Which Empire Could Have Survived To Today?

Which Has The Best Chance?

  • Austro-Hungarian Empire

    Votes: 10 14.3%
  • German Empire

    Votes: 44 62.9%
  • Ottoman Empire

    Votes: 13 18.6%
  • Brazilian Empire

    Votes: 18 25.7%
  • Russian Empire

    Votes: 17 24.3%
  • Mexican Empire

    Votes: 5 7.1%
  • Kingdom Of Italy

    Votes: 22 31.4%
  • Kingdom Of Romania

    Votes: 14 20.0%
  • Kingdom Of Hungary

    Votes: 12 17.1%
  • Kingdom Of Yugoslavia

    Votes: 7 10.0%
  • Kingdom Of Iraq

    Votes: 7 10.0%
  • Kingdom Of Bulgaria

    Votes: 11 15.7%
  • Kingdom Of Laos

    Votes: 5 7.1%
  • Vietnam (Various)

    Votes: 4 5.7%
  • Greater Korean Empire (Korea)

    Votes: 5 7.1%
  • Imperial State Of Iran (Pahlavi Dynasty)

    Votes: 17 24.3%
  • Reason 1

    Votes: 19 27.1%
  • Reason 2

    Votes: 13 18.6%
  • Reason 3

    Votes: 9 12.9%

  • Total voters
    70
Well,this is something that I have been thinking about for a while. Could some Empires have survived to today,if things have been done differently..or decisions have been made sooner or later? This is the question,the poll has some Empires that I may have thought could have survived to today.

What I want to know,is what do people think..a good example is that some Empires fell after World War 1 and 2..like the side they fought on..or battle decisions..what if the Empire fought on the opposite side..would this have saved it?

Or...could the Empire become a "Constitutional Monarchy" like the United Kingdom is now? Vote for the Empires you think could have survived..and pick a reason.

Reason 1-This Empire could have survived,if it choosed it's allies differently..or foriegn policy was different/country was modernized. (Example,Germany and Korea)

Reason 2-Perhaps rulers could have listened to the people. If so,it might have been able to avoid being toppled. (Example,Russia)

Reason 3- If this Empire were to survive,it would be drastically different today. (Example,Mexico and Brazil)
 
I've always thought that if history was only slightly different, and that's why we're all here, after all, that Brazil could have evolved into a successor empire to Portugal. We'd need a PoD in the early 1800s, probably when the royal family left Lisbon during the Napoleonic Wars. If they continued longer, we could see the power shift to Brazil and away from the homeland. Then we could see a Brazil which rules over Mozambique and Angola, as well as Goa and Macau, perhaps even a Viceroyalty of Portugal?

Obviously by today it may have been pared down to only South American territory, but I think this would leave the royal family still nominally in charge, and so it would still be, technically, an Empire.
 

wormyguy

Banned
Countries I would give a better-than-even chance with a POD in the 20th century:

German Empire (reason 1)

Russian Empire (reason 2)

Kingdom of Italy (reason 1, 2)

Kingdom of Romania (reason 1, 2)

Kingdom of Hungary (reason 1, 2)

Kingdom of Bulgaria (reason 1, 2)

Countries that had a chance of surviving between 10 and 50% with a POD in the 20th century:

Austro-Hungarian Empire (reason 1, 2, 3)

Ottoman Empire (reason 1, 3)

Kingdom of Yugoslavia (reason 1, 2, 3)

Kingdom of Laos (reason 2)

South Vietnam (reason 2, 3)

Imperial State of Iran (reason 2, 3)

Countries with a very low chance of survival in the 20th century:

Kingdom of Iraq (reason 1, 2, 3)

Greater Korean Empire (reason 1, 3)

The rest predate 1900, so I'll ignore them.
 
I said Italy, because it's monarchy was abolished by referendum. Most of the other choices were overthrown.
 
Depending on what happens a Brazilian Empire in control of Portugal's colonies is a pretty neat idea and possible but almost certainly would require a war. Goa is going to Britain almost certainly in this situation (the Anglo-Portuguese relationship was alot less cordial than it seems to be remembered), Macau is up in the air.

One problem is due to Portugal's pretty unique colonial set-up, the colonies until the 20th century were governed bureaucratically as part of Portugal proper, so the Interior Ministry looked after security, roads etc. in Lisbon, Angola, Macau etc., the Finance Ministry tax all over etc. as such chances for splits of loyalty are tricky, best bet might be over Pedro and his brother Miguel's civil war in the 1820s-1830s. Have Miguel win and turn Portugal into an absolute monarchy, while Pedro remains Emperor in Brazil, then a colonial war over the other possessions. Britain backed Pedro, and France & Spain backed Miguel so Westminster wont directly intervene in Portugal but when it comes to naval control and fighting in Africa and Asia, expect a lot of British-built warships and hired British commanders backing Brazil.

As said Goa is going to Britain, Macau I really can't tell but Miguel wont be keeping it certainly (Britain wont be keen on a French puppet holding a key port in the lucrative Chinese market), depends how popular Pedro is there and how greedy the Foriegn Office gets. I think Angola and Mozambique are safe though, at this time they're little more than coastal outposts next to hazardous jungle. Big problem Brazil will have is over the issue of the slavery in years to come, Portugal was pretty iffy about it IOTL because they needed indentured labour to keep the African colonies running, Brazil however is based on slavery.

Dare I say a cyncial effort to 'repatriate' Brazilian blacks c.1850 to the colonies as immigrants and cheap labour?

Regardless, as a colonial empire don't think its got much more chance than any other of staying together although being closer to the mother country now and with the unique New World nature, a liberal monarch might push for Dominionship of a fashion at some point (American control of the Philippines springs to mind) but that might be wishful thinking.
 
I picked Iran, Brazil, Russia, Germany, the Ottomans, and Italy. All of these fell because the leadership made some damnably bad decisions, or there was substantial outside intervention, sometimes because of the bad decisions. Thus, if the emperors avoid making those bad decisions it's entirely plausible that the empire succeeds, or at least doesn't fall.
 
It is pretty easy to say that if these empires were to survive,they would be come Constituntional Monarchies today. I would agree that the German Empire might be the most likely one to survive,followed by the Russian Empire.

I'm not sure..but I remember reading that behind English..German is the second most well known and spoken language in Europe? So that might be a hint that a German Empire could have survived,in the fact that there might be so much German disporia that if it survived..it might be valid in today's times.

Russia is another good example,that I remember reading that the people did love their Tzar..but he was no good leader. But even the people have their breaking point,and the Communists simply took advantage of the people.
 
Or...could the Empire become a "Constitutional Monarchy" like the United Kingdom is now? Vote for the Empires you think could have survived..and pick a reason.

...erm the British Empire was a Constitutional Monarchy at the same time?

I think that the best chance for any empire to survive to today is the British Empire, with India being given self-governing Dominion status like Canada/Australia etc...

Maybe, in this case the entire Empire would have been kept together and be kinda like the EU is now?
 
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