AH Challenge: The Sun Never Sets

[Alex]

Your challenge, should you accept it, is to maintain the British Empire to the present day with the latest possible POD. In order to qualify, the Empire must still maintain the territories of the modern-day United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and at least some sizeable African holdings. These territories may be either directly ruled or in some sort of federation with Britain itself, but the overall connection between them and the mother country must be significantly stronger than modern-day Commonwealth - there must be political connection beyond accepting the British monarch as the suzerain.

What is the latest point at which you can save the Empire? Bonus points if you are able to do it with World War II still happening on schedule and with the same outcome as in OTL. Extra bonus points if you can do it with this British Empire still remaining a major world power. Even more bonus points if you can do it without the Empire bankrupting itself or resorting to increasingly more harsh methods through the present day to maintain the Empire.

[RBC]

1914: Mehmet V gets his way, and the Ottoman Empire sits out of the First World War.

1916: Britain, worn down from a persistent German application of unrestricted submarine warfare, and Germany, increasingly short on supplies and reinforcements, particularly in the West, begin secret talks aimed at securing an armistice. The two sides agree to American mediation, and a general ceasefire is called.

1917: Treaty of Washington. Germany gives up Alsace-Moselle and its colonies overseas (except Togoland, which is restored to it). The Baltic states are severed from Russia, and Poland is reestablished from Congress Poland and Austrian Galicia. Each of these new countries becomes a monarchy. Austria-Hungary withdraws from most of Serbia, but annexes the Sanjak and Montenegro. Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, and Romania are neutral in this timeline.

1920: Dissatisfaction with an agreement on a (delayed) new Augsleich causes a civil war in Austria-Hungary that is very bloody and ties down German military forces as well as Romanians and Italians for several years.

1922: Butterflies leave Ireland within the U.K. and result further in Rhodesia voting to join South Africa.

more later if there is interest.

[Straha]

I can get the white dominions, ireland and a few small dribs and drabs(sierra leone, belize, the brit carib, guyana, singapore, hong kong, qatar, zanzibar, kuwait, the UAE) still in the empire in 2011 with a WWI-era pod but I think that's a REAL tall order.

[Chris]

Maybe possible, but it would require a great deal of ruthlessness and luck

Chris

[Ghost88]

Originally Posted by RBC

1914: Mehmet V gets his way, and the Ottoman Empire sits out of the First World War.

1916: Britain, worn down from a persistent German application of unrestricted submarine warfare, and Germany, increasingly short on supplies and reinforcements, particularly in the West, begin secret talks aimed at securing an armistice. The two sides agree to American mediation, and a general ceasefire is called.

1917: Treaty of Washington. Germany gives up Alsace-Moselle and its colonies overseas (except Togoland, which is restored to it). The Baltic states are severed from Russia, and Poland is reestablished from Congress Poland and Austrian Galicia. Each of these new countries becomes a monarchy. Austria-Hungary withdraws from most of Serbia, but annexes the Sanjak and Montenegro. Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, and Romania are neutral in this timeline.

1920: Dissatisfaction with an agreement on a (delayed) new Augsleich causes a civil war in Austria-Hungary that is very bloody and ties down German military forces as well as Romanians and Italians for several years.

1922: Butterflies leave Ireland within the U.K. and result further in Rhodesia voting to join South Africa.

more later if there is interest.

There is little chance in a 1916 peace treaty Germany is going to give up the Alsace- Loraine. There is no chance short of ASB interference that they will give up the Moselle, this is the heart of the western half of Germany.

[Nikephoros]

Except ruthlessness would make their opposition more ruthless in turn. Eventually someone's gonna have to give up.

[RBC]

Originally Posted by Ghost88

There is little chance in a 1916 peace treaty Germany is going to give up the Alsace- Loraine. There is no chance short of ASB interference that they will give up the Moselle, this is the heart of the western half of Germany.

Alsace-Moselle is what the French call Alsace-Lorraine because Lorraine is a larger region, and here the war in Europe could be a bigger obstacle for the Central Powers because the Entente has more resources available as a result of there not being fighting in the Middle East, and there being less fighting in the Balkans.