Eh. There's not too much of a Sunni/Shia divide in Iran. There are some Sunnis (mostly Arabs) in the western provinces, Kurds are as well unless I miss my guess, as are Baluchis. And it wasn't even really like the religious divides were all that significant prior to the Revolution. Hell, even after the creation of Israel there was still a thriving (and largely unmolested) Jewish community in Iran.Its already a Regional Power and has the population and economic potential to be a Great Power but the Sunni/Shia divide means I doubt it could become a Superpower unless it gobbled up Afghan or Pakistan, which is ASB.
but Germany winning WW2 is ASB, much better for them to win WW1 or avoid it all together.
Judging by the number of timelines done, the consensus is that it isn't ASB for Germany to win WW2![]()
but Germany winning WW2 is ASB, much better for them to win WW1 or avoid it all together.
Judging by the number of timelines done, the consensus is that it isn't ASB for Germany to win WW2![]()
That has more to do with people's unhealthy fascination with the Reich than it has to do with the actual plausibility of the situation.
I'd say China had a shot at superpower status by the _late_ 20th century: it's heading that way, if the environment holds out, by the 2030s, and China OTL did "lose" a couple decades with the warlord era and the Japanese invasion, and plausibly a couple more due to Mao's idiocies during the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward.
Basically, I'm in agreement with Xavier, although I'd give somewhat better odds to Japan: aside from holding onto Korea and Taiwan (and the challenge does not require it to be just as strong as the US), it could also project a lot of influence if it avoids the imperial bug of OTL and becomes something of a leader to modernizing non-European states.
India might get a head start on industrialization before the 1940s, say if the Germans win *WWI and Britain tries to stregnthen its empire to hold off the continental colossus.
Typo, I fail to see why the British empire surviving is any less ASB than Japan holding onto Korea and Taiwan...
Bruce
It's not, it's just that even with Korea and Taiwan Japan is still not a superpowerTypo, I fail to see why the British empire surviving is any less ASB than Japan holding onto Korea and Taiwan...
China doesn't have a shot at superpower status within the 20th century, because the warlord era was almost inevitable given the legeay of the late-Qing era, Japanese invasion was admittedly another matter.
Without Communism, modernization goes slower, because the Confucian elements which was broken during that era would have been a huge stumbling block otherwise.
It's not, it's just that even with Korea and Taiwan Japan is still not a superpower
Which are both tiny compare to the size of China, and had substantial western pressure/aid to get them to modernize?You mean like in the backwards nations of Taiwan and South Korea?
Please avoid that sort of sound-bite national characterization, or I'll have to sic Hendryk on you.
Why would OTL economical miracles happen with the Japanese zaibatsu in charge?Close enough for government work. The USSR managed with only about 40% US GNP, tops. OTL Japan, S. Korea and Taiwan have better than 50%, and as a unified economic region that probably would be higher - and that's not counting the possibility of a higher population...
Germany, England, Russia, USA
Any other power is pretty ASBish
I believe the Russian Empire would have been the supreme state of the 20th century if not for communism. A capitalists/Imperialists Russia could have brought much of Eurasia under its spear through economic means alone. 400,000,000 - 600,000,000 subjects + 22,000,000+ km of territory + the resources of that territory + capitalism = massive superpower ; that makes other comparators look small. Russia in OTL was quite a large power and that was with communism holding back and killing Russia’s potential; if she was allowed to reach her true potential? Brazil, Germany, United States even China and India look small in comparison.
I'd think England becoming a super power is pretty damn ASBish.