THIS IS A ROUGH PLOT SYNOPSIS:
It is similar to the second version. It still retains the basic 'WWI never happened' plot, but with several diverging differences. The second French Empire will be more dominate then the German Empire because it won the Franco-Prussian War, preventing Prussia from gaining the Alsace-Lorraine region in France and the powerful status it had in OTL. Because of this, the second French Empire was able to set up colonies in many places where in OTL there were Imperial German colonies, such as in in Africa and the Pacific. Germany still has colonies in Africa and the Pacific of course, but not as many in OTL as the Kaiser would like.
France still allies itself with Britain and Russia, which are similar to their real world counterparts. Russia still had a civil war, but he Bolsheviks were defeated through a combination of White Russian victories and French/European aid. However, by 1936 the country once again finds itself collapsing into civil war when the next generation of communist revolutionaries make a bid to rise up once more, inspired by a series of communist revolutions in other parts of the world, which France and the other Great powers have been trying to squash, as part of their "War on Communism". The Czar has contemplated having a second showdown with Japan to regain Russia's lost honor, and bring glory to his empire. Hopefully, this could make the people have faith in their Czar once again.
In the Americas, a strong, daring Mexican Empire has positioned troops along its shared border with the Union of Central America, a union of Central American countries backed by the US, which helped create it in the early 1900's after a belligerent Mexican Empire attempted to expand into the region. Many saw the expansion as a threat to US interests, especially in Panama, which Mexico desired for quite some time.
The US is very unstable internally. The nation is seen as 'dead' by the powerful European empires. The US is consigned to its own hemisphere for the most part.This causes such wealthy, powerful individuals such as General MacArthur and Henry Ford to plot against the government in a conspiracy known as the Great US Conspiracy. They plan to create a fascist dictatorship, expanding America's borders all the way to south America and even Canada. Of course, their anti communist views don't sit well with groups such as the IWW, who are at odds with the policies the conspirators try to pass, with help from the US government itself, in order to make it easier to take power in the nation.
Meanwhile, the CSA can only watch as the US falls apart from the inside. The CSA is yet to take some form of action. The CSA has warm relations with France and Britain. Yet an alliance is out of the question in 1936, for the time being. The CSA president believes that war in Europe is nigh, and has thus had doubts about becoming a part of the Entente.
In east Asia, four Chinese warlords vie for control of the Middle Kingdom. The Qing Empire does exist, but is dominated by French interests, and is reluctant to go to war with the Chinese warlords. For the time being, unification of China under Imperial Chinese rule is out of the question. They have a very strong defensive fortification network build along their border, and are guaranteed by France, if the warlords ever get too strong.
Japan, which in ATL still occupies Manchuria and Korea, yet unlike OTL, it failed to annex the Republic of Formosa. By 1936 it aims to expand into mainland China, taking advantage of the lack of unity in China. It also plans to invade the Republic of Formosa once again to add it to its growing empire.
The pacific is largely dominated by France. Germany still controls a considerable number of islands still, and claims several French owned island chains in the pacific.
India is divided between British India and the Indian Republic. The Indian Republic was founded in the 1920's when a mass uprising of Indians kicked the British garrison out of northern India. A failed counterattack by commonwealth troops that resulted in thousands of casualties on both sides convinced the British Empire to recognize the Indian Republic as an independent nation. By 1936, Indian Republic leaders have spoken openly about liberating the rest of India from British rule. Gandhi is a chief advocate however, of peace. It is yet to be seen if Gandhi's message of peaceful revolt will be heeded by the Indian Republic's government.
This is the world of The War That Never Was
