I thought about what a German victory would have meant.
Tom Send a noteboard - 12/12/2012 03:37:38 AM
I think it would have meant Germany would take over much of France's colonial empire and end up expending its aggression in colonial wars - good for Europe, perhaps very bad for some unlucky non-European nations. It would have also meant that the Austrians would probably end up taking down the Hungarians, something that needed to happen, which would have meant German hegemony of the non-Germans in the Austrian Empire, but perhaps a new lease on life for the Habsburgs. Poland would probably exist in the East, but as a German rump state carved out of the former Russian portions of modern Poland but not the German ones. The Middle East would remain in Ottoman hands.
Most interestingly, I think that France would have ended up like Germany after World War I, with festering wounds to national pride. However, unlike Germany, I don't think the French could pull off a Third Reich in the Twentieth Century, so they'd end up more like "oppressed" peoples worldwide. They'd probably have that Polish-style "chip on the shoulder" and be very pissy, but not be able to do much more. Demographically they were already falling behind, and even a short German victory would have come at the cost of hundreds of thousands of French who died before the Marne was fought.
I think the UK and US would become more "German", so to speak. Russia might, too - it almost certainly wouldn't have had a communist revolution if France lost before it could fight any battles. It would just give up the Baltics and Poland and lick its wounds.
Most interestingly, I think that France would have ended up like Germany after World War I, with festering wounds to national pride. However, unlike Germany, I don't think the French could pull off a Third Reich in the Twentieth Century, so they'd end up more like "oppressed" peoples worldwide. They'd probably have that Polish-style "chip on the shoulder" and be very pissy, but not be able to do much more. Demographically they were already falling behind, and even a short German victory would have come at the cost of hundreds of thousands of French who died before the Marne was fought.
I think the UK and US would become more "German", so to speak. Russia might, too - it almost certainly wouldn't have had a communist revolution if France lost before it could fight any battles. It would just give up the Baltics and Poland and lick its wounds.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
The Lost History of 1914 by Jack Beatty
11/12/2012 07:28:05 PM
- 1432 Views
Hm. Sounds like I should pass on that one, alright.
11/12/2012 10:45:03 PM
- 1544 Views
I thought about what a German victory would have meant.
12/12/2012 03:37:38 AM
- 1055 Views
I think it would have been interesting to see how the "peace emperor" would have reigned
12/12/2012 11:39:58 AM
- 961 Views
I get the impression that I would eviscerate this book and perhaps the author as well
12/12/2012 12:27:42 AM
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