This is a timeline I've been kicking around for a while.
To start with, here is a list of assumptions that are necessary for the timeline.
1. In OTL, one of the main formative experiences of Hitler’s personality as it was during the period of the 2nd world war was his experiences in the 1st world war. Specifically, his experience following the gas attack.
2. In OTL, he was injected with, a large quantity of amphetamines to combat Parkinson’s, this resulted in a steady collapse of his faculties followed by a period of insanity. I put the start of the actual insanity somewhere around 1942-43.
The POD is during the 1st world war. During Hitler’s stay in the hospital ITL, instead of as in OTL going into a mentality of all inferiors must die, he goes into a mentality of all inferiors must be enslaved.
Now, it isn’t a much of a change, true. But it is sufficient to alter the events of the 2nd world war in a radical way. Instead of seeking to expel or eliminate unwanted people, they instead seek a more "humane" treatment. Instead of a strong focus on the purity of the race as a whole, he is more concerned with improving the individual and through that, the race.
The change can be summed up into this.
"The best Jew is better than the worst German, but the average German is better than the best Jew. Therefore to know a race is not the same as to know the individual, as we act on the individual level, we must know the individual."
In effect this means the Nazi view of other races is closer to the master and their cattle, than it is to the OTL view or Human and vermin.
These are still Nazi's with all that it implies, the only difference is that they are closer to the old Prussian view of inferiors than they are of the OTL Nazi view.
So, this small change butterflies across the German nation during ww2 and produces a very different timeline.
So, long story short, it’s a work on WW2 ATL, don't expect it to be 100% accurate on all details or the way you would expect it to be. It is a work of fiction and treated as such, I'm not spending thousands of hours researching the background for this.
I plan to break this into 10 small chapters each no more than 2 pages long detailing an important event sometime in the years between 1930's-1950's
----
1920-1934, Hitler slowly gains more and more power until eventually becoming the Fuhrer.
In 1933, Hitler gives a speech on the emancipation of women and their role in the workplace. In it he outlines a place for the women in the work place, that while the traditional woman had no reason to be emancipated, times have changed and in the world, it is those best adapted to change that survive, and the German people must survive.
Incentives are created for women to join women's organizations, and to create jobs and to increase the need for German produce. Physical health, intelligence and labor are greatly valued in the new German society.
This new influx of labor lowers the cost of hiring German workers in a period when there is massive unemployment. At the same time the government engages in large investments into infrastructure boosting German GDP growth rates to somewhat higher than OTL.
The real reason for the Emancipation of women in Germany is to free more Men for the coming war effort.
1935 Nuremburg Race Laws
The Nazi's set about to create a comprehensive system of racial classification. In the completed system, there were 4 main levels of race, and three classes within every race. And hundreds of myriad classes and races not listed here.
The 4 races were
The Germans. Anyone who had at least 75% German ancestry.
The Non-German Europeans. Anyone who while not German, were of one of the many non German Western European races. (French, Italian, Spanish etc...)
The Non European Civilized. Anyone who is classified as civilized but not European. This would include Slavs, Jews, Chinese, Japanese and so on. The Nazi state considered anyone East of Germany to be Non-European. With the exclusion of the Greeks.
The Non Civilized. Anyone who lacks a state or any of the common trappings of large scale societal organization. (Africans, Indians, Natives, Sami…)
And the classes were simply based on classification within that society into either better, average or worse.
This new system of classification meant that a 1A, that is, better than average German could marry anyone from 1A,1B,1C,2A,2B,3A. It meant that someone of Jewish ancestry could marry a German, assuming that the Jew was a well to do respected member of the community.
The laws were designed to allow the best of any civilized society to marry into Germany, while prohibiting the worst elements from mixing. The thought being that this way, they could let nature select the best of all societies and mix them into Germany while keeping majority of the marriages between pure Germans.
The idea being that no one would miss a few disgruntled Jews moving out, but they would miss someone with billions moving out.
This would color the Nazi thinking in the future. The concept of allowing the best of any civilized race to live in Germany while actively seeking out and stripping of citizenship anyone they deem unfit would prove a cornerstone of their society.
Even the worst can improve their station if they strive for it, and even a pure German can find himself in trouble if he falls from his station.
1936, After a series of discussions by Hitler and Mussolini, the two agree to found a series of settlements in Italian Libya, designed as a new home for the German Jews and other undesirables. Germany is paying for the transport and giving a small cash incentive for anyone wishing to move to Libya. Italy sets up bi-lingual administration areas in Libya in anticipation. With increasing pressure in Germany and troubles in the Middle East, many take this opportunity to move to Libya.
In exchange Germany recognizes the Italian conquest of Ethiopia and the two forms the Axis. Germany remilitarizes the Rhineland.
The anti-comintern pact is concluded between Germany-Italy-Japan
During the 1936-37 Germany continues to rearm.
1937 At the outset of the 2nd Sino-Japanese war. After much deliberation, Germany decides to maintain support for the Chinese. A large part of this decision comes from the Chinese history. A long history, which paints the Chinese as one of the oldest and wisest people. Compared to the Japanese, which are relative newcomers. In the Nazi ideology of racial history the Chinese seem more likely to win the ensuing conflict.
Japan is seen mostly as a naval power and thus of secondary importance to the Axis future war effort and its main target of the Soviet Union. Towards this Goal, China seems a natural ally.
Germany condemns the Japanese aggression and expels Japan from the Anti-comintern pact.
Germany increases economic and military co-operation with the Chinese.
The battle of Shangai ends in a Japanese victory 3 weeks later than OTL, the Chinese army withdraws in relative order towards Nanjing.
Emboldened by how narrow the Japanese victory was, the KMT decides to employ a significantly more aggressive posture in the coming years.
1938 German union with Austria. Italy supports the union thanks to generous German economic cooperation in the past 3 years. The union will greately increase German and Italian economic cooperation. Unemployed Germans are strongly encouraged to sign up for work gangs which are sent to improve the Italian transport and industrial infrastructure. Work gang duty has become the legal obligation of unemployed lower class Germans. While Germany is still nominally tied by the disarmament treaties, there is no legal binding from using civilian labor. In essence the work gangs have become the second arm of the military. They are well trained and in good physical condition ready for military service but in times of peace kept in hard manual labor to maintain their physical conditioning. Despite the investment cost associated with such a move, the benefit to the coming war, outweigh the cost.
During the years of 1936 to 1939 a total of 1.2 million German men and women have taken part in improving the Italian transport infrastructure.
----
That’s the first post.
I'll answer any questions about the TL.
Thus far, the greatest change is:
1. Germany has a early grand strategic war goal, destroy SU at all cost. Avoid a prolonged naval war. Leave the west well enough alone and fragmented for as long as possible. Do not provide a common enemy.
2. Germany supports KMT during civil war.
3. Germany attempts to alleviate unemployment by renting out work gangs to potential allies in exchange for political or economic concessions. These gangs are independent units that are mostly used for construction of infrastructure and economic facilities. Such as roads, highways, rails, airports, ports. It is a economic drain on Germany but it is part of the larger war-goal and of the political goal of trying all the European minors into a economic dependency on Germany. Most states are eager to use them as they are essentially free, in exchange for a few simple concessions. Such as supporting the Union.
4. Italian Libya has better infrastructure and higher population due to influx of German and Austrian Jews. While packing so many discontents into one location creates a distinctly Anti-Nazi atmosphere in Libya, the harshness of life in their new homes keeps public opinion quiet.