8mm to the Left: If Hitler Died in 1923
- Thread starter KaiserKatze
- Start date
10% of GDP on the military is a lot.
For comparison: in 1936, the US spent $1.05B on the armed forces out of $65B Gross National Income ( ~1.5%). While the US armed forces were relatively underfunded, they included one of the world's two largest navies.
In 1958, at the height of the Cold War, the US spent $72B on the armed forces out of $442B Gross National Product (~16%).
I really doubt that even a predominantly conservative Reichstag would approve military spending at the 10% level, and France and Britain would react very strongly.
Last edited:
???
1688 established parliamentary supremacy, but William III certainly "interfered in politics"; so did Anne. The de facto exclusion of the Crown from political action began with George I. George III tried to reverse it, but it became permanent after the failure of his policies and his mental breakdown.
Well said.
As a personal aside, it’s nice to see another Old Britainia enjoyer on this site. It’s one of the best channels on YouTube for diplomatic history in my opinion and has informed quite a bit of my current TL in regards to WW1 plans and diplomatic back and forth.
Just finished reading the story, and I must say that I love it, especially Goering saying bollocks.
I know currently Italy and Ethiopia are the matters at hand, what is the condition of India, will it gain independence as one block or will partition happen(please no, please let my princely states live
)
I know currently Italy and Ethiopia are the matters at hand, what is the condition of India, will it gain independence as one block or will partition happen(please no, please let my princely states live
)Speaking of events coming up in 1936: the Spanish Civil War. If it still starts on OTL schedule (and I see no reason why it would not), how likely is this Germany to support the nationalists?
Depends on Italian and French stances.
Also, I don't think that Sanjurjo and Mola die due to butterflies, so that means Franco won't be the leader at least from the start.
My money is on reluctant support, weapons, funding, permission for volunteers to go on their own, but nothing like Legion Condor OTL.
I would point out one factor regarding the end of slavery that may not have been considered. With fairly limited exceptions (e.g. galley slavery, other slavery that effectively prevents any degree of independent movement, especially on ships,. along with the ever present and very rarely discussed horror of sexual slavery ) it is MUCH less costly to use other forms of labor. Slaves musgt be provided for, housing, food, a degree of medical care since they are extremely valuable "livestock" (there is a considerable price associated with the acquisition of a slave, and both the slave him(her)self and any offspring present a source of capital, either as collateral for loans or as a reasonably liquid possession. that can be turned to cash in short order or traded directly for other items of value. This, from any sort of hard eyed (and holders of human slaves have eyes the hardness of diamonds), is a significant cost against the ledger.
In Europe, as well in other regions, the "landed" and "noble" classes learned this a couple millennium ago. It is far more efficient, less costly, and vastly less onerous for the landed individual to hold the workers as "bondsmen", "peasants", "serfs", "share croppers" and the innocent sounding "renters" rather than keeping them as "slaves". Giving the peasant a sense of freedom (not slaves right?) you create a scenario where you no longer are required to pay upkeep or anything even resembling care to those who work the land. They work, you collect your "share" and this continues for generations since those on top mutually agree to not hire those who attempt to leave. This also creates a small merchant class to whom goods can be sold and finished products received.
While, as an example, the UK abolished slavery decades earlier the only way for the Irish to escape this endless cycle when the Famine destroyed the system, was to leave for America (where post ACW, many fell back into the sharecropper trap again. The difference in the U.S., for those who could scrape up a bit of funding was the availability of immense amount of unclaimed land that allowed them to establish their own homesteads (many failed and died, most did not).
This kind of bonded labour is still common in my home region, where a semi-feudalistic society is somewhat common in the rural areas. There are the landed elites who own most of the farmlands around the village, and then the coolies who work them. Since they are free men, they must take care of themselves and their families without support. That said much of the area has modernised, and places with this form of structure are becoming more benevolent ie. coolies have been bequeathed their own plots to own and farm, while they still work for the elites.
Is because in many TL are UK and USA so "underrated" that I avoid them outright unless I find something different of the usual doubling down on the almost OTL ASB luck of these countries.
It's a channel that wears its bias on its sleeve, very enjoyable for this reason.
