CaliGuy
Banned
This might require a German Kaiser with a bit more brains for this to successfully work; however, here goes:
Would it have been plausible for Germany (with a sufficiently smart leadership) to do this? :
-Avoid resuming unrestricted submarine warfare; basically, have the Kaiser block Hindy and Ludy from doing this in early 1917 due to his belief that it is better to wait than to act imprudently.
(In turn, this causes U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to stick to his earlier desire to cut off all U.S. loans to the Entente--thus causing the Entente (or at least Britain) to be put in a much worse financial situation to the extent that they can no longer afford to fight effectively in World War I. Thus, Germany ends up winning WWI in the West by default as a result of Entente/British bankruptcy and then goes for the kill in the East and ends up winning WWI there as well.)
-In the East, Germany still acquires Brest-Litovsk-style territorial gains--with one significant change: In this TL, Germany decides to create an independent, democratic (albeit possibly led by a constitutional monarch, such as Vasyl von Habsburg) Ukraine in order to both weaken Russia and prevent Ukraine from being too much of a burden on Germany.
(Indeed, in this TL, Ukraine would have its own large army, et cetera.)
Basically, the logic of this is quite simple: Germany cannot sustain a Ukrainian puppet state for very long due to its limited resources; however, Germany still wants an independent Ukraine to weaken Russia. Thus, Germany will allow Ukraine to run its own affairs--with its own large army and everything--in exchange for an anti-Russian alliance with Germany. Plus, the Ukrainians can also help Germany suppress the Poles, Balts, and Romanians in their neighborhood.
Also, having Ukraine as a genuinely independent ally would allow Germany to be compensated for Austria-Hungary's upcoming implosion as well as to have a large source of cheap labor which is Christian but not Catholic.
Anyway, would this scenario be realistic with a smarter German Kaiser being in charge of Germany back in the 1910s and 1920s?
Would it have been plausible for Germany (with a sufficiently smart leadership) to do this? :
-Avoid resuming unrestricted submarine warfare; basically, have the Kaiser block Hindy and Ludy from doing this in early 1917 due to his belief that it is better to wait than to act imprudently.
(In turn, this causes U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to stick to his earlier desire to cut off all U.S. loans to the Entente--thus causing the Entente (or at least Britain) to be put in a much worse financial situation to the extent that they can no longer afford to fight effectively in World War I. Thus, Germany ends up winning WWI in the West by default as a result of Entente/British bankruptcy and then goes for the kill in the East and ends up winning WWI there as well.)
-In the East, Germany still acquires Brest-Litovsk-style territorial gains--with one significant change: In this TL, Germany decides to create an independent, democratic (albeit possibly led by a constitutional monarch, such as Vasyl von Habsburg) Ukraine in order to both weaken Russia and prevent Ukraine from being too much of a burden on Germany.
(Indeed, in this TL, Ukraine would have its own large army, et cetera.)
Basically, the logic of this is quite simple: Germany cannot sustain a Ukrainian puppet state for very long due to its limited resources; however, Germany still wants an independent Ukraine to weaken Russia. Thus, Germany will allow Ukraine to run its own affairs--with its own large army and everything--in exchange for an anti-Russian alliance with Germany. Plus, the Ukrainians can also help Germany suppress the Poles, Balts, and Romanians in their neighborhood.
Also, having Ukraine as a genuinely independent ally would allow Germany to be compensated for Austria-Hungary's upcoming implosion as well as to have a large source of cheap labor which is Christian but not Catholic.
Anyway, would this scenario be realistic with a smarter German Kaiser being in charge of Germany back in the 1910s and 1920s?