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It has often been said that Britain had no choice to pursue an alliance with France and Russia (her longtime rivals across the globe) because the creation of Germany upset the balance of power and the one thing Britain could not tolerate was a German Empire which dominated Europe (and very particularly the Low Countries). Therefore dreams of some-kind of Anglo-German alliance founder, perhaps even without the German obsession with the naval arms race.

So far so sensible I have always thought. But then I got to thinking about what a Treaty of Versailles would look like in a world where the Central Powers won because (i) Britain stayed out of WWI and (ii) where Britain backed the Central Powers over its long term rivals?

Would Germany seek territorial concessions or economic hegemony over the Benelux countries? Knowing it would anger Britain and perhaps too (and more importantly) Germany might be trying to swallow too much at once: taking huge swathes of former Russian territory in the east and trying to incorporate it into a German sphere.

I have really good sources for Entente post-war planning but is any one familiar with German (or Austrian or Ottoman) post war planning? How would that be affected by a neutral or allied Britain? Discuss.

Really I am wondering what mileage there is in encouraging Germany to swallow Poland, the Baltic States, etc etc, some French colonies (Indochina for example), more French contiguous territory, Luxemburg perhaps...and then watch it choke...? Ridiculous, unfathomable risk I know but what would be the consequences of a greedy post-victory Germany?
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