User:United Republic/Sandbox/Central Victory
First Great War | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Clockwise from the top) The aftermath of shelling during the Battle of the Somme, Mark V tanks cross the Hindenburg Line, Template:HMS sinks after hitting a mine in the Dardanelles, a British Vickers machine gun crew wears gas masks during the Battle of the Somme, Albatros D.III fighters of Jagdstaffel 11 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Belligerents | |||||||||
Central Powers: Germany Austria-Hungary Turkey Bulgaria (1915–1917) Romania (1916–1917) |
Entente Powers: British Empire France Russia Serbia Belgium Montenegro Japan | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Wilhelm II Franz Joseph I † Charles I Mehmed V Three Pashas Ferdinand I Ferdinand I |
H. H. Asquith David Lloyd George | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
Total: 26,482,321 13,250,000 7,800,000 2,998,321 1,234,000 1,200,000 |
Total: 31,438,884 12,000,000 8,841,541 8,660,000 800,000 707,343 380,000 50,000 |
The First Great War (often abbreviated as FGW) was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 31 August 1917. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 57 million military personnel, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.
On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb Yugoslav nationalist, assassinated the Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, leading to the July Crisis. In response, on 23 July Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia. Serbia's reply failed to satisfy the Austrians, and the two moved to a war footing.
A network of interlocking alliances enlarged the crisis from a bilateral issue in the Balkans to one involving most of Europe. By July 1914, the great powers of Europe were divided into two coalitions: the Triple Entente—consisting of France, Russia and Britain—and the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy (the Triple Alliance was primarily defensive in nature, allowing Italy to stay out of the war in 1914).[14] Russia felt it necessary to back Serbia and, after Austria-Hungary shelled the Serbian capital of Belgrade on the 28th, partial mobilisation was approved.[15] General Russian mobilisation was announced on the evening of 30 July; on the 31st, Austria-Hungary and Germany did the same, while Germany demanded Russia demobilise within 12 hours.[16] When Russia failed to comply, Germany declared war on 1 August in support of Austria-Hungary, with Austria-Hungary following suit on 6th; France ordered full mobilisation in support of Russia on 2 August.[17]
Second Great War[edit | edit source]
Second Great War | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Clockwise from the top) The aftermath of shelling during the Battle of the Somme, Mark V tanks cross the Hindenburg Line, Template:HMS sinks after hitting a mine in the Dardanelles, a British Vickers machine gun crew wears gas masks during the Battle of the Somme, Albatros D.III fighters of Jagdstaffel 11 | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Allies: Germany Austria-Hungary Italy Bulgaria Romania Belgium Poland Ukraine Lithuania 23px Finland Other allies: Co-belligerents: |
Axis: Russia British Empire Co-belligerents: | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Wilhelm III Franz von Papen Ludwig Beck Erwin Rommel Otto I |
George VI Winston Churchill Oswald Mosley | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Total: 26,482,321 13,250,000 7,800,000 2,998,321 1,234,000 1,200,000 |
Total: 31,438,884 12,000,000 8,841,541 8,660,000 800,000 707,343 380,000 50,000 |
The Second Great War (often abbreviated to SGW or GWII) was a global war that lasted from 1941 to 1944. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 50 million people from over 20 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. The Second Great War was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history, marked by 20 million casualties. It included massacres, genocides, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
The defeated Triple Entente of the First Great War were severely punished by the victorious Central Powers in various treaties following the war. Britain, France, and Russia were forced to cut down their military size and pay war reparations to the Central Powers. Reactionary and revanchist factions began to take power in the defeated nations. Russia was the first, with General Mikhail Diterikhs's appointment as Prime Minister in 1928. France followed and elected François de La Rocque as President in 1930. Britain was the last with Winston Churchill's Conservatives winning in 1936. As all of the former Central Powers nations had been weakened during the 1920s, the defeated Entente pressured German Chancellor Otto Wels to rescind the arms restrictions and suspend inspections. In 1938, Britain, France, and Russia signed the Tripartite Pact, also known as the "Petrograd–London–Paris Axis". Following this, German Chancellor Franz von Papen signed the Quadruple Alliance with Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Turkey.
The war shortly after the death of Wilhelm II, when Russia demanded that German troops leave Ukraine and Finland. Chancellor Franz von Papen refused and shortly after, Russia moved its armies into Ukraine. Germany deemed this an act of war and formally declared war on the Russian Empire. Russia's allies soon declared war on Germany, while Germany's allies declared war on the Axis. The Axis would catch the Allies by surprise, with the French pushing Germany across the Rhine and the Russians moving as far west as Königsberg and nearly all of Poland. The British would launch successful invasions of the Netherlands and Norway during the summer, while Denmark would fall in the winter. The war reached a stalemate after the Russian advance stopped at the Battle of Breslau and the Japanese attack on British Hong Kong in March 1942, forcing the British to divert forces to the Pacific War. In September 1942, the Germans would successfully cross the Rhine into Cologne and Koblenz, breaking the year-long stalemate in the west. To the south, the Italians and Austro-Hungarians would deal a harsh blow against the French and British at Verona in October 1942.
