Most alternate history works of fiction focus on one alternate outcome, usually world domination by the axis during WWII. However, that seems over exaggerated. It's so cliché.
Scenario 1: Central Power Victory WWI
1.) Germany
Had Germany not have attacked US merchant ships, there is a good chance that the central powers would have had slightly better odds in the Great War because America wouldn't have joined the war. One of the main reasons why the central powers lost was because they were outnumbered.
Germany was standing their ground against the Russians and eventually the Russians dropped out of the war. If the central powers would have won, some positive effects would be no rise of the Nazis, Hitler would have been a nobody, WWII could've been avoided and no holocaust. Neutral or negative effects would be German dominance as a empire and no loss of territory.
2.) Imperial Japan collapses on it's own
For those that don't know, Japan was not with the central powers, it was part of the allies during WWI. If the central powers would have won, then Japan would have lost some or all of it's territory to Germany. It's known that the Japanese and the Germans still respected each other so chances are Japan would have still had a decent military but it would not be a empire, it could have became a constitutional monarchy. Similar to the Current UK.
3.) Russia
After the communists took power in Russia, they would not be able to spread their ideology due to the strong German Empire to the West and the anti communist Chinese and Mongolians to the East that would be under German control.
Alternatively if the Communists would have failed to take control of Russia, the Russians would have maintained good relationships with their neighbors(German Empire, Japan, Mongolia and China).
4.) USA
Not much would change, if USA would've stayed out of WWI. America would still be a major power.
5.) Austro Hungary
Would've Survived and it probably would've maintained good relations with the German Empire.
Overall outcome: Eventually around the 1940's one of these countries would have acquired the atom bomb, probably either Germany or the US. While Germany would've been the first country to send astronauts to the moon. In the 1950s A Cold War scenario between some of this countries could've occurred, while in the 1960s, there could've been political reforms in the German Empire. Eventually between the 1970s and 1990s the remaining empires(Germany and Austria Hungary) might have collapsed in a peaceful manner such as how the Soviet Union collapsed but they may have retained their military might.
Scenario 2: WWI happens the way it actually happened but some of the events leading to WWII are different and some WWII events also change.
1.) If Japan never attacked Pearl Harbor
There were negotiations prior to the attack of Pearl Harbor that attempted to strengthen relations between Imperial Japan and USA. Obviously they failed. The Imperial Japanese ambassador Fumimaro Konoe attempted to negotiate but he failed, pictured below is Fumimaro stressed out after he failed at negotiating.
But what if Fumimaro was successful in his negotiations? What if both Imperial Japan and USA came to some sort of agreement? It's known that neither America or Imperial Japan wanted war with each other. The only way they could have had successful negotiations is if the imperial Japanese Gov't would have listened to reason. Which is stop invading China. If that would've happened, the US wouldn't have gotten involved in WWII. Since Japan wouldn't have attacked Pearl Harbor.
2.) Japan forms an alliance with the nationalist Chinese
In order to apologize to the Chinese, the Imperial Japan would've helped the Chinese nationalists(Koumintang) fight Mao Zedong and his Communist soldiers. Eventually the alliance of the nationalist Chinese and Imperial Japanese would've crushed Mao Zedong.
3.) Europe has no American support
The only two countries that would come to England's aid are Canada and Australia, however due to Imperial Japan ending it's agression in the East, Australia and Canada don't engage with the Imperial Japanese.
4.) The axis powers in Europe call for aid from Japan and China
As Germany and it's European allies battle the English, French, Australians, Russians and Canadians. Japan and China invade the Soviet Union from the East. The Soviets are surprised by the onslaught of the Imperial Japanese and Chinese. The Soviets call it "the second Golden Horde".Eventually the Japanese and Chinese push into Krasnoyarsk, while the Germans and it's allies push into Yamalia. The Soviet Union collapses as Stalin is tried for war crimes. Grey lines symbolize German advances, Blue lines symbolize Japanese and Chinese advances.
5.) Germany recruits soldiers from the Red army and Russian populace to fight the western allies
After Germany establishes control in Western Russia, they recruit former Red army soldiers into the Wehrmacht to fight the Western allies(France, UK, Canada and Australia). Pictured below is the real life Russian Liberation army which are Russians that fought against the Soviet gov't.
6.) Germany pushes the Western allies out of Europe
Around 1945, Canada, UK and Australia are forced to retreat to their home countries as a result of the combined forces of Germany, its European allies and the former red army recruits. The war ends with a peace treaty.
7.) Japan and China pull out of Russia
Imperial Japan realizes that eventually China would want Russian territory, so it decides that to be fair neither side should keep Russian territory. Instead Japan, China and Germany meet and decide to re establish a limited Tsarist gov't in Russia with a limited military.
8.) Germany establishes Welthauptstadt Germania(World Capital Germania)
Despite it's terrifying name, it's not literally the capital of the world. It's what Berlin would have been renamed with the architecture of Albert Speer. Below is a Animation of what Germania would have looked like.
9.) Imperial Japan starts to lose it's acquired territories/colonies
In a similar fashion to how the British Empire collapsed, Imperial Japan would face a similar fate. The aging Japanese gov't officials would be succeeded by younger officials. If the colonies get lucky, the successors would begin a decolonization process since they didn't acquire anything from the war. After all of Japan's colonies are granted independence, Japan has political reforms and becomes a constitutional monarchy.
10.) Koumintang controls China
As a result of Comminism being purged, The Chinese Nationalists control China, they would be led by Chiang Kai Shek. This China would Mauntain good relations with it's neighbors like Japan. It would also maintain good relations and trade with Germany.
11.) USA
As a result of completely staying out of WWII, no American lives are lost. America is still a major power. However it would be in the early 1960s when the US would start to recover from the Great Depression. Explained below.
Overall outcome: Around the 1950s, The US, China, Japan and Germany become involved in a Cold War scenario, no conventional warfare but there will be political disagreements and a arms race. Germany would have shocked the world when they sent their first astronauts to space. The US already had a atomic bomb but the Germans had also perfected their V rockets. The US fearing for war would start to draft a lot of young men into the army, factories would start producing military equipment just in case. This would have been known as "the feldgrau scare"(referring to the uniform color of the German army). It wouldn't be till the 1960s when the paranoia would die down.
Hitler would have probably died in the 1960s since he had Parkinson's disease. Karl Dönitz(pictured below) would have replaced him as the "führer". In the 1980s when Dönitz would have died, the third reich would've slowly started to decline in a similar way to the Soviet Union. Just like how in real life Russia kept it's military might, Germany would've probably kept it's military might as well. Instead of Fascism, Germany would've had a gov't similar to Russia's gov't.
The US, Japan, China and Germany would be the current major powers.
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