Potential Central Powers?

Who would be in some sort of position to assist the Germans, Ottomans, Bulgars, and Austrian-Hungarians... Who and Why would they assist them? Please imply SOME logic. Belgium? the Dutch? Spain? Portugal? Italy? Albania? Persia? Brazil? USA? Argentina? Sweden? Mexico? Ethiopia? Colombia? Anyone else?Please, and thank you. :confused::p:confused::p:cool:
 
Sweden could join to WW1 side of CPs if Russians attack against their navy, what they planned in OTL.

Netherlands, Spain and Mexico are possible but you probably need 19th century POD.
 
Sweden could join to WW1 side of CPs if Russians attack against their navy, what they planned in OTL.

Netherlands, Spain and Mexico are possible but you probably need 19th century POD.

True. What would be plausible PODs for the latter 3? I guess the Swede could wage war for Finland...:p
 
Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen becoming King of Spain would make Spain the German equivalent of what France did to Russia.

That would butterfly WWI as we know though.
 
Well, it depends on events leading up to it. Any number of factors could go into deciding who would join. Example: Sweden joining because the Russians attacked them, Finland joining because the allies attack them for electing a Hohenzollern king, Italy joining for Nice, Corsica, and Savoy, etc.
 
Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen becoming King of Spain would make Spain the German equivalent of what France did to Russia.

That would butterfly WWI as we know though.

WWI might not happen at all if the French are afraid of being encircled.
 
Netherlands highly unlikely.
the pro-entente side was as strong as the pro-central side.
as long the netherlands has colonies, they will not go central.
because they are aware that france and the uk are just waiting for an excuse to steal the dutch colonies.

True. What would be plausible PODs for the latter 3? I guess the Swede could wage war for Finland...:p
there are no plausible early POD's for the simple fact that WW1 started through a series of unlikely events, even small pods a few years pre-war will likely butterfly WW1 as we know it (either postpone, or not happening at all)
the POD's would need to be after FF died.

for sweden - admiral essen pushes through his plans, is easiest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Essen
Nevertheless, on 9 August 1914 Essen led part of his fleet towards Gotland to contain the Swedish navy and deliver a note of his own making which would have violated Swedish neutrality and may have brought Sweden into the war.
 
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Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen becoming King of Spain would make Spain the German equivalent of what France did to Russia.

That would butterfly WWI as we know though.
There are the Pyrenees in the way of Spain and France, and I do not believe the French got a relative of their leader upon the Russian throne. Besides, that guy was from the Catholic branch of the family, and I don't see why he should have loyalty to the Kaiser or Junkers.
 
There are the Pyrenees in the way of Spain and France, and I do not believe the French got a relative of their leader upon the Russian throne. Besides, that guy was from the Catholic branch of the family, and I don't see why he should have loyalty to the Kaiser or Junkers.

Wasn't that the same branch that controlled Romania?
 
One potential CP member that rarely gets mentioned is, I think, the UK. With only a few minor POD's (Fashoda goes hot, butterfly the First Moroccan Crisis, etc) you can get Britain to view France and Russia as the Boogeyman of Europe, and get them to side with Germany and A-H as a counterweight.
 
it's not exactly the CP, but their equivalent in the current specs of my Anglo-American Rivalry idea is comprised of Austria-Hungary, Britain, Germany, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire. i think the most likely for an actual CP member among these is Japan, but i have no input as yet for how they could credibly be a CP. Britain is the least likely of these imo since iirc they were set against Germany.
 
