Map Challenge: Europe, 1987

[ComradeFlyer]

how did we get here?

the Cold War is as cold as ever...

Red = Soviet Union and its allies/puppets in the Helsinki Pact
Tan/Orange = Great Britain
Green = Fourth Reich
Purple = nations allied with GB and the 4th Reich in the Brussels Pact

Helsinki Pact Signies:
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Danubian People's Repuiblic
Polish Democratic Republic (East Poland)
Democratic Republic of Rumania
Bulgarian Workers' Republic
Republic of Spain
People's Republic of Turkey
Italian Socialist Republic
Albanian Democratic Republic

Brussels Pact Signies:
United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Brittany
German Fourth Reich
Kingdom of Norway
Kingdom of Spain
New Republic of Catalonia
Euskadi Republic
Kingdom of Belgium
Kingdom of Holland
Kingdom of Denmark
Corsican Republic (Vichy France)
Federal Republic of Sardinia
Republic of Sicily
Republic of Greece
Czech Republic
Federal Republic of Poland (West Poland)



and i know its a quickly made map, just seeing if anyone can come up with a close idea, if its plausible i'll flesh it out more.

 

[Zach]

Hmmmm I will give it a go, even though I bet it won't make sense.

After WWII the Soviets don't stop and keep on rolling westward hoping to gobble up as much land as possible. They succeed in gobbling up most of Italy before setting up it's own puppet government there. Popular uprisings against Franco happen in Spain whom the Soviets instantly greet as allies, hopefully to split the Allies on a two front war. The Allies (including many Germans who see the survival of their nation with the west, not the east) are pushed back to the sea where the Soviets finally stall and are slowly pushed back across France and across Germany. The Germans, seizing the opportunity of a lack of occupation, declare the Fourth Reich, a semi-republican [monarchy? dictatorship?] to help fight communism. Soviet tide broken, they retreat across the border and peace is made between everyone in 1947.

And the little countries sort of fall into place -

Federal Republic of Poland was Polish land held by Germany at the time of the armistace which was granted indepedence. Spain underwent a Second Civil War until the early 50s where Franco was pushed to the south where he established a Kingdom whole other nationalists established nations in Eukasi and Catalonia. The socialists/republicans are firmly in control of the rest of the nation.

France played an interesting part of the war. Originally they made peace with the Soviets but the British and Americans were firmly against this and so for the second time in ten years, the French surrendered abandoning their allies. Britain - pushed back into Brittany - seized control of the land and continued to fight. Later on, as they fought both Russian-allied Frenchmen and Russians, but the French who supported the Soviets were a minority and soon were wiped out. After the peace the Brits just held onto Brittany and Germany seized Alsace-Lorraine as payment for "the French backstabbing of free Europe in our time of need!"

By the 80s, the Soviets had gobbled up Finland after a long war which nearly plunged the world into another world war. They had also redrawn the map of eastern Europe. Germany prospers as a sort of third-party, while the Brussels pact signatants cling on to republicanism (for the most part anyway...the nationalist Spanish countries had republicanized since the 50s) and have alliances with britain and the US. The French - bitter about their poor performance in everything - are neutral and a bit of a pain in the ass.

Whew

Edit:
How about a Greek-Turkish War in the 60s...Russia launches a coup in Turkey to bring them into the Helsinki Pact, but the Greeks - supported by the west - oppose this and soon a war escalates with Greece the obvious victory. The Soviets wisely stay out, risking to not start another world war.

Secession of Corsica - after the French started to suck, cooler elements of the French government moved to Corsica which seceded in the 70s and plays a large role in European politics. Because of its turncoatness it is dubbed "Vichy France".

And to clarify on Germany...its a strong power and although the west really doesn't like it too much because it isnt a fully republican place that grasps democracy, it is the lesser of two evils when compared with Russia. Germany also sponsored the creation of the Czech Republic which was supposed to become a puppet state but instead joined the Brussels folks, creating a bit of animosity between Berlin and Brussels.

Sicily = "Free Italy" who vehemently demands the ousting of the government of the People's Republic of Italy.

 

[Wendell]

Why are West Poland and Sardinia federal republics?

The POD probably relates to an alternate outcome for the Great War.

 

[MerryPrankster]

Why are West Poland and Sardinia federal republics?

The POD probably relates to an alternate outcome for the Great War.

I think so too...Greece/Turkey would have been resolved then, and "Danubia" could be a federalized A-H that uses a Central Powers victory to get "breathing space" for reform.

 

[Wendell]

I think so too...Greece/Turkey would have been resolved then, and "Danubia" could be a federalized A-H that uses a Central Powers victory to get "breathing space" for reform.

Looks like Britain may be on the side of Germany too. What does the rest of this alternate world look like?

 

[lasvegan2005]

Seems like there was no WWII, at least no big shooting war -- maybe only a few skirmishes. Under Hitler, Germany gobbles up Austria and a few other surrounding territories. Hitler is killed or removed early, and the Nazis undergo a crisis of some sort (political, military coup, or an energy/industrial crisis, maybe a combination of all three). Maybe there is a British inspired economic blockade of Nazi Germany which succeeds early and forces the Germans into reform. Under Western pressure, the Third Reich is reformed and the hardliners are booted out. Some sort of constitutional monarchy is established in Germany with a strong, democratically elected Chancellor and a weak Kaiser. When democratic elections are held in Germany, the Austrians vote to remain a part of the Fourth Reich (of course this may be under pressure and intimidation from Berlin.)

Germany, the USSR, and the Brits decide to split Europe into three military/economic blocs, with much less hostility and confrontation than after WWII in OTL. British influence over Europe is increased and US influence in Europe is greatly decreased, compared to OTL. There are no US troops in Europe. There is no NATO. The US is much more isolationist and focused on Asia and Latin America. Maybe the US never developed the A-bomb, so we had a much harder time defeating the Japanese; this might explain the lack of US involvement in Europe, even in the aftermath of the non-shooting war which appeared here. Germany plays a role of "mediator" between the West and the Soviets and has cordial relations with both. However, the Soviets are greatly advantaged compared to the US as they now have Spain, Italy, etc. in their orbit, and there is no NATO, only a smaller British-led pact.

It also appears the Euro-Communist parties in Italy and post-Franco Spain were able to take over by winning democratic elections, rather than as a result of Soviet invasion. If that were so, they might have repressed other parties upon taking office, declaring their countries Soviet allies. I don't know how the UK would have come to occupy part of France. That doesn't fit in with the scenario I've drawn here. Did the British send small forces to put down pro-Nazi movements in various parts of the continent (Brittany, Catalonia, etc.)?