Off topic from the thread but this lays at the crossroads of so many of my interests that I will endulge for a bit. Serfdom in Europe came about in the earliest parts of the Medieval Era as a simple trade of safety for labour between the serf and the lord. The labour shortage the Black Death created basically destroyed the system before its lawful abolishment. In Western Europe at least. In Eastern Europe the hayday of serfdom laid post-1500 by what I've seen recently. Whilst Western Europe saw the wealth of its cities increase with its free population, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (by some called the most democratic country in Europe before the French Revolution) was strangled by its nobility (those who had the right to vote) holding the general population bound and the cities in check to secure their own power. It's thus not strange that the PLC was destroyed by powers where the monarch had a relatively better hold on power. All of this is strange, as serfdom wasn't really a thing in the Kievan Rus if I am to believe the history of Ukraine I am currently reading. The peasants were free, the nobility of Scandinavian stock was happy to earn tribute and later veche's had a certain say in power. It's this strange mirror that splits Europe rougly down the middle, somewhere in Germany, which ties into something else. There is this double division in Germany when it comes to the size of farms. Further to the north and east, farms are bigger, further to the south and west they are smaller. This isn't due to GDR collectivisation, it existed before. It is due to geography and inheritence. The plains of the North European Lowland naturally allow for bigger farms. And in the north of Germany farms were not broken up by inheritence. In Sleswig-Holstein, the youngest son inherits, in Lower Saxony, the eldest son. Since WW2 this has also come to include daughters. In the south, every son (now child) is entitled to a shair in the farm. Whilst sons are bought out of their share, this means that farms are more likely to split and be reduce to subsistence level plots. But, this is a advantage in a degree. Baden-Württemberg (Nett hier.) is a place known for its high grade industry. Farmer's sons are wanted labour, as they are thaught from a early age to carry a degree of responsibility. "Won't you go and attach that implement to the tractor?" and whatnot.
My grandfather was a cane farmer, and my father I can assure you was not known for his responsibility as a child, so obviously this means tractors are what make children responsible, and not the farming itself
The discussion of this sort of land ownership also reminds me that this is a Germany where the hold of the landowners won't be broken by WW2 and East Germany. The Junkers and other landed class will slowly decay, especially those who cannot adapt to improved farming methods and work restrictions, but it is interesting to think how that will affect the German North.
Another point is that Protestantism in the East won't be massively crushed by Soviet anticlerical methods, which is a boon for the European Protestant cause. Catholicism also will benefit as long as Poland is around
Another point is that Protestantism in the East won't be massively crushed by Soviet anticlerical methods, which is a boon for the European Protestant cause. Catholicism also will benefit as long as Poland is around
and as long as the soveits exist it is a sad day for orthodox and European buddisim
Fun Fact: Belgium went for 36 hours without a king in 1990 - Brussels Express
On the 4th of April 1990, King Baudouin stepped down for 36 hours to allow the bill on abortion to
brussels-express.eu
(TLDR: The King was declared unfit to rule due to his opinions on abortion)
To beat any accusations of Anglo bias on my part, I'd also like to reccomend Cambrian Chronicles. A very good channel on Welsh and a bit more general Brythonic history.
Link to video because the video cannot embed here
Yep, that was case I was referring toFun Fact: Belgium went for 36 hours without a king in 1990 - Brussels Express
On the 4th of April 1990, King Baudouin stepped down for 36 hours to allow the bill on abortion to
(TLDR: The King was declared unfit to rule due to his opinions on abortion)
pls don't ban me
Monthly Donor
it was still longer than the danish war in ww2 🤣🤣Fun Fact: Belgium went for 36 hours without a king in 1990 - Brussels Express
On the 4th of April 1990, King Baudouin stepped down for 36 hours to allow the bill on abortion to
(TLDR: The King was declared unfit to rule due to his opinions on abortion)
In an ironic twist, if things continue according to my plans (and a lot can change in the span of time I am referring to), the Danes in the modern era in my story's world will be known as the small but fierce defenders of freedom, the David against a far stronger Goliath.
(Plus, since they will almost definitely keep at least Iceland and Greenland, they will be a bit bigger and more relevant than IRL.)
