Germany and Austria is allowed to keep its monarchy (as figurehead) WWI

Exile1337

Banned
So what would change if Germany and Austria was allowed to keep its monarchy as a figurehead (similar to Japan)? What would change?
 
You probably would need shorter WW1 so might be that peace terms are lesser harsher too and Germany and Austria not be so devastated. Austro-Hungarian Empire probably still collapses. So might be that there not be rise of Nazism and so not WW2 too.
 
The hatred of the Kaiser in the Allied countries engendered by the war makes it very unlikely they will agree to this. And as for Austria-Hungary, the war (if lost) was sure to bring about her disintegration, and there was little point in having an "Emperor" of a small, purely German, Austria.

In any event, keeping the Kaiser would not prevent Hitler--Italy and Japan are proof enough that having a monarch is no obstacle to fascism and militarism...
 
Kaiser Bill is impossible but maybe one of his sons or another king of one of Germanies constituent nations .Bavaria or Saxon royal families maybe ?
As for Austria how about this .
By 1917 Austria is devastated ,the economy is shot .The public starving and nationalism threatening to tear the empire apart .In order to concentrate on home problems Austro-Hungary makes a peace deal with Italy which ends fighting between the two in exchange for land the Italians wanted .Peace with France and Britain follow ,the US never declared war on them hoping to concentrate on Germany instead .
The empire then splits in 1919 into three different states .Austria which includes all German speaking parts of the former empire and has the Kaiser as Archduke of Austria .
Hungary which has all the Hungarian parts of the empire ,along with most of Galicia .It is a constitutional monarchy under the Hapsburgs though not the same Kaiser as Austria .
Then their is the Republic of Yugoslavia which includes Croatia ,Bosnia and most of the area not under Austrian or Hungarian control .It is a virtual Italian puppet and took control of all of Austria`s battlefleet including the four Tegetthoff class Dreadnoughts ,though they are crewed by Italian men .
There that about covers it I think .
 
I don't really think it's a case of being allowed; both emperors were overthrown/had their states collapse, but weren't abolished by the Allies.
 

LordKalvert

Banned
I don't really think it's a case of being allowed; both emperors were overthrown/had their states collapse, but weren't abolished by the Allies.

Very true- the CPs probably would need to seek peace terms before the final collapse of their societies preferably before American intervention and before the monarchal collapse in Russia. A Tsarist Russia would certainly like to retain at least the trappings of monarchy
 
As I recall, Churchill was retrospectively supportive of retaining the Kaiser at the head of a truly constitutional monarchy; totalitarian states are harder to build when the highest office is forever occupied by someone with no intention of using it.
 
As I recall, Churchill was retrospectively supportive of retaining the Kaiser at the head of a truly constitutional monarchy; totalitarian states are harder to build when the highest office is forever occupied by someone with no intention of using it.


Iirc he favoured a Regency for the Kaiser's grandson, rather than the retention of Wilhelm II himself or the Crown Prince.
 
Agreed!
Sort of like an occupying power installing a minor, compliant prince on the throne and telling the population "You better salute this new prince/King/emperor or you will not enjoy the alternative.
 
Kaiser Bill is impossible but maybe one of his sons ... ?
Won't work unfortunately, IIRC they were all either army or navy officers who had commanded and/or fought during the war or in the one instance of this not being the case rumoured to be gay. Your best bet I think would be for both the Kaiser and the Crown Prince to abdicate in favour of the twelve year old Prince Wilhelm who was third in line to the throne under some form of regency.
 
So what would change if Germany and Austria was allowed to keep its monarchy as a figurehead (similar to Japan)? What would change?
In regards to Germany, maybe Germany could have kept a figurehead Kaiser (not necessarily Kaiser Wilhelm II, though) if the German naval leadership would not have ordered the German sailors at Kiel to fight a suicidal naval battle. After all, as far as I know, that is what caused these German sailors to mutiny, which in turn caused people in other parts of Germany (both in the military and on the home front) to mutiny as well and which eventually resulted in the German people overthrowing their monarchy.
 
Friedrich Ebert supposedly wanted to keep monarchy in some form. Its possible for him to get it his way.
 
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