And now... a map inspired by Susano-o's rant against B_Munro's latest map!
-The main point of departure is Hitler's emigration to British India, in a syphilis-inspired fit of insanity, after a rightist putsch in Weimar Germany that saw a short and brutal civil war that wiped out the German communists. While in India, Hitler makes numerous friends amongst the Indian Seperatist movement, inspiring a later Second Mutiny that sees the rise of a powerful fascist Bharat from the Raj's ashes.
-The other main point is a general economic collapse in continental Europe that the extremely protectionist German regime barely survives, but leads to a Communist Revolution in France, which sparks a general conflaguration in Europe between France, Hungary, and the Soviet Union and the rightist powers, led by Germany and Poland(!). It ends with the partition of France, and the liberation of Belarus and the Ukraine.
-Secular Turkey did a lot better following WW1 (this is the earliest departure), managing to take most of historical Thrace, Kurdistan, and ensuring the independence of the Caucausus countries. One of the results is the foundation of the Pan-Turanistan League, the keystone of preventing Soviet (and later Chinese) aggression in Central Asia.
-Japan, taking advantage of the decades of chaos following WW1, has established its own Empire in Manchuria, and is leading talks about closer East-Asian co-operation.
-America has, for lack of a better term, thrown up its hands and restricted its overseas involvement to the Americas.
-Africa, scene of the last great Imperialist surge, has become a constant battleground as the refugee French state fights to hold on to what remains of its empire against local insurgency and the Arab League's constant meddling. Kenya, the greatest success story of peaceful decolonization, has led the way for uniting East Africa and coordinates closely with the UK to contain the threat of the 'Pariah White Republics', an extremely racist group of states that overthrew British power when it became obvious that they would withdraw peacefully and allow the locals (native Africans) to self-determine following the success of Kenya and Tanzania.
-The UK is still a world-spanning Empire, albeit greatly reduced and holding on for dear life. Between containing the potential genocidal bloodshed in Africa, containing bloodthirsty Bharat, and containing the seperatist movements in Australia and Ceylon, most British cabinet members can't remember when the word 'containing' wasn't in the job description. Damn those lazy Yanks!
-The Soviet Union is, unofficially, the worst and scariest place on Earth. And they have nukes, so who knows when that nightmare will go away.
-Belgium, on the other hand, is the happiest French-speaking country in the World!