Let's say that Germany in the latter 19th century gets Kaiser Heinrich I rather than Wilhelm II (he doesn't survive birth, gets born a girl, or whatever). This Kaiser nurtures closer relations to the British government, doesn't antagonize them with naval build-ups and there is no Moroccan Crisis I and II. This Germany sides with the UK after the Russo-Japanese War, which finds France siding with Russia. Kaiser Henry also takes Victoria, instead of Irene as a wife, avoiding haemophilia in the German royal family. Also, Boulangerism takes hold as a widespread movement in France after 1871 and well into the 20th century.
For the sake of argument, let's say that WW1 sparks almost exactly like OTL, but it's France and Russia vs. Germany and the UK and the other allies, with the US joining late in the game to help out near the end. How do you see this version of WW1 going? Who sides with whom? How would the peace settlement work out for France if they get blamed for the whole thing? Do we see a later revanchist war if France gets an analogous Versailles Treaty placed upon them? How does Europe shake out here map-wise?
And fast-forward to 2012, how do you see Germany today? What kind of country is it? Its royal family? How does Europe look in this version of reality? Poland? France? What kind of foreign relations do France and Germany have with the UK and USA? And what about French and German-Americans? How do you see them in 2012?