World War I Happens In 1899 ; Break The World

MrP

Banned
I am so glad everyone took notice of what I said... Of course I could be on everyone's Ignore List...

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

I warned you earlier that barely anyone can read more than a paragraph these days. Ooh, a shiny thing! Excuse me.
 
Fashoda incident flares up majorly is your best bet I reckon. Some kind of "Germanic alliance" of Britain, Germany and A-H fights Russia, France and the Ottomans. Victory is fairly easy, and the French and their allies keel over in 1902, starved by the British at sea, and overrun by the Germans on land. The French colonial Empire is largely dismembered, only Algeria and Indochina remain French, plus a couple of islands. The Germans get most of tropical Africa. Meanwhile, the British annex large swathes of the Ottoman Middle East, and, just for kicks, some of the Russian Far East too. Why not? :p
I think that you scenario is the more probable.;)
 
italy is the factor that will tip the balance in favor of one side or the other, but just which side it comes down on I cannot say.
In 1899 Italy is in trouble.
Riots for foods in Milan, economic crisis, ,a very inefficent army.
I think that Italy stay neutral.
And remember that United States are very far....British Empire,France,Spain and Austria very close.
 
In 1899 Italy is in trouble.
Riots for foods in Milan, economic crisis, ,a very inefficent army.
I think that Italy stay neutral.
And remember that United States are very far....British Empire,France,Spain and Austria very close.

The United States is a tricky power to involve. Given its tendency towards isolationism, its uncompleted modern navy, and the fact that its separated from most of the major combatants, doesn't bode well for it entering the war. Its closest potential great power combatant is Britain via Canada, its just not terribly likely for the US to have a cause for fighting Britain at this time period.
 
The United States is a tricky power to involve. Given its tendency towards isolationism, its uncompleted modern navy, and the fact that its separated from most of the major combatants, doesn't bode well for it entering the war. Its closest potential great power combatant is Britain via Canada, its just not terribly likely for the US to have a cause for fighting Britain at this time period.

How about the scuffle over Venezuela?

Or was that a bit earlier than this period?
 
Italy

Adowa was in 1896, the humiliating defeat of the Italian army against the Abyssinians, marking for the moment the end of Italian ambitions

A result of this is that there is something of a rapprochement with France, which for ten years since the late 1880s has been engaged in a tarrif war with Italy, which has done serious harm to the Italian economy, and in a subtle propaganda war which has put the Italian monarchy on a shaky footing

During this period Italy, and the Triple Alliance, sought to tie Britain more and more firmly into defensive agreements in the Mediterranean, but British policy has begun to swing away from this, whilst Italy is beginning to look at a rapprochment with France as a result of this turn of events

Irredentism is not a major force in Italian politics at this time, tho a few politicians flirt with it. It will become so after 1900 with the changing structure of agreements and alliances, where Italy and Austria-Hungary come increasingly to clash over policy in Montenegro (which has already seen an Italian royal marriage move it slowly away from Vienna) and Albania (where Italian trade was beginning to increase, thus threatening Vienna's role).

1899 however stands on the cusp of these events.

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

Hell, I've been reading loads of books and I still haven't got a bloody clue !
There's too much flux in everything
 
It could be noted that in 1896 Montenegro (presumably as part of talks at the royal marriage) had proposed to Italy a division of Albania, whereby Montenegro would annex the Northern part, Italy the Southern, and Greece would get the vilayet of Janina

Bizerte has been constructed as a French naval base throughout the 1890s, and there are many fears and rumours regarding it, not least a rumour of 1898 that France and Russia were about to sign a naval convention and that Bizerte would be where the Russian fleet (presumably from the Baltic) would be based

Most of my reading seems to say that if Germany ended up at war with Britain in 1899, then France would probably be on Germany's side, and may even invade England...

Now that's different !

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
To what royal marriage are you referring?

A division of Albania was not likely at this point. I can't imagine the Italians would even consider such a thing, and it would mean war with the Hapsburgs, anyway. That would be interesting, but too unlikely to be realistic.

1899 seems a bit late for France and Germany to be lined up against the British - but I wonder if this scenario works better in 1896 after the Jameson Raid and the Kaiser's congratulations to the Boers? Tensions were extremely high, and a spark at this juncture could have caused a war, and in 1896 British naval supremacy is still a few years away as the Majestics are just beginning to enter service.

It could be noted that in 1896 Montenegro (presumably as part of talks at the royal marriage) had proposed to Italy a division of Albania, whereby Montenegro would annex the Northern part, Italy the Southern, and Greece would get the vilayet of Janina

Bizerte has been constructed as a French naval base throughout the 1890s, and there are many fears and rumours regarding it, not least a rumour of 1898 that France and Russia were about to sign a naval convention and that Bizerte would be where the Russian fleet (presumably from the Baltic) would be based

Most of my reading seems to say that if Germany ended up at war with Britain in 1899, then France would probably be on Germany's side, and may even invade England...

Now that's different !

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 

67th Tigers

Banned
How about the scuffle over Venezuela?

Or was that a bit earlier than this period?

It is possible. The boundary commission ruled in October 1899, and if they'd back the UK (then in the process of mobilising against the Boers), the US (mobilised as a result of the Spanish-American War) may have taken grievance and decided to attack Britain while they were distracted.
 
The marriage of Prince Nicholas of Montenegro's daughter to the Italian crown prince took place in 1896

Regarding the proposed division, I wasn't expecting anyone to do it as a stand-alone, but that if a general war did break out, Italy has some non-irredentist territorial ambitions already discussed (albeit only with Montenegro)

Fashoda was in 1898, showed up the deficiencies of the French and they spent 1899 rectifying these - with the *cabbage focus against the British

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

* This is the wrong word, but I can't think of the right one
 
Fashoda incident flares up majorly is your best bet I reckon. Some kind of "Germanic alliance" of Britain, Germany and A-H fights Russia, France and the Ottomans.

Correct if I'm wrong but wouldn't the Ottomans be on whichever side the Russians are not in?
 
1896 is in an intersting situation.

Britain is in an entente with Italy and Austria-Hungary, Italy, Germany and A-H are allied, France and Russia are allied, but the Germans and Austrians are courting Russia, seeking to improve relations.

In this scenario, with France perhaps beeing knocked out the war quickly, Russia may be forced to surrender, and the revolution is instead a coup transfering power to the military.
 
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