By March 1943, the Axis Powers were mostly driven out of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The German Army, under the command of Ludwig Beck launched their invasion of Norway in April, code-named Operation Claus. General Erwin Rommel would lead his offensive against the French in the same month, pushing the Axis as far west as Meaux by summer. Paris would fall to the allies on July 5, and President La Rocque would be captured a week after. With France pushed out of the war, the allies turned their attention to the east, where the war had reached a stalemate in Poland. The shift of manpower east would help turn the war in Germany's favor, and following the Second Battle of Warsaw, the Russians were forced into retreat. In the west, the Luftstreitkräfte mounted continuous bombing raids over Britain, devastating the capital city of London.
Wars[edit | edit source]
1920s Arms Race[edit | edit source]
- No Washington Naval Treaty = Arms race between U.S., Germany, and Japan
- Japan renews alliance with Britain in 1921
- Germany and the United States in small cold war with each other
- Japan emerges as power in East Asia
Nations[edit | edit source]
Australasia[edit | edit source]
Flag | Nation | Capital | Government | OTL equivalent | Head of State |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia Republic of Australia |
Canberra | Unitary presidential constitutional republic | Australia, Papua New Guinea | TBD | |
New Zealand Republic of New Zealand |
Wellington | Unitary parliamentary republic | New Zealand | Patsy Reddy |
Asia[edit | edit source]
Flag | Nation | Capital | Government | OTL equivalent | Head of State |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
China Republic of China |
Nanjing | Federalism parliamentary constitutional republic | Republic of China (1912-1949) | TBD | |
Japan State of Japan |
Tokyo | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Japan, Karafuto Prefecture, Kuril Islands | Naruhito | |
Korea Korean Republic |
Seoul | Unitary presidential constitutional republic | Korean Peninsula | Moon Jae-in |
Europe[edit | edit source]
Flag | Nation | Capital | Government | OTL equivalent | Head of State |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Danubia Federation of the Danube |
Vienna | Federalism parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Austria-Hungary, Montenegro, parts of Serbia, Malta | Charles II | |
France Kingdom of France |
Paris | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Pre-WWI France, excluding Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Savoy, and Alpes-Maritimes | Louis XX | |
Germany German Empire |
Berlin | Federalism parliamentary constitutional monarchy | German Empire, Luxembourg, parts of Belgium | Frederick IV | |
Italy Kingdom of Italy |
Rome | ||||
United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain |
London | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
North America[edit | edit source]
Flag | Nation | Capital | Government | OTL equivalent | Head of State |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada Federal Republic of Canada |
Ottawa | Federal presidential constitutional republic | Canada | Joyce Murray | |
United States United States of America |
Washington, D.C. | Federalism presidential constitutional republic | United States, Cuba, Polynesia, Micronesia, and parts of Melanesia | Marco Rubio |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 1914 – POD The Italian government, after negotiations with both sides of the war, decides that they will remain neutral in the conflict, citing the popular opposition to war. As a result, the Central Powers do not have to divert forces to fight in Italy.
- 1915 – The Kingdom of Romania enters the war in favor of the Central Powers, seeing the tide of the war and the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires promising Moldava for the Romanians.
- 1917 – German forces score a crushing victory at the Battle of Verdun. As Paris is within miles of the advancing German Army and the withdrawal of Russia, France sues for peace. Three days later, the United Kingdom follows suit. The snap election sweeps out the Liberal National Government and Bonar Law's Conservatives take control.
- 1918 – The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Treaty of Oldenburg, and the Treaty of Koblenz effectively end the war. (Soviet) Russia is forced to relinquish claims on the Baltic states, Congress Poland, Ukraine, Finland cede Moldava to Romania, cede Armenia to Turkey, and pay reparations to the Central Powers. The Treaty of Oldenburg forces France to demilitarize the region northeast of the River Somme, then southeast to the Rhone. The French would also cede French Equatorial Africa to become part of Mittelafrika. The Treaty of Koblenz would assert German hegemony over Belgium, cede the Congo to Germany, release Ireland from British rule, and force Britain to pay reparations to Germany and Austria-Hungary.
- 1919 – Threatened by ongoing civil unrest, Wilhelm II signs the new German constitution, reforming the German Empire into a British-styled parliamentary monarchy. The Chancellor is no longer appointed by the monarch and the first election under the new constitution takes place. Otto Wels and his Social Democratic majority take control of the Reichstag and Wels becomes Chancellor.
- 1920 – President Charles Evans Hughes wins reelection as President of the United States. He campaigns as a nationalist and runs against the German, British, and Japanese Empires, calling them threats to the United States.
- 1921 – The United States begins to modernize and expand its navy.