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People often ask what would happened to the world if Germany had won the Second World War.
But what if Germany had won the FIRST World War?
What if, by the end of 1916, the troops of the Kaiser had captured Paris, London, and Saint Petersburg?
How the world would be now?
It would have been ugly, however there probably wouldn't have been a Hitler or a Nazi Party.
They probably would have went on to occupy Czechoslovakia earlier than 1938, and eventually Poland as well, the Central Powers would have remained intact.
It's a loaded question though, because the question insinuates that the US would have lost the war as well and exhausted their resources, and from there it's anyone's guess.
There would be no Weimar Republic and no one of the worst economical crises in human history. No Hitler, no WWII, and probably no Soviet Union, no Cold War, no nuclear weapons and no Taliban. There would probably be some other evils though.
I believe if it had happened, the world would be a little better place.
People often ask what would happened to the world if Germany had won the Second World War.
But what if Germany had won the FIRST World War?
What if, by the end of 1916, the troops of the Kaiser had captured Paris, London, and Saint Petersburg?
How the world would be now?
London was protected by a very wide moat and a very powerful navy. Thus, London was not going to be captured. That aside, a German victory would have led to the siezure of significant parts of the French, British and Belgian colonial empires.
My guess is that Algeria and Morrocco would remain French, but Tunisia, Madgassgar, French Poynesia, French Congo, British possessions in the Solomons, and Kenya would have been transferred to Germany. Likewise, the Germans would have taken the best parts of Belgian Congo, and perhaps some attractive parts of Zambia as well to link Namibia to German east Africa. Today, all these areas would be German speaking.
If the Germans win, it will be because France decides to surrender before more turf is lost. So Germany just gains Alsace and Lorraine, and I think it stops there. No Nazis, but I sure Stalin will still invade Poland.
Meaning Brits, Frenchies will have to fight. And they will beg Germany to join them. Germany be like, "alright lets have another go at it for ole time sake".
Japan will still invade China and start that war, and probably still bomb Pearl Harbor.
If the Germans win, it will be because France decides to surrender before more turf is lost. So Germany just gains Alsace and Lorraine, and I think it stops there. No Nazis, but I sure Stalin will still invade Poland.
But what if Russia was defeated by Germany before 1917?
End of war, humiliating defeat for Russia, BUT no more soldiers would die in the war, and that was one of the main reasons for the 1917 revolution.
With peace, even if an humiliating peace, and demobilization of the Russian Army, the 1917 revolution probably would never happen.
It would have been ugly, however there probably wouldn't have been a Hitler or a Nazi Party.
They probably would have went on to occupy Czechoslovakia earlier than 1938, and eventually Poland as well, the Central Powers would have remained intact.
It's a loaded question though, because the question insinuates that the US would have lost the war as well and exhausted their resources, and from there it's anyone's guess.
In 1914 Poland and Czechoslovakia didn't exist. The former was divided among Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary. Czechoslovakia was part of Austria-Hungary. If Germany won WWI those countries would not have appeared.
The Baltic states would have been carved out of Russia. This is what the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk did. There was a party in Germany even in 1916 arguing for greater Lebensraum but it isn't sure that its views were dominant. Germany did acquire some land from Russia, though.
In the West, there might have been some arguing for a return to the ancient Meuse River border (Maas in German). The Kaiser himself stated this when Austria's separate peace offers of 1917 became known. It probably wouldn't have happened. Most Germans didn't want more non-German people in the Homeland.
In the South Turkey might have expanded into the Caucasus mountains and refound a true Turkey made up of ethically Turkish peoples.
Austria-Hungary would have expanded at the expense of Serbia and Rumania.
Colonially, Germany would have been greedy. It came to the colonial game late and had a relatively small empire. It might have tried to become the leading colonial power. If so, it might have set the stage for another war between itself and Japan, with other European Powers maybe entering on Japan's side.
At some point, a German-American confrontation might also have happened. America was also a new imperialist and its ambitions might have conflicted with Germany's.
However, Henry Kissinger's observation that Germany is too big for Europe and too small for the world proved out in 1918. The only country Germany's size able to exert global hegemony was England, and that in an era when large countries, Russia and the US, weren't really interested or didn't exist.
If the Germans win, it will be because France decides to surrender before more turf is lost. So Germany just gains Alsace and Lorraine, and I think it stops there.
It stops there as far as losses in France proper, but Germany was very sore that they entered the race for colonies late and that their colonial empire was obviously second rate to that of France and Britain.
My guess is that the Germans would have demanded that some French colonies be transferred over. Likewise, the German leaders would have needed to show some gains to make the German public think the war was with it. Insisting that say, 3-4 French colonies be transferred over would be a good way to show some gains.
There would be no Weimar Republic and no one of the worst economical crises in human history. No Hitler, no WWII, and probably no Soviet Union, no Cold War, no nuclear weapons and no Taliban. There would probably be some other evils though.
I believe if it had happened, the world would be a little better place.
Maybe, or maybe worse things would have happened. Perhaps a defeated France or England would have given rise to an worse figure than Hitler and an even nastier WWII. It's impossible to say.
It's a loaded question though, because the question insinuates that the US would have lost the war as well and exhausted their resources, and from there it's anyone's guess.
The OP stipulates that Germany wins "by the end of 1916". Since the U.S. didn't get in until 1917, he's talking about the war being over before the U.S. got in.
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