Very vague India idea

Thande

Donor
This is based on a number of faintly ASBish concepts in the start, but I had this idea while cycling home today...

Basically, the Central Powers win WW1 in a rather wankish way and Britain, if perhaps not actually invaded, is certainly forced to the negotiating table with a Prussian helmet up its backside. OTL, I believe the Germans had some fairly wacko plans for post-war colonial redistribution, e.g. making Canada a personal possession of the Kaiser - if they'd tried that, I imagine the Canadians would just declare independence with American protection and there's little the Reich could do about it.

But let's consider another area, one which is not a white dominion and nor is it a sparsely populated African colony that the Germans could easily transfer to themselves. I'm talking about India, which in many ways is the oldest part of the British Empire, in terms of trade if not actual possession.

Would the Germans simply insist that Britain transfer the whole vast Empire of India to Berlin's control as a colony? I don't think it would be out of character. But India at that time (which remember, still includes modern Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma) was a country with a population of over six hundred million, giving China a run for its money as the most populous in the world. If India decides to ignore any diplomatic order from London and fight if the Germans actually came to take possession, I think it could beat them off, if it stays united.

The question is, would the nascent Indian nationalist movement use this opportunity to overthrow the imperial regime and declare the country independent - knowing that the ensuing chaos could hand it, or parts of it, to the Kaiser - or would they work with the imperial regime but demand increased civil rights, etc. and progress towards majority Indian rule in exchange for that cooperation?

I don't know if the latter option is actually the most likely, but the scenario I envisaged stems from it. We have a new Empire of India - with an Indian prince on the throne with only ceremonial powers, possibly even a descendant of the Mughals - the viceroy still in charge, but with Indian nationalists taking part in the business of government. The whole ramshackle assembly looks as though it's going to fall apart, but then Berlin sends an expedition to take possession, the Germans are repulsed, and this act seals a new national identity for this Empire, of white Britons, Hindus and Muslims all cooperating to prevent being turned into another vassal of 'the Hun'.

I get the impression this is a bit Peshawar Lancers, i.e. it's something you would fall about laughing if you saw it written down in a TL, but it might be worth using as the background to a scenario set later on, if the history behind it is only vaguely referred to. Thoughts?
 
The problem is that it doesn't make sense.

I.E. Britain agrees to sign it over. So The British administration would probably obey it. So who is rising up? Indian nationalists, and those who don't want a Prussian India. If so, why not go all the way?

Neat idea though.
 

Thande

Donor
The problem is that it doesn't make sense.

I.E. Britain agrees to sign it over. So The British administration would probably obey it. So who is rising up? Indian nationalists, and those who don't want a Prussian India. If so, why not go all the way?

Neat idea though.

Okay, so change things around a bit. The viceroy obeys London, but the Indian nationalists rise up, and both the British Indian Army and the British Army in India are not very motivated to stop them, considering the situation. Indian nationalists take power, but find they can't run the country without the existing administrative structure, as otherwise it'll dissolve into chaos. So they reach out to certain elements of the existing imperial regime who are unhappy with how London has sold them out, and we can still get roughly the situation I wanted - only natives have at least equal power and influence to whites from the start.
 
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