Hypothetical Cold War between Second and Third Largest Powers?

Do people think it's plausible for a Cold War scenario (doesn't need to be the historic USA vs. USSR) between the second and third largest powers/economies on Earth, with the largest power/economy essentially staying neutral?
 
Well it wasn't called a cold war because it were the 2 largest world powers going at eachother. It was called a cold war because tensions kept rising but there was no real action. Thats going on between a whole lot more countries than just the USA and Russia.

The USSR and China broke ties somewhere in the 60's i think, basically starting their own little cold war.
 
The USSR and China broke ties somewhere in the 60's i think, basically starting their own little cold war.

Yes, but that was a dispute that was quickly subsumed into wider Cold War politics - Nixon going to China and all that.

To answer the original question, what about a scenario where the world wars never occur, allowing the United Kingdom (and United States, for that matter) to spend the 20th century in splendid isolation aside from policing conflicts within their own spheres of influence while the other European powers and Japan more aggressively attempt to outmaneuver one another, leading to occasional wars that the English-speaking world remains largely uninvolved in?
 
Was thinking a scenario where perhaps the US is never involved in the Second World War. Let's say France manages to array itself better somehow and hold the line during the Battle of France. It's touch and go for the Franco-British but they manage to eventually bring their superior industry and manpower to bear against the Reich. Without the fall of France, the Japanese never take Indochina and a tense peace reigns in the Pacific whilst Italy says "lolnope" and stays neutral.

Meanwhile the USA provides arms and materials to the WAllies, but never get directly involved in the fighting. Inevitably, Hitler is overthrown by his generals and the war is over by 43 - 44 after the Franco-British march into Germany proper. Perhaps Stalin opportunistically declares war on the Reich and takes some territory in the East (keeps his half of Poland? idk), eventually shaking hands with the slightly pissed off Entente somewhere in Germnay.

Despite the tensions, neither Stalin nor the WAllies are keen to expand the war, the Franco-British now featuring well-equipped armies of veteran soldiers and an industry geared for war. Unsure about the fate of Germany, could have a pro-Franco-British government put in place, maybe it' divided with the Soviets or simply made into a strictly neutral state? The cold war kick off between the renewed Franco-British Entente and the USSR as both sides develop nuclear weapons?
 
Despite the tensions, neither Stalin nor the WAllies are keen to expand the war, the Franco-British now featuring well-equipped armies of veteran soldiers and an industry geared for war. Unsure about the fate of Germany, could have a pro-Franco-British government put in place, maybe it' divided with the Soviets or simply made into a strictly neutral state? The cold war kick off between the renewed Franco-British Entente and the USSR as both sides develop nuclear weapons?
And/or the Franco-British Entente as the USA pushes for decolonization and France is having none of it
 
And/or the Franco-British Entente as the USA pushes for decolonization and France is having none of it

Well in this case I am imagining that the US is still going to be the premiere world power with the Franco-British and the USSR as second and third place (as per the OP) but yeah that is an interesting possibility
 
I think you'd get that, if you had no World War One, and some butterflies in Anglo-German relations; have the British and the Germans cooperate for a while in the 1910s and the 1920s, by cutting up the Portuguese colonial empire, coming to an understanding about fleets as IOTL, and then have something to sour that relationship and make Germany a contender against Britain. I think a good idea for something like that would be a collapse of the Russian Empire, followed by swift German invasion and takeover of Eastern Europe. Then the Germans go on and set up a Mitteleuropa, and decisively break with the British, thus followed by some sort of Cold War, with the US, being the largest economy of the time, trying to play neutral.
 
How about the situation between China and India? . . .

In fact . . .
jfks-forgotten-crisis.jpg


https://www.brookings.edu/book/jfks-forgotten-crisis/

At the same time during the Cuban Missile Crisis, China invaded and held territory in northern India, I think for a couple of months.

It’s not the style of war we think of as escalating to near total war and pursuing near total victory or something of that sort. Rather, China wanted to do enough to “punish” India, and I guess they did.

This is OTL. :openedeyewink:

Now, at the time, India might not have had enough economy to be considered a third power, probably not. But maybe looked st in terms of regional politics?
 
The Hoare-Laval Pact isn't leaked and the Stresa Front remains. The Stresa Allies go to war with Germany in 1937 or 1938.

As Britain, France, Germany, and Italy are preoccupied, Stalin sees a brief window to take action. He proceeds to go after Poland, Romania, Finland, and Turkey.

As Germany is facing sure defeat in the face of the Stresa Allies, Stalin goes after Germany east of the Oder River. All German lands seized are given to Poland, because Stalin is such a nice guy.

The Baltic States are threatened with war, but agree to acquiesce to Stalin's demands which amount to Finlandization at best and being Soviet Puppets/Buffers at worst.
Stalin also revokes the Svalbard Treaty, claiming the whole archipelago for mother Russia.
Hungary tries to grab a piece of Romania, but Stalin responds by invading Hungary.

Czechoslovakia here is a pure neutral.

By the time Western Europe is at peace, Stalin controls half of the continent. Stresa + Germany is facing down the Soviets and the Americans are on the other side of the ocean eating popcorn.
 
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