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Little did I know about Chris N's "Europe after peace talks" thread in very great detail (and length!). As always, I aim to keep or restore, but hopefully not too ASB, many European monarchies, and try preserve peace post WW1. I don't have the expertise that others on this board have, but I nevertheless enjoyed creating this timeline and thought I'd share it. Please feel free to add comments, some corrections that nevertheless maintain the spirit of the thread, and would also be curious to see some users flesh out some of my briefer outlines of international relations in Europe. Enjoy the timeline, I will post it in bursts rather than in one large chunk!


PART 1: 1918-1920

It is early 1918 and the Great War continues. German forces launch their Spring Offensive, which has some success in pushing French and British forces back. However, in Germany, the high command advises the government to agree an armistice whilst they are in a brief position of strength, as they fear defeat will follow due to American reinforcements for the Entente powers. Reluctantly, the German government agrees. As France continues to be even more devastated with each day the War drags on, and Britons are tiring of the war that was to be won "by Christmas" 1914, the Entente powers agree, and Armistice Day falls on 4th April 1918.

By January 1919, the Treaty of Strasbourg has been signed, with the main principle being that ‘war guilt’ will not be assigned, in the name of sustainable peace. All European combatant countries are obliged to contribute to the French Reconstruction Fund to fund the recovery of Northern France from the War, but otherwise no other reparations are forced upon the countries, though the UK provides a loan to Belgium to aid similar reconstruction there. The satellite states created by the German Empire following the break-up of the Western regions of the Russian Empire are permitted to remain, though must remain politically independent from the German Empire, whilst the German Emperor himself, Kaiser Wilhelm II, is forced to abdicate in favour of his son, as the former Kaiser was considered an ‘aggressor’ in the conflict. The newly created Eastern monarchies include the Kingdoms of Finland, Lithuania and Poland, as well as the United Baltic Duchy, which includes Estonia and Latvia. Kaliningrad is given to the Kingdom of Lithuania.

The Republic of Czechoslovakia is recognised, whilst the new United Kingdom of Austria-Hungary agrees to recognise the new Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in exchange for all Serbian nationalists requested by the Austrian government to be punished for ‘War Crimes’.

As advised by Woodrow Wilson, the League of Nations is formed, with Great Britain, France and Germany being the veto-wielding members in decision-making. The League’s first tasks are daunting- first of all, League members agree to intervene in the ongoing Russian Civil War to support the White Russians, as well as intervene in the crumbling Ottoman Empire to maintain the Sultan and remove the potentially extreme Kemal Ataturk. Pressed by the French and British in particular, the Ottoman Empire is obliged to give up much of its territory beyond Turkey, though still includes Syria and Palestine. Its other former territories are made mandates, divided mostly between France and Britain, and in exchange the Western European powers offer significant loans and investment to maintain the Sultan's regime.
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