During the Russian Revolution of 1917, it was the first time in history where the ordinary working class people took power directly into their own hands. It was an extraordinary endeavour, which inspired millions across the globe, and it is one of, if not the singular, greatest event in world history due to it's significance and the possibility of a better world it offered. However, Russia at the time of the Russian Revolution was a very backwards semi feudal country with 80% of it's population peasants. Marx said in the Communist Manifesto that capitalism is a prerequisite for socialism, and had always presumed that the first workers revolution would happen in the advanced capitalist countries with a large and strong proletariat, either France, Germany, or Britain. However this turned out not to be the case for a number of reasons, partly due to Russia's uneven development, it's comparatively weak national capitalist class, and therefore it being the weakest link.
Because of it's uneducated population, it's lack of effective machinery and transportation able to avert famine, and the overwhelming hostility of the other capitalist powers, the Bolshveiks lost support as they were unable to carry out their promises of 'peace, land, bread, and freedom,' due to the ongoing civil war and the scarcity it caused. This meant the revolution degenerated, and power became concentrated in the hands of a few. This was one of the primary reasons why Stalin came to power and the Soviet Union became a totalitarian regime.
But this was almost not the case. After the Great October Socialist Revolution and WW1, there was huge militancy of the working class all across Europe, particularly in Germany and Hungary. In Hungary a short lived Soviet Republic was even created in 1919. However, the big country all of the Bolshveik's were looking at was Germany.
Germany was a powerful, economically developed country, and had a huge socialist tradition. If Germany had turned communist in 1919 and have helped the Russian's in the Russian Civil War, the destruction and devastation of Russia would not have been as severe, and there is a high chance that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia all would have become communist as well due to their large movements and close proximity to the two countries.
All of the objective conditions for a revolution in Germany existed, but huge mistakes were made on the part of the revolutionaries. In 1918 the Kiel mutiny sparked the German Revolution, which was similar to the February revolution in that it overthrew the Kaiser and created a liberal (boishwar) democracy. The biggest obstacle was the betrayal of the SPD (Social Democratic Party.) The SPD had inspired so much hope in socialists across Europe, but on the outbreak of WW1 the majority of it's deputies in the Reichstag voted for war credits. By the German revolution it had decisively rejected revolution and allied itself with the capitalists. The most notable member of the SPD and the first president of the Weimar Republic was Friedrich Ebert.
There was huge workers opposition to Ebert, manifested in the USPD (Independent Social Democratic Party) which was much more radical, but was unable to decisively break with reformism. The Spartacist League, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebnecht, was a revolutionary organization. But it was so absorbed into the USPD that it failed to be a decisive force during the Spartacist Revolt, and the rising ended in catastrophic failure with over 100 workers being murdered at the hands of the arch reactionary Freikorp paramilitaries. Rosa Luxemburg was also hesitant and indecisive when it came to revolutionary strategy, having a false notion of 'left' communism and being somewhat anti Bolshveik, and failing to understand what made the revolution in Russia successful.
But let's say that Rosa Luxemburg in this timeline is more of a leninist, and she breaks with the USPD a couple of months earlier to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD.) In January 1919 the German Worker's Republic is declared, nationalising the means of production, enacting radical land redistribution, etcetra... similar to the Bolshveik policies laid out in the April Theses. After a brief scuffle with right wing paramilitaries, CDR's (Committees for the Defence of the Revolution) are set up to detect any counter revolutionary activity. The German's help the Bolshevik's in the Russian Civil War and turn the aforementioned countries red. What would this new world look like, and what would be it's impact on a world scale?
In a word, huge. For starters, in our timeline when the British intervened in the Russian Civil War there was huge opposition from the British public, who were exhausted of war, to return to the front, and that is why they couldn't get involved as much as they wanted to. However, in a timeline when Germany, the country they've been fighting for the past 4 years, has ripped up the Treaty of Versailles, and effectively declared war on all capitalist countries, they would have absolutely no option but to attempt to force the British public into en masse returning to the front lines of battle. This would be hugely rejected, and I can imagine Labour winning the 1922 election due to it's anti war stance. The experience of a Labour government and it's wage cuts similar to the Tory government in 1926, as the new government would ultimately still be controlled by capital, would lead to a much more extreme General Strike and a revolutionary situation in 1926. This could either lead to a British revolution, or the imposition of a military backed fascist dictatorship.
After Lenin's death, due to the increased credibility of world revolution, the reduced destruction, and therefore, decreased bureaucracy and more democracy in the Soviet Union, I can imagine Trotsky succeeding Lenin after being elected by the Soviet people. Trotsky would be a much less authoritarian, and much more genuinely revolutionary leader than Stalin was, and would much more effectively lead the Third International, being able to secure the victories of the Chinese Revolution of 1927 and the Spanish Revolution of 1936.
The Spanish Civil War erupts into WWII. I would say that the capitalist side would consist of the US, Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and allies, and the communist side would consist of the Soviet Union, Germany, Spain, China, and allies. Unlike in our timeline, the British cannot afford to hide their support for Franco, and so they go full on supporting the fascists. The Soviet Union led by Trotsky does not sabotage the revolution, and the republican government is overthrown and a workers republic is created. I can imagine the war spreading to Italy and France, and it becoming a world war between socialist revolution and fascist counter revolution. With superior forces and the strong will of the people, I can imagine the communists winning this war. Mussolini's rule in Italy would end in a similar way to how it did in our timeline, with the communist countries assisting the resistance. Eventually the revolution also spreads to France and Britain, and with Germany's blitzkrieg tactics defeating the French like they did in our timeline, and the naval blockade and workers revolution in Britain, all of Europe is turned communist.
I'm unsure about where America fits in here. I think due to much more correct and sound direction from the comintern the Communist Party would be much bigger. But would it be strong enough to resist capitalist reaction and strong anti communist legislation? Could an attempted revolution occur in the strikes of 1945-1946? I think we could see a civil war occurring between the communist north and the fascist south.
I think communism would be much more democratic in this timeline. An educated population and an advanced industrial base in Germany would mean it would not have to use repressive tactics and would be a much more pluralistic, and less authoritarian system
So leave your comments and feel free to expand down below. I'd really love to see what other people have to say about this scenario and help me develop what this alternative timeline would look like all the way down to the present day.