Is there a way France can negociate the retrocesion of A-L without a war with a POD of 1870 ? of 1900 ? after a WWI stalemate, or even after a CP victory ? What would be the effects on Franco-German relations ? On the World ?
France peacefully gets Alsace-Lorraine back
- Thread starter WarPlanInfrared
- Start date
When Hell freezes?
In a WWI stalemate is possible, but that defeats the "without war" requirement.
Sometime in the 20th century Germany gets into a war with Russia, and
a) finds itself in a very precarious position. France realizes it, and threatens war if Alsace-Lorraine is not returned. Relizing that French involvement would tip the fragile balance, Germany decides that losing Alsace-Lorraine would be better then a Russian victory.
b) loses, while Russia grabs what it wants and imposes some level of demilitarization of Germany. It also quietly supports French demands. When France asks for Alsace-Lorraine, whoever is in charge realizes that resistance is futile and complies after being advised that if France has to fight a war, the price of defeat will go up.
a) finds itself in a very precarious position. France realizes it, and threatens war if Alsace-Lorraine is not returned. Relizing that French involvement would tip the fragile balance, Germany decides that losing Alsace-Lorraine would be better then a Russian victory.
b) loses, while Russia grabs what it wants and imposes some level of demilitarization of Germany. It also quietly supports French demands. When France asks for Alsace-Lorraine, whoever is in charge realizes that resistance is futile and complies after being advised that if France has to fight a war, the price of defeat will go up.
A simple POD in 1871, Bismarck advices are listened and not Moltke's who said Alsace-Moselle annexation is necessary to established a defensive barrier. Bismarck estimated that Alsace-Moselle was not worth the French hostility.
Were not the French more or less resigned to loosing Alsace but it was the loss of Lorraine that really stirred them up?
I meant that France doesn't annexes A-L after winning a war against Germany.
No, Lorraine was not lost, only a the northern part of Lorraine, more or less the department of Moselle.
And Alsace and Lorraine were not considered as provinces to be lost, they were french from more than two centuries... Mulhouse was defacto independant until the French Revolution.
And funny southern Lorraine become really french (after the death of the last Duke of Lorraine Stanislaw Lescynski) after the northern Lorraine.
I could see a German government granting Alsace Lorraine full federal status, special autonomy, or even outright independence.
But cession to France? That would require defeat in war.
But cession to France? That would require defeat in war.