Pax Versalica - A 'peaceful' world after the Great War.

Hello, I decided to create this thread in a similar way to Thousand-Week Reich but with a different theme: A world where the Paris Peace Conference (Versailles) unfolds differently. This will lead to a series of changes that will cause the post-war to be called Pax Versalica, the peace of Versailles, in which armed conflicts will cease... in Europe ... but not forever. Totalitarian states, colonial wars and ethnic instability, a gigantic powder keg will not explode again, but the small detonations won't cease. A better world for millions...but not for everyone.

One more detail: I've based this scenario on the brilliant scenarios written by other people, it's a combination of their excellent ideas, all proper credit will be given
 
1922 Political Map Europe and Near East
Alternate Versailles.png


Personal adaptation made from the work of NerdyLlamaAltHist to whom all credit belongs.
https://www.deviantart.com/nerdyllamaalthist/art/Woodrow-Wilson-s-14-Points-931018051
 
Last edited:
I like the idea of an independent West Ukraine, especially given there was one in OTL (People's Republic of West Ukraine) and a lot of variets of Ukrainian nationalism period there.

Also, smart choice of an independent Azerbaijan. Without that oil, Russia will have a much tougher time being expansionist.

Republic of Assyria is unique too. It seems that the western allies have a much bigger presence in the Anatolian Peninsula. I wonder what happened to Ataturkh.
 
I do love to see a Hashemite Arab unitary state....

Turks may not have the success in salvaging their situation that they had OTL.
 
So the next war is definatly gonna be another Balkan mess and probaly some form of German revanchism against Poland, but probaly not leading the mess of ww2...or at least as badly.
 
So major changes :
West Ukraine
No reconquest of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia by Russia
Wilsonian Armenia
Independent Kurdistan
Greek territory of Smyrna and Eastern Thrace
International Straits
Ottoman Empire surviving (no Kemal)
Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Arabia united and Independent
Palestine international instead of just British (which might be a blessing in disguise for London, avoiding that hot potato)
Croatia-Slovenia being their own state
OTL Yugoslav Macedonia still Bulgarian
Hungary keeps Transylvania
Italian Dalmatia

So the Entente decided that Central Powers AND Serbia were responsible for the war, and decided to screw both ?

Also how does this map avoid WWII ? It might prevent Italian "mutilated victory" sentiment, Hungarian and Bulgarian revanchism. But Germany is the same as OTL.
And it's Germany that has the power to challenge peace. Other frustrated countries, IOTL, only acted as opportunist followers in the wake of Hitler.
 
Last edited:
So major changes :
West Ukraine
No reconquest of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia by Russia
Wilsonian Armenia
Independent Kurdistan
Greek territory of Smyrna and Eastern Thrace
International Straits
Ottoman Empire surviving (no Kemal)
Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Arabia united and Independent
Palestine international instead of just British (which might be a blessing in disguise for London, avoiding that hot potato)
Croatia-Slovenia being their own state
OTL Yugoslav Macedonia still Bulgarian
Hungary keeps Transylvania
Italian Dalmatia

So the Entente decided that Central Powers AND Serbia were responsible for the war, and decided to screw both ?

G
And it's Germany that has the power to challenge peace. Other frustrated countries, IOTL, only acted as opportunist followers in the wake of Hitler.ny
Germany got Austria. The Weimar Republic can claim the establishment of Greater Germany, something neither Bismarck nor the Kaiser achieved.
 
Germany got Austria. The Weimar Republic can claim the establishment of Greater Germany, something neither Bismarck nor the Kaiser achieved.
Oh right, missed that. Major change indeed.

So the war ended with a partial defeat but the CP still strong enough to negotiate (except Ottomans), instead of Entente simply dictating the treaty ?
 
Oh right, missed that. Major change indeed.

So the war ended with a partial defeat but the CP still strong enough to negotiate (except Ottomans), instead of Entente simply dictating the treaty ?
I assume the Allies dependet more on american support, so Wilson could enforce a peace much closer to his 14 points.
Some minor details:
Germany keeps Danzig , Saarland and Eupen, but lose Masuren (plebicite gone different?)
It also gets a small dot in the West (maybe Moresnet)
And Voralberg joined Switzerland.
 
I can't see Germany being allowed keep colonies in Africa. France and Britain even took Kamerun and Togoland already in early stage of the war.
 
I can't see Germany being allowed keep colonies in Africa. France and Britain even took Kamerun and Togoland already in early stage of the war.
Remember this is a scenario where Versailles is less hard for Germany. German East Africa was taken by the UK to finally complete the Cape Town-Cairo Railway.
Namibia was taken to please South Africa and for its diamonds.
Togo land and Kamerun were allowed to remain in German hands as they didn’t prevent any of British or German geopolitical goals or territorial continuity in Africa.
 
Remember this is a scenario where Versailles is less hard for Germany. German East Africa was taken by the UK to finally complete the Cape Town-Cairo Railway.
Namibia was taken to please South Africa and for its diamonds.
Togo land and Kamerun were allowed to remain in German hands as they didn’t prevent any of British or German geopolitical goals or territorial continuity in Africa.
Britain never tried to complete Cape-Kaiiro IOTL. It seems, it wasn´t such big goal. And France will demand his own big piece of cake.
So I would say Germany keeps Togo and the coast of East AfriKa.
 
