re: OT History "What If" Discussion: Germany Wins WWI in 1914

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The question largely hinges on what terms the war was ended and how the peace was orchestrated. Clearly the conditions for the rise of National Socialism in Germany will not exist as Marxism and leftism will be of no threat to power in Germany. Likewise, it's hard to imagine that either Germany or Britain would not work with extreme determination to establish a stable French government opposed to Marxist forces that might seek a power grab in France's destitution. I can see France, Britain, and Germany remaining traditional powers rivaling each other for influence as was the case in prior European periods. I think relative stability would ensue as the horrific nature of the war generally changed minds about the feasibility of war to achieve minor gains without balooning into catastrophe due to industrialization and the advent of more destructive armaments.

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I agree. I think the fact that had the war ended in late summer 1914 this would have meant the bitterness that we know of WWI would have never materialized. There would have been no trenches, No Somme, No Verdun. Britain & Germany especially would have wanted to get back to "business as usual" as quickly as possible. I do think they'd make stride to stabilize France, with Germany perhaps treating France in 1914 much in the same manner they did in 1940. On thing I do think that would emerge once the situation in Europe stabilized, is a sort of cold war between GB & Germany while they vied for the position of premier world power. How the alliances and politics of this cold war played out is anyone's guess. Who would the US side with? What about an emerging Japan? And what of the "sick old man of Europe", the Ottoman Empire? Would GB or Germany set their sights on them?

Russia on the other hand is a bit of an interesting story. In my version of history they would have sued for peace basically before they really got the war going good in the East. And unlike in GB, there already was winds of revolution brewing in Russia. Would have the humiliation of allowing Germany to win a war basally before Russia even mobilized fully have lead to more unrest? Would that have been enough to topple the Romanov Dynasty?

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That being said, I think the really interesting areas to watch would be the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Balkans region. Hitler himself railed against Austro-Hungarian Empire and it's untenable political situation given the tremendous variety of ethnic nationalities subjugated under the Hapsburgs. This was an observation he had prior to the outbreak of the war, leading him to make an appeal to serve with a Bavarian outfit instead of his much loathed homeland.

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I think it's anyone's guess how things would have played out in the Balkans. It's such a muddled region that literally anything could have happened. In fact, it's entire possible that in an effort to maintain it's grasp on power, the Hapsburg dynasty could have launched it's own "holocaust" against the Slavic peoples in it's dominion. Now how this would have rippled through history is a good question. Would Russia, the longtime "champion" of all the Slavs, have stood by and done nothing? What about Germany?

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Obviously the age of empire would have continued on, perhaps much longer than it did in the real life course of history, but that period was destined to come to a head at some point. If it was had to do over again, I think essentially every major belligerent nation's leadership would say the war was a mistake (with the possible exception of Churchill) and should have been averted. There was no great moral crusade to be had nor imminent ideological threat posed by one of those nations against the other.

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I think the age of empire could actually have seen a resurgence in that a victorious Germany would see their win over Britain as further proof they truly did deserve their "Day In The Sun". I think there could be seen conflicts in the Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and even perhaps Central & South America over control of key colonies. These conflicts could play a key role in the cold war I mentioned above.

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Obviously there are infintie variables but I certainly don't think the world would be thrown into some terrible course had Germany won WWI. Though the victors do love to fear monger and exaggerrate the importance of their cause to history.

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Good point. And the more I think of it, the more I believe it's highly possible ours would be a more stable and safe world had Germany won in the summer of 1914.