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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goblyns Hoard" data-source="post: 1779736" data-attributes="member: 19970">the effects of WWIRead an interesting article about the impact of a relatively small change in WWI.  The premise was that Britain didn't join in - the reason given was political differences in the cabinet but you can use anything you want.Anyway the impact...Before Britain joining WWI the battles were very much along the lines of Napoleonic wars.  Trench warfare didn't get established until after the massacre of a French coutnerattack - can't remember the exact battle's name.  The initial German attack plan involved a huge right flank that swept out round a lot of the French troops and almost took Paris.  A few things stopped this in the execution - the German general who envisaged the plan died and his successor wasn't as confident in it, German high command decided to put some extra troops on the eastern front, and then of course the British involved themselves and so Bismarck had an extra 'front' to worry about.So presume these didn't happen.  WWI as we know it never happens.  The Germans storm over France, then make friends with the Brits...Disclaimer - everything below is theoretical musings extracted from the essay.  A lot of it I find plausible, but no offense is intended to anyone by it.  If you find something offensive you may be misinterpreting the purpose of this postImplications - No Treaty of Versailles in which the German nation was emasculated and crapped upon by all of europe.  No pissed off Germans wanting to reestablish their once great nation.  Less support for Hitler's policies so no democratically elected Hitler.  No German Holocaust.A pissed off France, crapped upon by the Germans.  If anything a French backlash against the imposition of harsh sanctions imposed by the Germans.  Maybe a French Nazi party coming to power.  Howerver France would have been strategically unable to take outmaneuveur Germany and Britain so their WWII uprising would have been crushed much faster.  No WWII to speak of.No German Holocaust - No Israel.  Peace in the Middle East?No prolonged WWI - no trench warfare - no tanks?  Hadn't thought of that one before.  Trench warfare would have emerged during whatever major conflict occurred next - its the logical progression from the military charge once the machine gun is developed but before tanks come onto the scene.  SO maybe tanks would just be 'relatively primitive'.No Lenin.  Lenin was exiled in Switzerland in the run up to WWI.  The Germans stuck him on a sealed train and sent him back to Russia to cause the tsars problems.  Without Lenin no Communist revolution... no USSR.  Oh yes revolution would have happened but led by more moderate forces in Russia - possibly something closer to the French revolution.  No USSR - no Red China, no Korea, no Vietnam!Britain still an Empire.  WWI bankrupted Britain, and put us in huge financial debt to the US.  It caused us to bring in troops from all parts of the empire at ever increasing costs.  That money is instead put to good uses in the empire, so they're all a little less pissed off at us.  Of course the empire would eventually disintegrate but probably slower, and less catastrophically.  More countries may have maintained ties similar to the current relationship with Australia.  The CommonWealth would certainly have remained more significant.No sudden rise of the US.  So America may have become more isolationist (as it was during early WWI).  Certainly would not have been able to dominate international politics in the way that it has done.  Other implications on internal American politics I'm not the best to person to pontificate on - not really my area of world history.Alternatives:A worse British Empire.  Without ever having been righteously spanked by WWI what would have stopped British Imperialism?  Also possible that a victorious German post WWI would have been just as fascist.  No guarantees on anything there unfortunately.Not sure if this helps any with your world.  Obviously magical factors can be thrown in as causative factors or to change many of the events.  If you want details I can try and dig out the original essay (hard copy unfortunately but could be scanned).Unfortunately this variant would mena you miss out on Hitler and his mysticism which would lend itself so well to a world with magic - particular as he would have been a young man when the magic first 'returned' so it could have heavly influenced his development.</blockquote>

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