Experiment: which European country do you consider the most wanked in OTL?
- Thread starter Alon
- Start date
Last few decades? I went with Germany. They went from the losers of WWII, divided and partly occupied, to reunifying and becoming a major economic power.
Other states, such as the U.K. or Spain, were wanked, but in previous centuries, and not so much recently.
Other states, such as the U.K. or Spain, were wanked, but in previous centuries, and not so much recently.
On the other hand, Germany is the successor state to the Kingdom of Prussia, and yet none of historical Prussia is in modern day Germany, so it's hard to avoid the sense that something went wrong somewhere. Plus, Britain's demographics are on track to make it the largest state in Europe, so I hear.
Yeah, that makes it even stranger. "The Empire of Germany lost two world wars and wide swathes of its territory, but still managed to become the biggest economy in Europe"
Zeldar155
Banned
Norway went from a poor "one-party socialist state" backwater in the 50s to being widely considered as one of the best countries on Earth in terms of equality, democracy, education etc now.
And a lot of this hinged on the Government negotiating a pretty sweet deal for Norway regarding territorial waters and granting the state absolute rights over all resources in it, which everyone thought only contained fish.
And a lot of this hinged on the Government negotiating a pretty sweet deal for Norway regarding territorial waters and granting the state absolute rights over all resources in it, which everyone thought only contained fish.
Well them being the being the best economy in Europe is kinda natural as for the size of the country and the economical situation by 1900, but that´s consistent only in Europe, outside of it Germany is pretty much not as powerful as before and could have gone better in a multitude of different ways from avoiding one or two world wars or winning one of them. Why are so many people voting Germany? Wanked mean that most thing went as best as they could have possibly gone, that´s totally not the case.
Russia is also one of the country that could have gone way better, the Civil War, the Communist regime and the 2 World Wars have destroyed Russia so much.
I would say France is the most wanked because I really don´t see any way that France could have gone way better without making rest of Europe better(preventing World Wars would not make France stronger in Europe and just a bit more World-wise). The UK is second place.
It is used as but it should not be, as we are "experts" in alternate history we should be better at avoiding doing that. If a country lost large swaths of his population in 3 big conflicts and had a very poor economical development (Russia) you don´t need a genius to say that it´s less wanked than a country that ended up winning 2 world wars while their country was half or totally occupied by the opposite side and ended up being leader in the "best" part of Europe (France).
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jahenders
Banned
I think I'd go with Russia -- they've fluctuated a GREAT deal in 100 years:
- Fading, troubled empire
- Defeated empire
- Troubled new communist experiment
- Growing totalitarian power
- Almost crushed in WWII
- Victorious ally
- Superpower seizing control over all of Eastern Europe
- Superpower with control slipping
- Dissolved remnant state
- Troubled democracy
- Pseudo-democracy with expansionist leanings
- Somewhat revived superpower
- Fading, troubled empire
- Defeated empire
- Troubled new communist experiment
- Growing totalitarian power
- Almost crushed in WWII
- Victorious ally
- Superpower seizing control over all of Eastern Europe
- Superpower with control slipping
- Dissolved remnant state
- Troubled democracy
- Pseudo-democracy with expansionist leanings
- Somewhat revived superpower
Wouldn't that be, well, most in-between, as opposed to most wanked or most screwed?
Alon
You forgot BELGIUM
That kingdom is most wanked nation i ever see
Invaded twice by Germans, at second time they had stop build there defense and hide behind Neutrally, what not worked during first invasion...
After turbulent Political chaos almost state bankrupts and series of most bizarre Scandals,
Today the 11,190,845 Belgium's are under ruling of FIVE Governments
National Government
Flemish federal Government
Walloon federal Government (they need TWO parliaments)
Brussel City Government (denied there constitutionl right by Walloons and Flemish)
Germans federal Government (denied there constitutionl right by Walloons)
some bizarre political situation in Belgium
Today the Nation on edge of collapse
The three government are disputing about to who belogt Belgium Capital Brussel: Flemish Walloon or Brussel ?
What let to chaotic situation they consider this problem as High priority.
Not the Fubar nuclear reactors who runs on full power under greedy french company SUEZ, who don't care if some thing goes wrong...
Or that Belgium Power grid resemble a Third world Nations and any try to change that is hampers by Belgium Green Party...
Not that Administration reach insane level of regulation and edicts, while the "Regional authorities for provision of work" become too powerful state inside the State
That drive Franz Kafka tears in eyes or equals that of movie "Brazil"...
Or Military have to patrol in parts of towns, were police (local or federal) not dare to enter because extremist moslems life there.
Analyst here give the absurd kingdom around 3 to 5 years until collapse...
