very cool Germany map! am I misinterpreting things or is there an additional black bar below the German flag? Also, did Germany abstain from all and any colonies or did they just hold back this time and maybe were satisfied with the odd island and maybe Namibia or a similar "undesirable" stretch of land?
Thank you for your feedback. Yes it is shortly after the ISOT (about 10 to 15 years, I'm thinking). But (and this is gonna sound like an excuse, sorry) I thaught it would be likely that influence from the modern Russians would lead to some modernisation (albeit with Moscow wanting to eventually bring Nizhny under its suzerainty).
Yeah I was thinking as much but I thought that they were possibly offered some as a compromise solution. Similar to how Belgium got the Congo.
personally i think depicting genocide in maps is... fine? but i think framing matters here. in almost all of your maps which contain a regime committing acts of genocide or great ethnic replacements, it's not really framed as a bad thing (or even a thing that matters--i didn't even notice the Kurds being expelled from Turkey). and yes, you could argue that it's a sort of in-universe glorification, but your responses to people bringing this up sort of implies that it isn't?
Not everyone already has a kick for advocating Ethnic Cleansing.
Prague can’t be happy.Courtesy of u/vlodax from Reddit, a "big Germany" which united after the 1848 revolutions emerged victorious; run as a constitutional double monarchy between the Prussian Hohenzollerns and Austrian Habsburgs.
Shortly after the German Empire was forged as a result of the March Revolution, the German people faces another challenge. A Franco-German war still occurs in this timeline shortly after unification under similar circumstances as OTL, triggered by Napoleon III. The French, unwilling to accept a huge unified German state right next door, demanded all German land west of the Rhine as a natural border. This is, of course, unacceptable and outrageous to both Prussia and Austria, as well as the Frankfurt Government. Tensions rise, sparking a war.
Denmark, who at the time ruled Holstein under a personal union, is not pleased with the new German Empire claiming Holstein (as it was also part of the German Confederation and majority German) and joins the war on the French side, looking to enforce their claims and fearful of a united Germany.
The same goes for the Netherlands, who do not acknowledge Germany‘s conflicting claim on Limburg (also part of the German Confederation). The Dutch also joins the war on the French side.
Napoleon III, who was just installed in power after recently overthrowing the old government, leads an unstable and rather vulnerable nation at the time; but finds himself in an offensive war against the German states and the great powers of Prussia and Austria. The French have difficulties mobilizing their entire force against the Germans, who swiftly take out their allies.
Denmark sues for peace first, defeated by Prussian troops and facings revolts in Holstein by locals who support the German cause. Being overwhelmed and fearing the loss of Schleswig as Prussian troops advance, they accepted peace quickly. The Danes cede Holstein to Germany and acknowledge the unified state, under a guarantee of no further German expansion north into Jutland.
The Netherlands, barely receiving any support from their French allies feel abandoned and launches a failed offensive, facing a much larger German force than they anticipated. The Dutch also sues for peace, losing Limburg to Germany and acknowledge the new German state. Some in Frankfurt called for a full annexation of the Netherlands, which doesn’t happen as it is considered to be too risky to continue the war against the Netherlands with France being the real threat. France is now on its own.
France itself, being poorly prepared is defeated after fierce fighting and forced to surrender as German troops enter French territory. The nation was in no state to fight an offensive war against Austria, Prussia and the German states under one unified banner. This war's peace treaty, however, is not as harsh compared to OTL; it is very fair and rather acceptable for the French, letting them keep Alsace-Lorraine and only having to pay minor war reparations. This is seen necessary to ensure the balance of power in Europe under German dominance, and avoid a future war or coalition forming against Germany. Many in Frankfurt also had French sympathies and looked to France as a potential ally for the German Empire in the future as they believed they both followed the same liberal democratic ideas and were both born out of revolution. (The February Revolution of 1848 in France was the spark that ignited Germany's own March Revolution in the same year, serving as inspiration for many liberals in Germany) Most importantly, France is left with no choice but to accept Germany’s now dominant role in Europe and recognize German unification, which it did not until this point.
In this alternate German nation, unification and Identity is not inherently linked with war, militarism, and Prussia but instead by liberal democratic ideas; having been forged by the people in the Revolutions of 1848 and shaped by an internal balance of power between the Habsburg and Hohenzollern dynasties, the Frankfurt government and the Constitution.
As for Britain, this Germany does not seek colonial holdings and is not very invested in overseas affairs or building a strong navy. Therefore, Germany did not opposes the UK and instead gained British support, as it is seen as a pleasant alternative to the French-dominated European system of the past; which has since lead to considerable instability and radicalization, even to the return of the Bonaparte dynasty to Europe which Britain was deeply worried about. Additionally, both are also sympathetic towards each other since they have a rather similar governmental system and strong cultural ties.
Germany in this timeline is much more invested in European affairs, but doesn't wish for any territorial expansion as the Empire is believed to be already "saturated"; it would instead serve as a huge stabilizing power and leader in the center of Europe, with only Russia as its main adversary.
hey, maybe DON'T blatantly imply mass murder is fine as a TRADEMARK!?
when did I say it is fine? just that you all seem to find genocide in my maps, even where it doesn't happen.
granted you did not literally use the word "fine", but you did say, and I quote
this basically comes off as saying "hey, maybe ethnic cleansing is my trademark"
yes, and that is what I mean, because, and I repeat, you all seem to find genocide in my maps/scenarios, even when it doesn't happen. At this point, why even try fighting back against it when regardless of what you say everyone says it exists anyway. Not like I go out of my way to add it. Most of the time I don't even think about it.
ah so you're saying it was a joke, as in "maybe it's my trademark because everybody says it is"
I'm looking forward to the others! Interesting concept, even though it seems unlikely.
