"The Russians were shocked by what was demanded of them in the aftermath of [the Brest-Litovsk] meeting. Trotsky threw up his hands, telling the Germans that he would never agree to what they wanted and urging Lenin to adopt a 'no war, no peace' policy in which Russia would neither continue to fight nor agree to Germany's terms... The Ukrainian capital of Kiev fell to the Germans on March 1. Trotsky, furious, said that Russia should rejoin the Entente and resume the war. Lenin, fearing the capture of Petrograd and the destruction of his fledgling regime, moved his government to Moscow and said no."
(Meyer, G.J. A World Undone: The Story of the Great War: 1914-1918. New York: Bantam Dell, 2006., pp. 619-20.)
Emphasis added.
So, and forum user elryacko were thinking about making an alternate history scenario. I had in the months past come up with this idea: In 1918, with the Germans advancing onwards towards the Russian capital, Trotsky and the anti-Brest-Litovsk faction within the Bolsheviks led by Bukharin unite to temporarily silence Lenin and to agree to an opportunistic alliance with the Entente once more. Cloaked by continued appeals for the "revolutionary war" of both defense and offense, the Germans wind up being defeated as IRL... but the Bolsheviks, at least temporarily, reached the gates of Berlin.
What would IRL become the Soviet Union, however, was hit pretty bad. The Bolsheviks, in the course of the war, lost most of the Ukraine, Central Asia, a good portion of the Caucasus, and were forced to agree to financial and territorial concessions on the part of the Western powers, chiefly Britain and France. The Japanese also made some inroads into Siberia, Vladivostok, etc.
By 1936 the Bolsheviks are no longer allied with the Entente forces, of course, and relations have significantly cooled since then.
As for the rest of the world? Well...
***
Basically, what if not only the Entente won, but it... well, won? Turkey is disassembled, Germany is split, Bolshevism in Western Europe is contained (outside of eastern Germany), and all seems well except for that whole Great Depression thing and the growing popularity of Fascism.
Unlike other mods, I don't intend for mine to be events-heavy, though I do intend for it to have a fair bit of input from players (though it'd be more of a "I'll be designing the mod, you give me ideas" if possible)
Here's an unfinished map (I don't quite know what I'll be doing with the Polish borders, but during the war against the Bolsheviks, Poland suffered quite a bit and lost what in the IRL 1930's would be considered Eastern Poland), showcasing mainly Europe:
We haven't gotten past the map stage, and I won't have time to do much more than mapping and assembling minister lists, etc. for the time-being. So right now I'm just looking for suggestions in-re history. Also, some things to spice up Latin America would be welcome.
For the "major" countries, this is a rundown:
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Poor, backwards, though still determined, the aging and increasingly ill Lenin, having avoided troublesome assassination attempts in the past and their respective bullets, is gradually becoming less and less capable of carrying out his duties as Chairman of the Council of the People's Commissars. His government is under the influence of Nikolai Bukharin, who is as-of-current the major economic figure within the regime and a ranking member of the Council. The seemingly moderate Joseph Stalin, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, is increasingly at odds with the policies of Bukharin, while General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party (bolsheviks), Leon Trotsky, has begun agitating for a stronger military force capable of leading a new revolution abroad.
There are quite a few targets. Do the Bolsheviks look towards liberating the Ukraine under the aegis of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic? Do they seek to conquer the rebellious Central Asian states, albeit possibly incurring the wrath of the British in the process? Do they look towards the East, sending more assistance to the Chinese revolutionaries, liberating Mongolia, and driving Japanese holdings in Asiatic Russia into the sea? Or will they simply stress the sovereignty of Russia; condemning the various concessions and calling for equality in dealings made?
(The gray and black-gray in Russia = autonomous concession territories owned by the British and French)
Germany (or three...)
The Paris Peace Conference saw Germany split into three states: the west Germans (I don't know who to call these guys) are led by respectable conservative politicians, mindful of French and British concerns of German expansionism. They are, however, increasingly under pressure from the radical National Socialist German Workers Party, both electorally and in the growing campaign of terrorism conducted by aligned militias. The NSDAP agitates for national unification, which the West German leaders insist must be a gradual and peaceful process.
In eastern Germany (Prussia?), a left-wing though unstable government is in power. Sympathetic to Russia only slightly, it is led by the likes of men whose doctrines echo those of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, whilst also being aware of the concerns of their rather unlikely partners, the Social-Democrats. At this same time, an eastern section of the NSDAP operates underground, agitating for national unification whilst the leftists and social-democrats squabble over a reunification that is either revolutionary or simply anti-imperialist in outlook.
