Another user saw this hadn't been discussed yet and asked me to create a thread on it. Is it possible to have a Three-way World War I? Possibly: Central Powers Vs. Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Franco-Russian Alliance, Italy, and Albania Vs. Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, Greece, and Japan? He said the POD would have to be the British and Russians failing to reach an agreement in 1907, starting an Anglo-Russian War.
Three-Way World War I
- Thread starter Montgomerie Ward
- Start date
Would Communist Germany and Russia be allies or fight over how Communism should be?
A large few of the Old Guard of the Russian Communists were German sympathisers, I'd say they would love to keep Germany company.
At first, I think they would be allies, but over time, would fight the over if they win the war, or get a good deal from it.
A party to the conflict can also be on two sides at once. The Syrian Civil War is a fun example of how weird war can get. It's ostensibly a three-sided conflict: the Syrian regime opposes the Opposition, the Kurds, and ISIL/ISIS/Daesh; the Opposition and Kurds oppose the regime and Daesh; Daesh opposes everyone. That's the official line. However, in the northwest of the country, the regime and Daesh have something of an understanding as they both fight the Opposition and the Kurds (the regime kind of helps Daesh here); in the east, the regime has a similar understanding with the Kurds as they battle Daesh.
I can't imagine how Russia and Germany going communist would lead to a three-sided conflict though. If Germany, one of the biggest industrial powers in the world, and Russia, an emerging power at the time, turned communist and allied, Britain, France, and every other country would lose their shit and probably find some way, together, to try and squash the revolution. This happened during the Paris Commune in 1871 -- Prussia actually released French POWs to help them fight the Communards.
Here's an idea:
World War I as we know it doesn't occur. The Ottoman Empire lives on, for a while, but then Russia starts pecking at them. Like during the Crimean War, Britain and France come in to "help" the Ottomans. They help a little too much, pissing off the Ottomans, and it turns into them fighting everyone, Russia fighting Britain/France, and Britain/France fighting Russia.
Hardly a surprise, as something very simialr happened in Bosnia. Which also proves my point, sooner or later two sides will at least stop fighting each other
Deleted member 83898
Might we see the Schlieffen Plan succeed or the Germans do much better in the Race to the Sea without the presence of the BEF?
Probably not.
Communist governments don't typically spring up overnight. It isn't like Civilization V where all of the sudden you're communist or something. If Russia and Germany go communist, it will be at the end of civil wars. The Western powers, Britain, France and such, will probably try to help defeat the communists. This is what happened during the Russian Civil War.
After the wars, when the communists have won, the rest of Europe will probably, for the most part, shun them, like how the Soviet Union was shunned for a long time after it was formed.
Germany and Russia will have common interests: hey, we're both communist! And we can trade with eachother! They'd be natural allies.
And the only reason France and Russia were ever allies was because of Germany. France and Russia hated eachother for quite a long time, and they were two very different countries -- one was sort of liberal and democratic, while the other was brutal and authoritarian. Not only would they no longer have strategic interests, but France would shun Russia, and Russia would be bitter over their help for the Tsarist or whatever government.
Wait this is cool because it doesn't require anyone to go communist before WWI starts. But why would France favor Russia in order to make worth with Britain? Wouldn't that be suicidal? And having the Brits only having the Japan be their ally is just really too weakening them.
I didn't originally intend for any country to turn communist but I see how communism creates a Three-Way World War I. I originally intended competition between three imperial-led alliance blocs (British Empire and Japanese Empire Vs. Russian Empire Vs. German Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Ottoman Empire). I was expecting France to either terminate the Franco-Russian Alliance in favor of Britain (most plausible if Russia turns communist) or fight Germany while staying neutral in the Anglo-Russian War (most plausible if Russia remains Czarist). Either way, France is allied to both countries but both countries don't get along. Japan wasn't Britain's only ally during World War I. Britain's oldest ally (Portugal) had to contend with Germany in Africa. Greece was a pro-British monarchy (though Constantine I was Kaiser Wilhelm's brother-in-law) that would eventually face Bulgaria.
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LordKalvert
Banned
This is very accurate especially with coalitions like described above. But a giant free for all with countries jumping hither and tither could be the result
Examples, Romania joins Austria to beat back the Russians, gets Bessarabia in a separate peace and then goes for Transylvania
The Italians certainly wouldn't mind taking out Austria and France
Could be a long series of short sharp wars with the loser seeking new allies like the Napoleonic era