an alternate history questions

[mapuc]

In a thread we are discussing WWI

And in some thread we have discussed Hitler and The Nazis

Here's my question

Would Hitler and his party have success and would WWII have started IF

The allied had put the Marshall plan into action right after the end of WWI ?

Markus

[Platapus]

Tough to tell. The short sighted way the allies treated Germany after WWi certainly made it easier for the socialist party to garner power.

The problem with alternative history is that one can't simply change one aspect and assume that all other influences stay the same.

[Oberon]

Yeah, there's a lot of butterflies there.

Best place for alternate history stuff is:

http://www.alternatehistory.net

Get yourself signed up there and search the forum, lots of discussion there.

[ikalugin]

Russian Empire does not get ripped in Eastern Prussia and get the Germans in their back. Germans loose in 1914. Germany is split between various parties into occupational zones and Marshal plan is enacted.

Revolution does not happen in Russia, no USSR (maybe a shift to a democratic state, who knows). Japan and Italy are still disgruntled and the Austro-Hungarian empire is still breaking up due to ethnic differences. USA does not join the war.

Competition between Empires continues, probably we see the war between British and Russians (in Central Asia), due to Russian Empire actually going through industrialisation (which was kick started by the French capital in early 1900s).

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Yeah, there's a lot of butterflies there.

Best place for alternate history stuff is:

http://www.alternatehistory.net

Get yourself signed up there and search the forum, lots of discussion there.

Yep, that's the site to go to

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by mapuc

In a thread we are discussing WWI
And in some thread we have discussed Hitler and The Nazis
Here's my question
Would Hitler and his party have success and would WWII have started IF
The allied had put the Marshall plan into action right after the end of WWI ?
Markus

First, the Marshall plan was an american initiative, not an 'allied' one.
(England had to pay back its own debts to the US, certainly with some concession by US politics, and bank)

Imho the question is put wrong, we should probably better think of what would happened, without WW1 happening, or maybe limited to an european war without the whole world involved (read: England staying out of it, and thus the "rest", too. But i think Clarke and Ferguson have already elaborated about that

Given the shape of the post-WWI global economy, a 'Marshall plan' wouldn't have been viable.

[Bilge_Rat]

IMHO, the rise of Hitler and the Nazis had more to do with fear of Communism and the Great depression than Versailles.

A great book on that is "The Wages of Destruction" by Adam Tooze.

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Wages-Destr.../dp/0143113208

One little known fact is that much of the reparations Germany was obliged to pay to Britain and France was financed by loans from the U.S. and the U.S. was fairly lenient in refinancing these loans. After Hitler came to power, he in effect reneged on these loans so it is not true that WW1 reparations put an enormous strain on the German economy.

The real question is whether Hitler would have come to power if the Russian Revolution had never happened.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

IMHO, the rise of Hitler and the Nazis had more to do with fear of Communism and the Great depression than Versailles.

A great book on that is "The Wages of Destruction" by Adam Tooze.

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Wages-Destr.../dp/0143113208

One little known fact is that much of the reparations Germany was obliged to pay to Britain and France was financed by loans from the U.S. and the U.S. was fairly lenient in refinancing these loans. After Hitler came to power, he in effect reneged on these loans so it is not true that WW1 reparations put an enormous strain on the German economy.

The real question is whether Hitler would have come to power if the Russian Revolution had never happened.

That was new to me
I have always learned that Hitler used the state of economy Germany was in and the threat Communism was.

So my question is so to say incorrect

Markus