AHC prevent the Second World War
- Thread starter Marklin
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- world war 2
This is both incredibly easy and incredibly difficult.
On one hand, you can stop the Second World War as we know it simply by screwing with Hitler. On the other hand, stopping a generalised European War breaking out really requires a different Treaty of Versailles (but how are you getting that?), no Great Depression (except that the tools to combat Depressions were developed in response to the OTL one), and some means of alleviating tensions with Soviet Russia.
On one hand, you can stop the Second World War as we know it simply by screwing with Hitler. On the other hand, stopping a generalised European War breaking out really requires a different Treaty of Versailles (but how are you getting that?), no Great Depression (except that the tools to combat Depressions were developed in response to the OTL one), and some means of alleviating tensions with Soviet Russia.
I think in order to prevent WWII or a reasonable permutation of it you really have to do a couple of things:
Prevent the hyperinflation in Weimar. I think once Weimar became the poster child for hyperinflation some kind of hardcore conflict is more or less baked in the cake. Maybe a different settlement ending WWI might make this feasible.
Prevent the USSR from becoming a superpower in the 1920s, at least not the one that terrified the hell out of most of Europe. This probably means a different outcome to the Russian Civil war.
If you do that I suspect you won't get a WW2. That probably delays the next big bloodletting until after nuclear weapons are a mature technology.
Prevent the hyperinflation in Weimar. I think once Weimar became the poster child for hyperinflation some kind of hardcore conflict is more or less baked in the cake. Maybe a different settlement ending WWI might make this feasible.
Prevent the USSR from becoming a superpower in the 1920s, at least not the one that terrified the hell out of most of Europe. This probably means a different outcome to the Russian Civil war.
If you do that I suspect you won't get a WW2. That probably delays the next big bloodletting until after nuclear weapons are a mature technology.
I don’t think that shooting one Austrian man will prevent a War
Someone else will replace the Austrian man or a Another Country have cause the War to Actually ended all previous war.
looking at you Japan
The Hyperinflation wasn't the problem - at least so far as the rise of the crazies went. It was the banking collapse of 1931 and mass unemployment. In short, the Depression.
Having a White victory in the Russian Civil War doesn't get you peace either - a conservative Russian regime will have its share of Imperial ambitions.
WW2 requires the parties not already be destroyed, so just have asteroid 69230 Hermes wipe out Europe on Oct 30th 1937.
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Perhaps. Although it might take a global war (or near global) to secure the resources to build the atomic bomb.
Easy: Prevent the Nazis' rise to power. It's literally that easy. You will stave have smaller wars between nations (for example Germany will go for the 1914 borders against Poland), but they won't erupt into a World War.
Because at that point it was "just" a continental war and not a WORLD war.
Garrison
Donor
Sorry but without Hitler's unique belief that war was both right and necessary to create his perfect Aryan nation then a major war in Europe in the late 1930s early 1940s is extremely unlikely. There might be some minor skirmishes but nothing on the scale of WWII. As for Japan they aren't going to risk full scale war when the European colonial powers remain unconquered and undistracted. As for the USSR Stalin had zero interest in an expansionist war. The Soviet Union was still in the middle of reorganizing and Stalin continues to hope that the capitalist powers will turn on one another and exhaust themselves.
In my timeline, Dead By Dawn, I have WW2 break out in 1956-1957, though its been so long its referred to as the First World War.
kham_coc
Banned
Sure but there are problems in that any and all German regimes are very very likely to seek Anschluss, the Sudetenland, and West Prussia.
And once you begin tweaking the European security order to that degree, war seems inevitable.
This is a very vague AHC. There's simply no way to stop the tensions that occurred in the 20th century with a 20th century POD. This has to go back to centuries before, which would alter the world as we know it.
Garrison
Donor
But they really aren't. Without Hitler and the Nazis none of those things are very likely and if any semi sane German government achieved the Anschluss they would take their winnings and call it quits. It really is all about Hitler at the end of the day.
OP doesn't say that prevent all wars in 20th from occuring. They says prevent WW2. There might still be other regional wars.
FOr avoiding WW2: Just prvent nazis come to power. So you just need remove Hilter with some way ratherly during fitst half of 1920's. Then make Germany deal its evonomic problems better and avoid hyperinflation. Even better if you make 1929 Crash much milder or US government dealing that better and faster. You odn't really need anything else. No one selse wanted massive war as Hitler. Stalin didn't want invade Europe wehn it is not in war and Mussolini hardly is stupid enough go with conquest wars without Germany. And even if Germany is revanchist and angry about Versailles it hardly is so willingful begin new war.
Good point. No Nazis but will Japan still take the expansionist route? Also, the West will now have to deal with the Soviets especially once communism spreads.
Another exchange here is without WWII, British and French colonies would become independent much later than OTL.
Japan is not going try European colonies when therse are not in war/occupied if then they not become suicidal stupid.
And same thing with Soviet Union at least in case of Stalin. And it seems that communism hadn't much fo chances spread anywhere in Europe without strong support of USSR.
kham_coc
Banned
Except that's not true - It was German government policy from 1919 to seek union with Austria, and recover West Prussia, and the Sudetenland is predicated on the Czech state simply not being a viable state with no regard for their large German minority.
And even if we pretend that's not happening, the Versailles security order was fundamentally unstable and simply could not survive German retrenchment.
And then there is also Russian Revanchism to consider.