problems, without adding to them. some countries try to wage war during this period, but the massive expenditure ontop of the debts they need to repay causes these wars to be largely short and pointless. this depression ends in the mid 1930s, and over the next 10-20 years, colonialism is on the decrease, slowly. by 1953, the british empire contains lots of shiny new dominions, while the french are holding their empire together through economics.......
and I'm stuck.
I know that its a load of cojones, but it is the best i can do.
 
That's why I put this in the pre-1900 forum: I think you need to avoid anything at all like our WWI: perhaps a much later unification of Germany? Napoleon does better and the whole history of the 19th century goes off the rails? You could take this as "covergent" history - a major change some centuries back, but converging to an OTL-like situation: only about 70 years late. Of course, that makes coming up with a TL rather more laborious.

Bruce


PS- and the Germans should have _some_ chance of beating the French.
 
I think a good POD for this is Napoleon deciding not to invade Russia in 1812: as a result, Europe is under French hegemony for 100 years or so, resulting in delayed German and Italian unification. A centralized French-run bureaucratic state, as well as a lack of wars to spur innovation, would delay technological development. Heavy emigration to the Americas would still occur as in OTL, but would of course be different.

Somewhere in the first half of the 20th century, a major war, similar to OTL's World War I would occur, ending French hegemony, but putting such stress on the Russian Empire that the Czar falls and is replaced by Socialists/Communists.
 
Part 1

1873 - League of the Three Emperors created.

1874 - Bismark has a dream where a young prince in Austrian military uniform shoots Bismark. Bismark spends many years pondering the significance of the dream.

1876 - Alexander I of Serbia dies at childbirth.

1877 - Germany supports Russia for a super Bulgaria but Austria-Hungary refuses and sees the entire Russo-Turkish war as Russia supporting dangerous revolutionary ideas. The UK, France, the Ottoman Empire, and AH pressure Russia and goes according to OTL. Austria-Hungary pulls out of the League of Three Emperors.

1878 - Wilhelm II is appointed by Bismark to ambassador to the United Kingdom. Bismark sees this as a way to push away a young ambitious Wilhelm while improving relations, specifically against France. Also a great time for Grandmother-Grandson bonding.

1879 - Russia, for not supporting AH, successfully pushes for a Double Alliance with Germany.

1880 - Wilhelm II talks to Queen Victoria about a more assertive British policy. Queen Victoria backs Benjamin Disraeli in another election for such a foreign policy causing the Conservatives win another election the UK.

1881 - France seizes Tunisia causing Italy signing an alliance with Germany.

1882 - Germany, Italy, and Russia sign a triple alliance.

1884 - Bismark hosts Berlin Conference in another attempt to gain allies.. German East Africa, Togoland, and Southwest Africa are given to the UK. Italy receives Kamerun. German - British relationships are greatly improved.

1895 - Germany and Russia pressure Japan in the Double Intervention after the first Sino-Japanese War. (IOTL France was a third member but does not follow ITTL).

1898 - Otto von Bismark dies.

1899 - Britain declares war on France after the Fashoda Incident negotiates fail.

1900 - Gunboats shell port of Hai Phong, Indochina. Germany mobolizes on the border. Italy declares war on France hoping to take last minute territories.

1901 - Queen Elizabeth dies with Wilhelm by her bedside. Wilhelm returns to Germany. Germany readies to mobilize against France. France, fearing intervention by the Germany and Italy and more loss of colonies makes peace. The Treaty of Munich is signed. France signs a humiliating treaty signing over the loss of Madagascar, French Equatorial Africa, Madagascar, Niger, Mauritius, Seychelles, and French Guiana to British. Italy recieves Djibouti and Tunisia. France also loses it's sphere of influence in China to Germany and Britain.

1902 - The UK signs a treaty with Germany and Italy.

1903 - The UK and Japan sign a special alliance treaty after intense negotiations. It allows increase trade between the two countries, British naval bases in Taiwan and Korea and Japanese bases in Singapore and Hong Kong.

1904 - Russo-Japanese war starts.

1905 - Russia suffers a decisive, but costly victory against Japan. Russia blockades Japan and threatens to make it a colony of Russia. Japan calls on the United Kingdom to intervene. The UK, hesitantly warns Russia to back off, knowing both have alliances with Germany and Italy but not each other.

1906 - Germany hosts Treaty of Berlin. Russia gets full control over Manchuria and all of Korea north of the 38th. Japan remains independent and keeps areas south of the 38th as well as paying reparations to Russia. Both Russia and Japan are outraged and feel betrayed but are pressured into signing a peace agreement.
 
Is this challenge going to include a world without shrill feminists? If it's going to be like 1940, they can't exist. :p
 
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