How long could WW1 be delayed?

Don Grey

Banned
Actually, WWI has started timely for Germany because Russia has just modernizing their railroads and the British are just building their dreadnaughts that Britain bound to win the race had the WWI delayed by even two years. So, extending the delay of the WWI would completely change the dynamics of the alliance system. We could see a British-German-Austrian-Hungarian-Ottoman-Japanese Central Powers vs. French-Russian-Italian Entente and this scenario, United States may not enter the war.

And alliance like that would just not happen. One because the brits and germans still have conflicting intrests two the alliance is just overkill and three because of two the entente would have to be suicidal to go to war under these conditions.
 
Well the interesting thing is that if you delay it past 1918, then the Spanish Flu comes up, and that has the potential to throw enough spanners in the works to delay any war further and perhaps change European diplomatic relations.

With no WW1 there most likely is not a Spanish Flu pandemic.
It seems that the typical circumstances in the trenches made the more lethal variety to prevail (slightly sick stay, badly sick get moved to the rear, in such spreading the most nasty variety). The flu probably still appears, but in a milder variety.
 
With no WW1 there most likely is not a Spanish Flu pandemic.
It seems that the typical circumstances in the trenches made the more lethal variety to prevail (slightly sick stay, badly sick get moved to the rear, in such spreading the most nasty variety). The flu probably still appears, but in a milder variety.

The question would be if the random mutation that created the lethal strain is somehow butterflied away The 1919 flu was unusually deadly even in the USA civilian population which had never suffered the privations that Europe had. That is, in a prosperous, well-fed population with good infrastructure, sanitation and decent hospitals, the young adult population was still badly hit Wartime conditions in Europe simply made the death rate even worse.
 
Well the interesting thing is that if you delay it past 1918, then the Spanish Flu comes up, and that has the potential to throw enough spanners in the works to delay any war further and perhaps change European diplomatic relations.

Thande

That presumes that a pandemic as destructive as the OTL flu wouldn't be butterflied. If nothing else a hell of a lot of people would be in a much better condition than OTL.

Steve
 
The question would be if the random mutation that created the lethal strain is somehow butterflied away The 1919 flu was unusually deadly even in the USA civilian population which had never suffered the privations that Europe had. That is, in a prosperous, well-fed population with good infrastructure, sanitation and decent hospitals, the young adult population was still badly hit Wartime conditions in Europe simply made the death rate even worse.

I watched a documentary on the Spanish Flu, and its conclusion was that the disease originated on a British military base during the war. The base had chickens and pigs in large livestock pens, and from there Commonwealth, British, and American troops spread the epidemic around the world. Without WWI, the epidemic takes much longer to spread, and probably isn't as severe if it develops at all.
 
That is rather ironic, as Bismarck created many of the conditions that resulted in WW1.


Hi - german unification caused the problems you could say. but you also could say the stupidity of the brits, trying to counter the germans (and ignoring the us of a) or the french hate because of the defeat of 1870/71 caused ww1.


Bismarks "hunger" was stilled with the unification. Germany did not battle for 43 years... compare this with the french, brits or russian wars of agression from 1871-1914.

who was the war hungry beast?

it is interesting, isn´t it?
 
If Europe can muddle along until 1917-1918 without a major international crisis, I think war can be avoided - by that point Russia's armed forces and civilian industry may have modernized sufficiently to reach parity with Imperial Germany, and the Royal Navy will well and truly have pulled ahead of the Kaisermarine in the dreadnaught-building race. From that point on Germany has very little chance of winning a general conflict, and is going to be far less likely to issue blanket promises of support to Austria over "some silly conflict in the Balkans" or the like.


Hm, you miss one point
why do you think that the french and russians (with the brits tied by secret contracts) do not start a war in 1917?

on the other hand - why should germany drop ah, its only ally?
also, why should the central power countries do so?
because the french just wait to crush le boche? because the brits want to destroy its economic enemy?

never - the only mistake of the germans was the faulty schlieffen-plan, with russia first they win the war, cause political trouble in great britain (the moment the british navy explain that they have treaties to lead a war with germany will be funny - if public hear about it)

ww1 is nothing you can avoid - the germans will be improved if the war is delayed. that sound silly if you know that the french and russian are to strong in 1916, but in truth the russians were paper-tigers... attacking germany and facing the strength of the german army will crush the russian army even faster. With france attacking germany - defending in the west - will bled them white much more, cause a german defence strategy means trenches from day1.

the us of a see the agressor (russia and france), sneaky brits that told something different (joining the war) and the blocade can (here you need some plots) cause so much trouble with the us of a (esp. if belgium and the netherlands stay neutral) that even a war with the usa is possible.

but this needs 20/20... and the germans doing anything right... and the entente doing a lot wrong (but still - a defence in the west and the bloodbath caused by the french offensive actions sound interesting)
 
Consider butterflies to the Russian Revolution.

Consider the impact of voice radio and several years of aeronautical development.
 
A later settlement keeps Woodrow Wilson out of it. Maybe little or no US involvement in a shorter conflict.
 
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