WI: Weimar Germany openly pushes for Scottish, Welsh, Breton, Occitan etc Independence

[Abdominalz]

In this scenario the Weimar Republic manages to survive and Hitler does not come to power.

What if, in the late 1920s and 1930s, the Weimar Republic had held a Conference with the nations of Western Europe which Germany arranges, with the aim of radically changing the borders of Western Europe? The German proposals would entail the following:
*Independence for Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Occitania, Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia.
*To compensate for this loss of territory, France would get the Channel Islands and industrially rich Walonia, while Flanders would go to the Netherlands
*Belgian Colonies would be spit between the Netherlands and France
*To compensate for the dissolution of his Kingdom and Throne, the King of Belgium would chose one of the newly independent nations to become King of; whichever took his fancy. The rest would be Republics.
*The Irish Free State would leave the Commonwealth and become an independent Republic while anywhere in Northern Ireland which had voted for Sinn Fein in 1918 would be transferred to the Irish Republic. The rest of Northern Ireland would stay British, or rather remain part of the 'United Kingdom of England and East Ulster'
*Spain would get Gibraltar to compensate for the loss of territory
*Corsica would go to Italy
*German speaking areas in Alsace-Lorraine would go to Germany, would Austria

The Germans, of course, would know that most of these proposals would be rejected by the nations of Western Europe but the aim would be, without firing a shot, to assure any nationalist movements in Western Europe that the Germans had their back. It would hopefully lead to said nationalist movements becoming stronger and to the Western Powers being destabilised. It would also signify the Western Powers that Germany was self confident again but also show them a 'holier than thou' attitude; Germany was now the Guarantor of the rights of small nations.

 

[Rosa Luxemburg]

Interesting... why would the nations of Europe agree to this?

 

[NixonTheUsedCarSalesman]

Nobody would show up.

The only independence movement with any strength during this time period is Bavaria. Nobody would suffer listening to a bunch of Germans talk about how they should get Austria and Alsace-Lorraine and how every other country should be dismembered.

 

[jmc247]

Nobody respected the Weimar Republic enough to care what they had to say.

 

[Scomerger]

Well, for starters, the British, French, Spanish, and the Belgians would have to appoint new foreign ministers because their predecessors will have died from laughter.

With that said, why would they go for all of this, give up part of their territories while Germany gets to expand and act like a 'holier than thou' guarantor of--wait, it isn't a nefarious plot by the Weimar government to overturn the Versailles treaty by having their former enemies practically dismember themselves, right?

Assuming that they care enough to actually attend the conference, what would stop them from calling for independence of Bavaria, the Saarland, the Rhineland, and other German regions -- and guaranteeing their independence? What would stop them from guaranteeing Austrian independence? It goes both ways.

For the western Europeans to consider all this, let alone agree to them, would be practically ASB.

 

[shiftygiant]

They'd be told it was a good joke, and if the Germans press the matter, they'll be laughed at further. How can Weimar project power and help these nations? How can Weimar think it can order nations it's economically dependent on, be it literally propping up their economy or through trade, to fragment? What do they think would happen?

Some of these suggestions make literally no sense. And that's not in an 'overuse literally' kind of way, they actually do have no sense behind them.

*Independence for Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Occitania, Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia.

Whilst I'll hold off the French and Spanish suggestions to someone who knows more, I can tell you straight off the bat that this is based on the knowledge we have of today. In 2016, it's not unthinkable to suggest that Scotland may leave the United Kingdom given what happened in 2014 (a suggestion of Wales is a fantasy, though, at least for another few decades), however in the interwar period, it's up there with Flash Gordon.

*To compensate for this loss of territory, France would get the Channel Islands and industrially rich Walonia, while Flanders would go to the Netherlands

So the Channel Islands can't remain British, even though the people living there consider themselves British and the last time it was under French rule was in the 15th Centurty, whilst Belgium is just dismembered? I'll get back to that latter point in a moment, but England would never accept loosing the Cannel Islands, Scotland, Wales, and half of Ulster on the basis 'it's what Weimar wants'.

*Belgian Colonies would be spit between the Netherlands and France

So it'd be a pretty unfair and contentious deal given how, after 1931, Belgium only had two colonies- the Congo and Rwanda.

*To compensate for the dissolution of his Kingdom and Throne, the King of Belgium would chose one of the newly independent nations to become King of; whichever took his fancy. The rest would be Republics.

Seems like a shitty way to deal with a man who just had his Kingdom torn in twain by his closest allies.

*The Irish Free State would leave the Commonwealth and become an independent Republic while anywhere in Northern Ireland which had voted for Sinn Fein in 1918 would be transferred to the Irish Republic. The rest of Northern Ireland would stay British, or rather remain part of the 'United Kingdom of England and East Ulster'

Ignoring the fact that Ulster has more linkage with Scotland, and the IFS would just do that anyway, there's a reason why no area that voted Sinn Fein post-1918 was transferred (spoiler: The land is good).

*Spain would get Gibraltar to compensate for the loss of territory

Again, so what about the people who actually live there and have lived there for centuries?

*Corsica would go to Italy

Why?

*German speaking areas in Alsace-Lorraine would go to Germany, would Austria

And France spent the last 60 or so years ingraining into the heads of every Frenchman that Alsace-Lorraine is theirs.

Again, how would Weimar get the powers of Western Europe to accept these frankly unacceptable terms? It has no power projection, it has an economy that is reliant on these nations liking them? Belgium and Britain would tell the German negotiation to sit on a long stick until they reach the ground, the French would consider the idea of slicing off what they view as integral parts of their country as a load of bull and shit, and the only people who see anything to gain would be the Netherlands and Germany, but why would the Netherlands accept any of those?

The Germans, of course, would know that most of these proposals would be rejected by the nations of Western Europe but the aim would be, without firing a shot, to assure any nationalist movements in Western Europe that the Germans had their back.

How? What possible way can Germany ensure and assure Nationalist movements, some of which don't even exist yet in forms that would be helpful to some mad destabilisation plot?

It would hopefully lead to said nationalist movements becoming stronger and to the Western Powers being destabilised.

The only country that will destabilise is Germany, because if it tries to actually help any of these movements or push for its proposals, it'll discover very suddenly what fucking with a major trade partner is like.

It would also signify the Western Powers that Germany was self confident again but also show them a 'holier than thou' attitude; Germany was now the Guarantor of the rights of small nations.

It'd signify that a regime change is in need and maybe the Weimar Pipes shouldn't be lead lined, because the German Government has gone mad.