Isolationist USSR

Xen

Banned
Prior to the Second World War, the two superpowers that emerged from that war were both isolationist. Both had their spheres of influence, but neither was really a global power.

After World War II both emerged with mini Empires and wrestled one another for the right to influence the rest of the world. The end result had the USSR unable to keep up with the US, collapsing into history as a failure. What if Stalin had realized the Soviet Union couldn't cope with the Cold War against the better industrialized west.

Germany is re-united as neutral nation with severe restrictions placed on its military and is closely monitored by the United Nations. Its economy is a capitalist one. As assurances of keeping another Hitler from rising, and to keep the Communists down, Truman and Stalin agree to restore the Hohenzollern's (much to Stalin's dismay). The four occupying powers agree to withdrawal from the Kingdom of Germany by 1949. The WWI flag of Germany again becomes the nations flag.

The Monarchies of eastern Europe are restored once the Red Army withdrawals, and the nations of Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary are just like Germany, capitalist, with a small defense only military, and unable to form any sort of alliance with another nation.

The Greek Civil War still ends in the same fashion as OTL, with the monarchy being restored. Stalin fears a civil war in Poland, like the one in Greece. The Red Army stays in Poland until 1954 after Stalin dies. His successor and President Byrnes agree at the Berlin Conference. The US will withdrawal its troops from Italy and the USSR will withdrawal its troops from Poland. The Red Army leaves Poland with a weak communist government at the helm of Warsaw.

Like the deal in Europe, the Republic of Korea was founded on similiar grounds with restrictions placed on the size of its military, and a neutral capitalist government.

In spite of the "goodwill" between the two nations there is still plenty of idealogical conflict between them. Nowhere does this play itself out like in China. Both the US and USSR had plundered military resources from the defeated Germany and were quite anxious to test their capabilities. American and Soviet "volunteer" fighter pilots found themselves engaged in dogfights above the ancient Chinese land. The American's eventually gained the upper hand with Air Superiority, while the Communists gained the upper hand on the ground with the widely distributed AK-47 and Mao's more dedicated troops. The Chinese Civil War ended in 1956 with Kai-sheck controlling the South and Mao controlling the North. The limited American involvement was very unpopular at home. President Byrnes lost the 1956 election to Richard Nixon.

The US returned to its strict isolationist policy, watching the French suffer a humiliating defeat to Ho Chi Minh in 1957. The Soviet Union and United States called for a plebecite in South Vietnam over its status. The UN supervised plebecite was won by Minh in a landslide.

The Race issue still heated up in the US, the USSR still made it it's aim to point out the flaws of capitalism by pointing out the wealthiest capitalist nations weaknesses.

As the 1960's are about to begin, there is no Cold War, relations with the USSR and US are friendly, but cold. The Arms race is almost non-existent, however the US and Soviet Union still maintain rather large military's. Both having a military numbering close to a million. What will the turbulent sixties look like without the Vietnam War, or the Cuban Missile Crisis?
 
Xen said:
The Monarchies of eastern Europe are restored once the Red Army withdrawals, and the nations of Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary are just like Germany, capitalist, with a small defense only military, and unable to form any sort of alliance with another nation.

Not a chance, not ujnder stalin. Austria yes (as in OTL), Germany maybe others no way. Remember this is couple of years after Germany invaded from Poland and Rumania. Stalin will want a buffer.
 

Xen

Banned
aktarian said:
Not a chance, not ujnder stalin. Austria yes (as in OTL), Germany maybe others no way. Remember this is couple of years after Germany invaded from Poland and Rumania. Stalin will want a buffer.

Austria didn't restore its monarchy. The monarchy is a rare thing in Europe now, other than Britain, Spain and the Scandonevia countries I dont think monarchies exist in Europe anymore. Just pretenders.

Besides with all of Central and Eastern Europe disarmed except for small defense forces, Stalin would have nothing to worry about.