You forgot BELGIUM
That kingdom is most wanked nation i ever see
Invaded twice by Germans, at second time they had stop build there defense and hide behind Neutrally, what not worked during first invasion...
After turbulent Political chaos almost state bankrupts and series of most bizarre Scandals,
Today the 11,190,845 Belgium's are under ruling of FIVE Governments
National Government
Flemish federal Government
Walloon federal Government (they need TWO parliaments)
Brussel City Government (denied there constitutionl right by Walloons and Flemish)
Germans federal Government (denied there constitutionl right by Walloons)
some bizarre political situation in Belgium
Today the Nation on edge of collapse
The three government are disputing about to who belogt Belgium Capital Brussel: Flemish Walloon or Brussel ?
What let to chaotic situation they consider this problem as High priority.
Not the Fubar nuclear reactors who runs on full power under greedy french company SUEZ, who don't care if some thing goes wrong...
Or that Belgium Power grid resemble a Third world Nations and any try to change that is hampers by Belgium Green Party...
Not that Administration reach insane level of regulation and edicts, while the "Regional authorities for provision of work" become too powerful state inside the State
That drive Franz Kafka tears in eyes or equals that of movie "Brazil"...
Or Military have to patrol in parts of towns, were police (local or federal) not dare to enter because extremist moslems life there.
Analyst here give the absurd kingdom around 3 to 5 years until collapse...
All bad things, in this context "wanked" is used in a positive way.
I'd probably go with Germany for my vote. From being devasted, partitioned and divided by war, it's became the economic powerhouse of Europe and at least in the UK media it's often seen as being the power behind the EU.
I'd say the UK's situation has been a massive improvement from the 70s too, still plenty of problems but we're no longer the sick man of Europe and are projected to be the biggest European country by population (bar Russia) and by economy (might be remembering this one wrongly).
libbrit
Banned
Nah. Its a semi-dictatorial petro state with no actual economy and a large army. Take the oil wealth out of the equation, which is exactly whats happening, and its only response is to play with its army to distract its people from its shoddy foundations and looming catastrophe
Superpower it aint.
Upps I'm sorry, have misunderstand term "Wank"
in that case West Germany
destroyed by Allies during World War 2, West Germany recover in 10 years and start "Wirtschaftswunder" and became economic powerhouse of Europe !
NamelesStatistic
Banned
The UK: Still gets a UN security council veto. Despite its own influence fading is still BFFs with the world superpower and has influence through them. Also despite its own power waning the language of the UK is ever more dominant in the world. The former empire still probably provides the UK with advantageous connections in the business world and should (at least theoretically) make it easier for them to find inroads into emerging markets like India. The UK still has a lot of unique intrinsic advantages giving it a leg-up in world politics, business and culture. Germany is the dominant power in the European mainly because it has 20 million people more than the UK or France and the UK wants the keep the EU at arms length anyway. Also with Germany's projected population decline (at least before the Migrant Crisis) its influence within the EU was set to wane (both France and the UK were projected to have larger populations than Germany within 50 years).
England.
Or more specifically the English.
A bunch of people from the soggiest corner of Germany (and the Netherlands and Denmark) somehow rise to ruling 2 of the world's major nations, with their language being the international lingua-franca and their culture the source of many of the world's accepted basics?
Insane.
After 1900....Tempted to say Germany but they got knocked down quite a lot first, only if we're speaking post-war....
Norway perhaps? Rising from a poor mountainous land of fishermen to whom nobody paid any attention to becoming probably the best country in the world?
Or more specifically the English.
A bunch of people from the soggiest corner of Germany (and the Netherlands and Denmark) somehow rise to ruling 2 of the world's major nations, with their language being the international lingua-franca and their culture the source of many of the world's accepted basics?
Insane.
After 1900....Tempted to say Germany but they got knocked down quite a lot first, only if we're speaking post-war....
Norway perhaps? Rising from a poor mountainous land of fishermen to whom nobody paid any attention to becoming probably the best country in the world?
France: scraped through WW1; lost WW2, got rescued by rest of world AND THEN was gifted a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (which they still have). Tend to demand things in the EU go their way or else major strikes. Somehow persuaded the world that France is the capital of culture, that they have the best cuisine and that their empire wasn't as bad as Britain's.
And no, I'm not British either.
And no, I'm not British either.
Well, this is in post-1900, so it's not the UK - pre-1900 yes, but from the largest Empire in the world and all that in 1900 to now, where the UK is a major power, but considerably behind the US, and perhaps Russia and China, and merely on a par with France, post-1900 has been something of a Brit-screw in my view (and yet has still turned out pretty much alright, what with Britain being one of the most developed and influential countries in the world, just not at the top as in 1900). Who it is, I don't really know.
