Alternate names for the Central Powers

NKVD

I don't like the term Central Powers. It's clunky, and the acronym (CP) is a bit unfortunate. Futhermore, it seems kind of like a lame monicker that could only arise in a timeline where Germany and friends are defeated. So, what are some alternate names for the Central Powers, that could arise in an ATL?

I've toyed with referring to them as the Alliance in my timeline. But I also like the possibility of them being called Mitteleuropa. I'm particularly curious about the plausibility of the latter.
 

Herzen's love-child

If the alliance only consisted of Central European states, Mitteleuropa would be the basis of a fine alternative. But the Ottoman Empire was bollocks it all up. It isn't Mitteleuropan.

The Central Powers sounds better in German: Mittelmächte.

Because the Central Powers also included Bulgaria, how about Quadruple Alliance?
(It was a lesser known alternative name OTL).
 

Kingfish

I personally don't see how it is "lame" or "clunky". Many things can have unfortunate initials, and people just ignore it. I also find it quite fitting, since three of the four members were situated broadly in the middle of the Europe and surrounded by the Entente. Anyway, Mittleuropa doesn't really work if the Ottomans are in the Alliance, but they could be just called the Quadruple Alliance (or more if they have more members).

Edit: ninja'ed.
 
Uhura's Mazda

Uhura's Mazda

Banned
I'm not averse to CP as a descriptor of the 'Powers' in the 'Centre' of Europe/Asia. Quadruple Alliance would sound way cooler, but it had already been used several times (e.g. War of the Quadruple Alliance 1718-20) so you can understand why 'Central Powers' caught on.


Could people please refrain from taking my opening clause out of context, please? Please, guys?
 
King Nazar

King Nazar

The Axis of Evil Moustachioed Men.

Vierbund05h.jpg
 

OldNavy1988

Central Powers seemed the only one that made sense.

Gruesome Foursome could be used as a derisive by the Allies.

Quadruple Alliance sound better?
 
King Nazar

King Nazar

OldNavy1988 said:
Battalions of scarf wearing baristas marching through Brussels? I could picture that.
Click to expand...

While Von Moltke is tweeting under #occupybelgium


@OP: I think something like the League of Berlin/Berlin Pact etc... could be a nice name. Name the alliance after the city where it was formed.
 
machine3589

machine3589

Well, it was the Tripple Alliance when Italy was allied with Germany and A-H, so if you keep Italy in it would logically be called the "Quintuple Alliance" with Bulgaria and the Ottomans in.
 

elkarlo

Banned
Didn't Norman Stone argue that the CPs never really identified with that name? He called it the Alliance in his book
 

The Federalist

I agree that "Central Powers" sounds a bit clunky and awkward. I don't really know how that designation came into use and suspect that it was a term that historians coined after the war. Does anyone know what the Central Powers actually called themselves? In discussions for a prospective Central Powers victory TL on this site, I have always referred to Germany and her allies as Das Bund or the Bund. It seems like a nice, catchy Teutonic analogue to the Entente.
 

oofo

The Federalist said:
I agree that "Central Powers" sounds a bit clunky and awkward. I don't really know how that designation came into use and suspect that it was a term that historians coined after the war. Does anyone know what the Central Powers actually called themselves? In discussions for a prospective Central Powers victory TL on this site, I have always referred to Germany and her allies as Das Bund or the Bund. It seems like a nice, catchy Teutonic analogue to the Entente.
Click to expand...

IIRC, in the peace treaties they made with Romania and Russia, they referred to themselves as the "Quadruple Alliance". I guess that could be a good alternative name.
 

NKVD

Quadruple Alliance sounds cool. I could see it simply being shortened to "Alliance" in scholarly works, like Entente versus Alliance (even though they mean the same thing).

However, it seems like Bulgaria was kind of a really minor party to the alliance.
 

Emperor Julian

I guess it is a sign of how sheltered and historically nerdy I am that when I read about the initials "CP" being unfortunate, I assumed it was because CP stood for "Communist Party".
 

Saladan

Richard Harrow said:
Quadruple Alliance sounds cool. I could see it simply being shortened to "Alliance" in scholarly works, like Entente versus Alliance (even though they mean the same thing).

However, it seems like Bulgaria was kind of a really minor party to the alliance.
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Which is funny since proportionately didn't they contribute a great deal to the whole thing? Plus Bulgaria's performance during the war was overall impressive considering the resources and manpower they had t work with especially compared to their allies.
 
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