German physicians attending the case of Kaiser Friedrich called in, at one point, a British physician widely held to be the pre-eminent otolaryngologist in Europe at the time: Morrell Mackenzie, MD. Mackenzie advised against surgery at the time, and we all know that Friedrich's reign was all too brief.
But suppose, after consultation with his German colleagues, Mackenzie agreed with their tentative plan of treatment, and advised surgery? To be sure, it might well have left the Kaiser with a permanently weakened voice, but it may well have prolonged his life by several years. To that end, I suggest:
* Friedrich was well known to have liberalizing proclivities. Perhaps Bismarck might have (been asked/forced to) resign(ed) some few years earlier, and a more liberal polity would have been put in play, making the German Empire at least approach Great Britain in terms of parliamentary democracy.
* With the departure of Bismarck and the delay in accession of Wilhelm, a scramble for African colonies might well have been delayed, blunted, or both.
* And with a lessened thrust for overseas colonies, perhaps the High Seas Fleet might never have been built.
* With the accession of Joseph Chamberlain to the British Foreign Office, it's not unlikely that an Anglo-German alliance might have been concluded in the 1890s. With that, there likely would not have been a Kruger telegram--but perhaps there would have been an armed confrontation over Fashoda. In the latter case, France would almost certainly have come off the loser, facing Britain backed by Germany.
Comments?