In Bavaria, a stable grouping of nobility and Catholic politicians enjoy their fair degree of independence from German affairs. Although noting the rising pro-NSDAP sentiment among the populace, the Prince remains a fairly popular symbol of stability and security for the rather isolationist populace.
Spain
In August of 1932, General José Sanjurjo launched a coup d'état against the nascent Spanish Republic starting in Seville. The coup made considerable progress, enough to force the government in Madrid come to terms with a power-sharing agreement in which Sanjurjo would serve as President. The new government, with Sanjurjo in a "caretaker" role, brought in members from the newly-founded Falange and CEDA after a semi-rigged election in 1933 to the condemnations of the Socialists. Prime Minister Niceto Alcalá-Zamora was forced to step down in 1934 following defeated leftist uprisings from the Socialists and Anarchists in Asturias and Barcelona, and was replaced by José Antonio Primo de Rivera of the Falange. Elections are to be held in 1936, and are also the same elections in which Sanjurjo has agreed to step down in order to entrust the new civilian government, which will most certainly be headed by José Antonio with the "consent of the people" as Socialist and Anarchist forces prepare for further uprisings against the Rightist government, while the Carlists are becoming increasingly irate over the centralization efforts of the government and its hesitancy over restoring the monarchy.
China
(I haven't developed this too much)
* The CCP and Guomindang are allied under the leadership of Wang Jingwei, as dedicated Republicans opposed to the northern and opposing government.
* The opposing government is led by the descendants of Yuan Shikai, whose "Empire" quickly degenerated into being in name only after his death, a façade for what was an alliance of warlords and corrupt opportunists. The northern government is unstable and kept alive mostly through Japanese assistance transported through Manchuria, and through the assistance of the right-wing Mongolian government led by White Guard elements. The Japanese, however, are increasingly of the opinion that a Japanese-led "liberation" of China is in order.
Mexico
* In 1919, Zapata evades being assassinated and the Liberation Army of the South continues into the 1920's, forming a de facto state among mostly Mayans. Meanwhile, the CROM (trade union) under Luis Morones takes advantage of the disorder and gains power in the rest of Mexico with the help of Obregón. By the 1930's the nation is led under a dictatorship managed by Calles and Morones, Zapata was killed in action in the 20's, and the southern state is in danger of breaking apart, and in the north, due to anticlericalism, there is a chance of serious rebellions led by rightist Catholics.
(Meyer, G.J. A World Undone: The Story of the Great War: 1914-1918. New York: Bantam Dell, 2006., pp. 619-20.)
Emphasis added.
So, and forum user elryacko were thinking about making an alternate history scenario. I had in the months past come up with this idea: In 1918, with the Germans advancing onwards towards the Russian capital, Trotsky and the anti-Brest-Litovsk faction within the Bolsheviks led by Bukharin unite to temporarily silence Lenin and to agree to an opportunistic alliance with the Entente once more. Cloaked by continued appeals for the "revolutionary war" of both defense and offense, the Germans wind up being defeated as IRL... but the Bolsheviks, at least temporarily, reached the gates of Berlin.
What would IRL become the Soviet Union, however, was hit pretty bad. The Bolsheviks, in the course of the war, lost most of the Ukraine, Central Asia, a good portion of the Caucasus, and were forced to agree to financial and territorial concessions on the part of the Western powers, chiefly Britain and France. The Japanese also made some inroads into Siberia, Vladivostok, etc.
By 1936 the Bolsheviks are no longer allied with the Entente forces, of course, and relations have significantly cooled since then.
As for the rest of the world? Well...
***
Basically, what if not only the Entente won, but it... well, won? Turkey is disassembled, Germany is split, Bolshevism in Western Europe is contained (outside of eastern Germany), and all seems well except for that whole Great Depression thing and the growing popularity of Fascism.
Unlike other mods, I don't intend for mine to be events-heavy, though I do intend for it to have a fair bit of input from players (though it'd be more of a "I'll be designing the mod, you give me ideas" if possible
)Here's an unfinished map (I don't quite know what I'll be doing with the Polish borders, but during the war against the Bolsheviks, Poland suffered quite a bit and lost what in the IRL 1930's would be considered Eastern Poland), showcasing mainly Europe:
We haven't gotten past the map stage, and I won't have time to do much more than mapping and assembling minister lists, etc. for the time-being. So right now I'm just looking for suggestions in-re history. Also, some things to spice up Latin America would be welcome.
