as a thread titled AH Challenge: The Weimar Republic Survives TL.The timeline starts diverging when Wolfgang Kapp decides to hold a rousing speech at the Reichstag instead of trying to stage a coup.
Without this inherent weakness, the Weimar Republic struggles on. Eventually, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck takes power in Germany while Hitler starts a civil war in Austria (which is promptly annexed and pacified by Germany). Without a powerful belligerent country in Central Europa, Stalin's Soviet Union focuses on Asia, taking on Japan.
Continuing through the decades, this alternate timeline sees the gradual unification of Europe, the continuing existence of the League of Nations, and the violent (and nuclear) breakup of the Soviet Union. The timeline ends in the 2019s in a somewhat brighter world.
The original thread can be read here. The condensed version is here.
This story provides examples of:
- All Germans Are Nazis: Averted.
- Alternate History: It is implicit.
- A World Half Full: Despite all setbacks (even including a civil war where nukes are flying around), it's much more hopeful than even our timeline.
- Balkanize Me: Russia after the Soviet civil war, China.
- For Want Of A Nail: Wolfgang Kapp makes a speech to parliament instead of a coup while a nameless informant leaks that Adolf Hitler is a Reichswehr spy in the DAP.
- Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys: Averted in that France actually wins their major war with Italy in the 1940s.
- French Jerk: France proved to be one so much that its former colonies kicked it out of the French Union!
- Historical Domain Character: Adolf Hitler dies unmourned during the Austrian Civil War.
- Historical In-Joke: A few. There's the "Berlin Invasion" in the US and UK during the 60s, where the German group "Sealion" sees massive popularity.
- Oh, Crap!: Europe's reaction when Italy, Hungary and Poland invade Czechoslovakia and threaten to partition it among themselves.
- Putting on the Reich: Subverted, as the official name of the Weimar Republic has always been Das Deutsche Reich.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Rather idealistic, all things considered.
- Slap-on-the-Wrist Nuke: Nuclear weaponry is used much later than in OTL, but the advances in nuclear technology are far greater, and the fallout is almost nil.
- Those Wacky Nazis: Decided to start a civil war in Austria which decimated their ranks. Ultimately, the German Republic cleaned up their mess by annexing Austria (to everybody's relief).
- United Europe: The (Northern) European Alliance has been going strong since 1938 and, 80 years later, has evolved into a true federation.