Britain never tried to complete Cape-Kaiiro IOTL. It seems, it wasn´t such big goal. And France will demand his own big piece of cake.
So I would say Germany keeps Togo and the coast of East AfriKa.
France got territories from Kamerun.
 
View attachment 790590

Personal adaptation made from the work of NerdyLlamaAltHist to whom all credit belongs.
https://www.deviantart.com/nerdyllamaalthist/art/Woodrow-Wilson-s-14-Points-931018051
Beautiful map.

Certainly much more likely to guarantee peace than the OTL treaty, if nothing else because Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, and Italy seem less pissed, the Hashemites seem to be getting what they've been promised, and a lot of disputes are prevented, but I do see a few major points of tension and some interesting things.

1) West Ukraine. Even if somehow the Russians don't have aspirations on it, it will definitely be supportive of liberating its eastern brethren from Russian rule, and if nothing else will be a hub for eastern Ukrainian separatists (which in turn will make Russia view it as a threat)

2) The Turks are obviously very unhappy

3) GigaSerbia. Minus the fact that it lacks Montenegro, it seems to be built around the territory where the Shtokavian dialect/language is spoken (I'm honestly really tempted to argue that standard Croatian which is part of Shtokavian Serbocroatian is a separate language from Kajkavian, especially spoken Kajkavian, which I would say is a transitional dialect of Slovenian). While that is somewhat coherent, there is already a well developed, unified Croatian national identity encompassing Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia. Now, there are many Serbs in Slavonia at this point, but Southern Dalmatia may prove troublesome for the Serbs, even with such things as the "catholic Serb" movement in Dubrovnik and Serbian rule of the region south of the river Cetina in the middle ages, most of southern Dalmatia and a less overwhelming majority of Slavonia is inhabited by Catholics, practically all of whom are, and identify as, Croats, and not Serbs. Croatia is likely to want them, many of them may want to be part of Croatia. Now of course, Croatia-Slovenia alone probably can't retake them from Serbia which I expect to militarily far outclass it and be internationally somewhat well connected as far as allies go, but if Croatia can find some friends, it may be confident enough to go for those lands. Also, like IOTL, Serbian attempts to assimilate or at least de-Croatize those regions will breed resentment. Croats in western Herzegovina may be similarly troublesome. I know it's based on the treaty of London though and barring the creation of Yugoslavia, Serbia would certainly push for this.

4) Independent Montenegro is interesting. I wonder how you intend to maintain its independence. While some Montenegrin politicians today like to make a big deal out of the Serbian annexation, at the time it was quite popular (not only that but it was requested by the elected government).

The ruling coalition was headed by a party whose overt platform was the deposition of the house of Petrović-Njegoš and unification with Serbia under the house of Karađorđević. Now, this particular stance was not necessarily held by the majority (albeit a sizable minority wanted exactly this), but unification with Serbia was overwhelmingly popular.

Keep in mind, unlike Croatia and Slovenia which had distinct and well-established national identities, Macedonia which saw itself as Bulgarian at the time, and Bosnia where the Bosniaks had a different religion and, though still building their identity, had already developed some tension with the Serbs, Orthodox Christian Serbian/Serbocroaian-speaking inhabitants of Montenegro in 1918 would have seen themselves as Serbs. Even the king himself identified as such and wrote Serbian nationalist songs where he referred to the Serbian emperor as "my emperor" and spoke of longing for the monuments of the medieval Serbian kingdom and empire in Kosovo. Hell, on the topic of the king, Nikola had in private letters seemed to view unification with Serbia favorably, but, given his actions after the annexation, evidently expected a setup where he retained some kind of power, perhaps like how the German empire kept the kings of other states in power as subnational monarchs.

The Montenegrin ethnic identity would only really arise in response to poor Yugoslav rule and would remain quite fringe, with most Montenegrins even after WWII identifying as Montenegrin but seeing that as a subset of Serb. Even today most Montenegrins, including a huge chunk of those who do not identify as Serbs, would say that they speak the Serbian language and, if they are religious, that they belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Even early anti-Serbian figures like the fascist collaborator Sekula Drljić romanticized Prince-Bishop Petar II of Montenegro, an unabashed Serb patriot and romantic nationalist (which modern Montenegrin identitarians do not, precisely because of his inseparability from the Serb identity), showing just how nascent Montenegrin ethnic separatism was. Again, practically throughout the 20th century, Montenegrin ethnic separatism was fringe. Not Montenegrin political separatism/autonomism. While those who opposed unification were a minority, even among them, many, perhaps even most, saw themselves as Serbs, just ones with a separate country (somewhat like how Austrians are still German, just not part of Germany).

Now, independent interwar Montenegro can be a compelling narrative, but it is in a precarious position where even much of its own population does not support its independence (and foreign backing would only give the pro-Serbian side and Serbia itself more credence as it gives them the option of rhetoric claiming that Montenegro is under foreign rule and forcibly being kept separate from its Serbian brethren). Could be very dramatic, and a more distinct Montenegrin identity could develop (as it did IOTL), it's just not really there yet, and that will cause tension and drama.

5) I hope Italy doesn't stay in Georgia for too long.
 
Top