For the "major" countries, this is a rundown:
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Poor, backwards, though still determined, the aging and increasingly ill Lenin, having avoided troublesome assassination attempts in the past and their respective bullets, is gradually becoming less and less capable of carrying out his duties as Chairman of the Council of the People's Commissars. His government is under the influence of Nikolai Bukharin, who is as-of-current the major economic figure within the regime and a ranking member of the Council. The seemingly moderate Joseph Stalin, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, is increasingly at odds with the policies of Bukharin, while General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party (bolsheviks), Leon Trotsky, has begun agitating for a stronger military force capable of leading a new revolution abroad.
There are quite a few targets. Do the Bolsheviks look towards liberating the Ukraine under the aegis of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic? Do they seek to conquer the rebellious Central Asian states, albeit possibly incurring the wrath of the British in the process? Do they look towards the East, sending more assistance to the Chinese revolutionaries, liberating Mongolia, and driving Japanese holdings in Asiatic Russia into the sea? Or will they simply stress the sovereignty of Russia; condemning the various concessions and calling for equality in dealings made?
(The gray and black-gray in Russia = autonomous concession territories owned by the British and French)
Germany (or three...)
The Paris Peace Conference saw Germany split into three states: the west Germans (I don't know who to call these guys) are led by respectable conservative politicians, mindful of French and British concerns of German expansionism. They are, however, increasingly under pressure from the radical National Socialist German Workers Party, both electorally and in the growing campaign of terrorism conducted by aligned militias. The NSDAP agitates for national unification, which the West German leaders insist must be a gradual and peaceful process.
In eastern Germany (Prussia?), a left-wing though unstable government is in power. Sympathetic to Russia only slightly, it is led by the likes of men whose doctrines echo those of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, whilst also being aware of the concerns of their rather unlikely partners, the Social-Democrats. At this same time, an eastern section of the NSDAP operates underground, agitating for national unification whilst the leftists and social-democrats squabble over a reunification that is either revolutionary or simply anti-imperialist in outlook.
In Bavaria, a stable grouping of nobility and Catholic politicians enjoy their fair degree of independence from German affairs. Although noting the rising pro-NSDAP sentiment among the populace, the Prince remains a fairly popular symbol of stability and security for the rather isolationist populace.
Spain
In August of 1932, General José Sanjurjo launched a coup d'état against the nascent Spanish Republic starting in Seville. The coup made considerable progress, enough to force the government in Madrid come to terms with a power-sharing agreement in which Sanjurjo would serve as President. The new government, with Sanjurjo in a "caretaker" role, brought in members from the newly-founded Falange and CEDA after a semi-rigged election in 1933 to the condemnations of the Socialists. Prime Minister Niceto Alcalá-Zamora was forced to step down in 1934 following defeated leftist uprisings from the Socialists and Anarchists in Asturias and Barcelona, and was replaced by José Antonio Primo de Rivera of the Falange. Elections are to be held in 1936, and are also the same elections in which Sanjurjo has agreed to step down in order to entrust the new civilian government, which will most certainly be headed by José Antonio with the "consent of the people" as Socialist and Anarchist forces prepare for further uprisings against the Rightist government, while the Carlists are becoming increasingly irate over the centralization efforts of the government and its hesitancy over restoring the monarchy.
China
(I haven't developed this too much)
* The CCP and Guomindang are allied under the leadership of Wang Jingwei, as dedicated Republicans opposed to the northern and opposing government.
* The opposing government is led by the descendants of Yuan Shikai, whose "Empire" quickly degenerated into being in name only after his death, a façade for what was an alliance of warlords and corrupt opportunists. The northern government is unstable and kept alive mostly through Japanese assistance transported through Manchuria, and through the assistance of the right-wing Mongolian government led by White Guard elements. The Japanese, however, are increasingly of the opinion that a Japanese-led "liberation" of China is in order.
Mexico
* In 1919, Zapata evades being assassinated and the Liberation Army of the South continues into the 1920's, forming a de facto state among mostly Mayans. Meanwhile, the CROM (trade union) under Luis Morones takes advantage of the disorder and gains power in the rest of Mexico with the help of Obregón. By the 1930's the nation is led under a dictatorship managed by Calles and Morones, Zapata was killed in action in the 20's, and the southern state is in danger of breaking apart, and in the north, due to anticlericalism, there is a chance of serious rebellions led by rightist Catholics.
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