However we could say that the King of Bulgaria is restored, and the Red Army continues to occupy Rumania and Poland until Stalins death. Then his successor could use the Red Army occupation of Poland and Rumania to get the US out of Italy and perhaps France or England.

Its not likely the USSR would depart with the balkan states, and definatley not with Ukraine.
 
Xen said:
Austria didn't restore its monarchy. The monarchy is a rare thing in Europe now, other than Britain, Spain and the Scandonevia countries I dont think monarchies exist in Europe anymore. Just pretenders.

Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein. ;)

Xen said:
Besides with all of Central and Eastern Europe disarmed except for small defense forces, Stalin would have nothing to worry about.

Small defence forces of disarmed countries can grow into powerfull militaries and occupy large parts of Europe. It happened before.....

Xen said:
However we could say that the King of Bulgaria is restored, and the Red Army continues to occupy Rumania and Poland until Stalins death. Then his successor could use the Red Army occupation of Poland and Rumania to get the US out of Italy and perhaps France or England.

Its not likely the USSR would depart with the balkan states, and definatley not with Ukraine.

Poland as well. Specially Poland. And US would never leave UK, not for Soviet withdrawal from Poland.
 
On this note, another possible ATL- what about projecting how post-Communist Eastern European countries would look like had their deposed monarchs (such as King Leka of Albania) returned to rule as constitutional monarchs after the Cold War's end ?
 
hmm.. on the face of it, it seems that having both an isolationist US and isolationist USSR would have been good for the world in general.... now, I'm just waiting for someone to tell me why it wouldn't.. :)
 
Demilitarization of US

Historically the US demobilizes after a war. If the Russians had left puppet governments in the Balkans and pulled out their army, and if they had occupied all of Korea so there would not have been a Korean war, the US would have gone back to a normal peacetime army of about 200,000 or so. We would have also terminated the Marshall plan. A Russian policy of support for China would have made people nervous, but without a Russian army on the ground the US would never have been able to pass those huge military budgets.
Figure Wallace as president in 1944 as Roosevelt dies a year earlier as a POD.
Then the Austrians get sliced up between Yugoslavia and Israel, and Russia pulls out after putting local commies in charge of Eastern Europe, just like we put local collaborators in charge of Greece, Italy, France, and the colonies in OTL, except that Greece winds up in Eastern Europe.
When the Russians go home in return for about half of the Marshall Plan money, the Republicans cancel it next year and we pick up and go home, with Eastern Europe and France making sure, very sure, that Germany stays demilitarized.
The Germans are happy their occupation armies are gone, the Nazis are all in Siberia, and they concentrate on rebuilding. There are no reparations arguements this time. All reparations are taken as land. No interference in Germany's government, since all are satisfied with the new and very chastened Germany.
The East European puppet governments are worried about being overthrown so they form a federal government to ensure that they always maintain loyal military troops from out of town. The capital is across the river from Belgrade in Vojvodina. Tito is in charge and the whole area turns into a larger version of Yugoslavia. Unlike Yugoslavia there isn't some predominant ethnic group. Russia doesn't keep the Baltics, or Moldovia. They wind up in the European Common Market, or Greater Yugoslavia, or whatever you want to call it.
East Europe stays stable for a long time, long enough for the surviving prewar collaborationists to die off. Afterwards they just keep on going, gradually reforming the economy in a more capitalist direction as class antagonisms die down and the new nomenklatura intermarry with the old middle class. There are still strains between r and k ethnic groups, but social security reduces birth rates, and orphanages rather than welfare also discourage having large families.
With no cold war America maintains it's rapid growth rate instead of becoming relatively poorer compared to Europe. We just keep blasting away with research and development, instead of slowly losing relative ground to China, Japan, and Western Europe. We build a real space effort instead of publicity stunts and start developing the solar system. We get lots of immigrants who want to go to the asteroid belt for the open spaces of the habitats.
Russia is quiet and peacefull. They send all their troublemakers to the US. So does everyone else.
 
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