Well, it depends on events leading up to it. Any number of factors could go into deciding who would join. Example: Sweden joining because the Russians attacked them, Finland joining because the allies attack them for electing a Hohenzollern king, Italy joining for Nice, Corsica, and Savoy, etc.
I feel that Italy wouldn't even go through. They only joined the Triple Alliance because they were AFRAID of the French. They had claims on AH soil, but if they REALLY wanted their Savoy claims back...
One potential CP member that rarely gets mentioned is, I think, the UK. With only a few minor POD's (Fashoda goes hot, butterfly the First Moroccan Crisis, etc) you can get Britain to view France and Russia as the Boogeyman of Europe, and get them to side with Germany and A-H as a counterweight.
Well, it depends if Britain cares about Belgium. Would the Belgians let the Germans through? And would that really anger the British? After all, the Brits declared both their neutrality. I think flipping the UK would take out a lot of the worldwide chaos.
it's not exactly the CP, but their equivalent in the current specs of my Anglo-American Rivalry idea is comprised of Austria-Hungary, Britain, Germany, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire. i think the most likely for an actual CP member among these is Japan, but i have no input as yet for how they could credibly be a CP. Britain is the least likely of these imo since iirc they were set against Germany.
I don't think the USA cares, but it'd only be good fun to have them fight alongside the Germans. Japan might flip sides if they became discontented with the British enough. The Anglo-Japanese Declaration of Friendship seemed quite like an Unequal Treaty. Also, the Twenty-One Demands make it likely, as the British backed the Chinese anyways. I think that it'd be VERY difficult for the British and friends to defeat Japan AND deal with Europe+Africa, and Germany would like that. If I were them, I'd make peace and an alliance. They can have Qingdao and Shantung, while Europe and Africa are my game.;)
 
There are the Pyrenees in the way of Spain and France, and I do not believe the French got a relative of their leader upon the Russian throne. Besides, that guy was from the Catholic branch of the family, and I don't see why he should have loyalty to the Kaiser or Junkers.

The Alps didn't prevent Italy from attacking Austria-Hungary.

Where I said the Russians got a French monarch? I said that Germany could make Spain what the French did to Russia: an investment dump for the sake of encircling her rival.

And for the loyalty... why not? Unlike the Romanian branch the CPs holds no Spanish irredentist claim, if you stretch a bit (heh) you have Roussillon and Gibraltar on the Entente.
 
One potential CP member that rarely gets mentioned is, I think, the UK. With only a few minor POD's (Fashoda goes hot, butterfly the First Moroccan Crisis, etc) you can get Britain to view France and Russia as the Boogeyman of Europe, and get them to side with Germany and A-H as a counterweight.
Britain came out of its isolation, because it began to feel it needed alliances to defend its empire, it did investigate a German allianc, until it was realised that Germany could provide very little assistance to the British empire because the were few areas of overlapping interests.
This forced it to turn to its biggest threats, France and Russia, join the entente, and to re-caste them as security assets. Therafter what was good for the Entente was good for Britain.
In short Britain couldn't ally with Germany, because Germany couldn't support its defense interests.
 
Can't see Germany allying with the UK, it has nothing to gain by allying with the continental hegemon, Germany can have friendly relations and keep London away from France's grasp, bu that is it. Unless someone like Russia starts getting too strong and the balance of power shifts.
 
I had an idea floating in my head of a messier Venezuela Crisis leading to various Latin American powers choosing between Germany, UK/France and USA.
 
The Alps didn't prevent Italy from attacking Austria-Hungary.

Where I said the Russians got a French monarch? I said that Germany could make Spain what the French did to Russia: an investment dump for the sake of encircling her rival.

And for the loyalty... why not? Unlike the Romanian branch the CPs holds no Spanish irredentist claim, if you stretch a bit (heh) you have Roussillon and Gibraltar on the Entente.
That would be smart of the Germans to invest and I find it odd that they already didn't do that. Yeah, for Romania, no chance in hell there.
I had an idea floating in my head of a messier Venezuela Crisis leading to various Latin American powers choosing between Germany, UK/France and USA.

How would the USA get the opportunity to wage war against Britain? Bangor isn't an issue, nor is Columbia. I mean, Mexico and some buddies could wage war against the USA and Brazilians, right?
 
King Carol of Romania was pro-German. If he lives longer then he might be able to get Romania to side with the CPs rather than the Entente. They might want Transylvania more than Bessarabia and Transnistria, but Russian failures coupled with a pro-German King might make some seea pro-Entente course as dangerous (which it was, as evidenced by Romania's defeat and occupation). And Bessarabia+Transnistria is still better than nothing. Romania has an army of 500.000 at this point, a distraction Russia can ill afford.
 
King Carol of Romania was pro-German. If he lives longer then he might be able to get Romania to side with the CPs rather than the Entente. They might want Transylvania more than Bessarabia and Transnistria, but Russian failures coupled with a pro-German King might make some seea pro-Entente course as dangerous (which it was, as evidenced by Romania's defeat and occupation). And Bessarabia+Transnistria is still better than nothing. Romania has an army of 500.000 at this point, a distraction Russia can ill afford.

Sounds plausible, though would he want a war?
 
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