Kaiser Wilhelm
Banned
What if in February of 1918 Kaiser Billy decides enough is enough and sues for peace? What would this ATL treaty look like? Would it be harsher or more lenient than OTL?
Why Germany would be suing peace on February 1918 when it was already beating Russia and it had still quit good situation in West Front?
Would anyone listen to Billy? Would Erich Ludendorff attempt a coup?What if in February of 1918 Kaiser Billy decides enough is enough and sues for peace? What would this ATL treaty look like? Would it be harsher or more lenient than OTL?
Would anyone listen to Billy? Would Erich Ludendorff attempt a coup?
Wouldn’t Billy sack everyone that might do that before he orders a peace?
Even on 1914 emperor wasn't absolute ruler. And by 1918 Germany was practically military dictatorship where Ludendorf and Hindenburg had all power and Kaiser and Reichtag were only their subjects.
If Germany could keep the status quo ante bellum in the West and Brest-Litovsk in the the East, then that would be a smashing German victory. The problem is that with America on their side the Entente would never accept that.
If the Kaiser gets up in Berlin and gives a speech announcing intent to seek terms of peace, then what would Ludendorff do? He can’t very well set about removing the Kaiser, as it would be obvious why he’d done it.
What if Germany agreed to cede Alsace-Lorraine to France?
But why Kaiser would do that? Russia was already practically defeated and Americans have not yet show their full power. Even the Kaiser is not so stupid that he would give up so close of victory. And French not just accept that Germany would cede AL. Not enough.
What's the Kaiser gonna do? Attempt to convince the military that they can't win after they've won on the Eastern Front? Sounds like a recipe for getting even less credibility and influence.
What's the Kaiser gonna do? Attempt to convince the military that they can't win after they've won on the Eastern Front? Sounds like a recipe for getting even less credibility and influence.
Kaiser has better pack his luggage and quickly if he really gets peace with Entente. Germany is not going get much better peace terms as in OTL.
What if in February of 1918 Kaiser Billy decides enough is enough and sues for peace? What would this ATL treaty look like? Would it be harsher or more lenient than OTL?
Because it was beginning to run out of foodstuffs, and can begin to occupy the East and re-develop its military for another go at it in a few years.
Put simple :But we know in hindsight that they really couldn’t have won this late, what if Kaiser Billy realizes this?
Put simple :
ASB
ASB in that the germans (by what part of the goverment at all) suing for peace after the eastern victory.
ASB in that the Entente powers would ask - esp. with the US on board - for anything else than in fact unconditional surrender as IOTL.
It's more that the French have lost too much to let the Germans just get away with keeping their holdings and that the German military is still to amped up after their victory that peace isn't really a consideration at least among the upper echelons. Sure the civilians might be willing to get a peace but that'd mean Wilhelm would somehow extend peace feelers with no German General noticing.Why is it ASB that they’d sue for peace after an Eastern victory? Maybe they’d decide that administering their newfound lands will be a more effective use of their resources than fighting a war.
Why is anything other than unconditional surrender ASB? I think that saving what might end up to be millions of lives might be worth it, and refusing a public offer for peace might be enough to throw France into revolution as almost happened IOTL.
It's more that the French have lost too much to let the Germans just get away with keeping their holdings and that the German military is still to amped up after their victory that peace isn't really a consideration at least among the upper echelons. Sure the civilians might be willing to get a peace but that'd mean Wilhelm would somehow extend peace feelers with no German General noticing.
Plus you'd need a really good POD to get both Wilhelm and the Germans to defeat Russia and just go "Yeah, we're okay with just this. No need to potentially win the West too."