Die Sonne geht im Reich nie unter...

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Points of Divergence

 * Germany's Schlieffen Plan is executed by the book and works more or less perfectly. Germany wins the Battle of the Marne, and the war on the Western Front comes to an abrupt end.  The entire rest of the war focuses on the Eastern and Balkan fronts.
 * Italy, noting the German victory in France and the progress of Germany and its allies on the Eastern and Balkan fronts, sides with the Central Powers rather than joining the Allies.

First World War

 * November 13, 1915: Britain, seeing that further fighting is futile and not wanting to have their troops suffer through the winter, sues for peace. Realizing that the war cannot be won without the help of Britain, Russia follows a few days afterward.

German Colonial Empire
Germany, eager to form a colonial empire, agrees to a peace treaty on the conditions that all German overseas territories and German property therein will be returned immediately and undamaged to German control. Since Germany is incapable of forcing any significant concessions from Britain, they agree to a peace treaty on the condition that Britain would sign a mutual nonaggression and noninterference pact with Germany, open the Walvis Bay area to use by German ships, do nothing to hinder the growth or operations of the Germany military (especially the navy), and not interfere in the administration and growth of Germany's colonial empire as far as it doesn't affect Britain directly. France, Belgium, and Russia, having their own home territory threatened by the German military, do not fare as well. France and Belgium are forced to surrender all possessions in Africa (with the nations of French North Africa, being too much for Germany to control, being given their immediate independence upon the establishment of governments sympathetic to Germany). Russian territory under German control per the Brest-Litovsk Treaty is organized into the multiethnic federation of "Eastslavia". All three countries also are forced to pay crippling reparations. Despite winning, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire teeter near collapse. At the behest of their respective governments, German soldiers are sent to reinforce the integrity of both countries. Troops are especially needed in the defeated regions in the Balkans (Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece) and Eastern Europe, where resistance to German and Austrian occupation leads to the emancipation of the countries, including the Hungarian portion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Galicia, and the establishment of Finland and a federation of Eastern European peoples called "Eastslavia", after German-friendly governments are instituted. At the request of the government of Austria and with the popular support of the German residents of the Empire, Austria (minus Galicia and Dalmatia) accedes to the German Reich on June 23, 1916. This causes consternation among the non-German peoples of the Empire, but the presence of German and Austrian soldiers on the streets limits any signs of dissatisfaction. After a few months, the Ottoman government begins to be pressured by Germany to adopt a more German-friendly attitude, and a permanent Germany military presence is established.

The Allies Divided
The aftermath of the First World War left the Allies divided. Although many of her soldiers had been killed, Britain had managed to leave the war otherwise mostly unscathed. She lost none of her territory nor was she forced to pay reparations. The only conditions of peace were nonaggression and noninterference treaties between Germany and Britain, and a treaty for German use of Walvis Bay (which still remained under British control). France, Belgium, and Russia did not fare as well, being forced to concede territory and also pay massive reparations. This would cause a rift to develop between the four main allies, with France, Belgium, and Russia establishing close relations on one side, and Britain standing alone on the other. This rift would affect European politics all the way through the Second World War, and would prove to be a major obstacle to Allied victory in that war.

Annexation of the Arabian Peninsula and the Creation of Turkey
Following the end of the First World War, Germany came to see the Arabian Peninsula as a vital source of oil for its military machine. With total control over the Ottoman Empire, it had the perfect base from which to launch a campaign to gain control over the entire region. The campaign was begun in the spring of 1921, and by the fall had been mostly accomplished, giving Germany control over the most important oil fields in the world. It was also during this year that the territories of the former Ottoman Empire, along with the newly conquered territories, would be divided into the regions of Turkey and Arabia.

The Persian Campaign
In a continuation of their goal to control the oil fields of the Middle East, Germany launched a campaign in 1924 to put pressure on the Ottoman Empire's eastern neighbor, Persia, to bring them into the German sphere or influence and thereby gain control of that country's oil. The campaign eventually resulted in a full scale armed takeover of Iran's southern oilfields and the creation of a puppet government.

Italian War
With control over the largest oil fields in the world accomplished in the Arabian Peninsula and Persia campaigns, Germany still felt the drive to expand its territory. Souring relations with Italy, whose vacillation during the First World War was considered by many to be a serious affront to Germany, came in 1927 to the Italian War. Although Germany had no major grievances against Italy, it used the lukewarm relations between the two countries as an excuse to annex the territories held by the Italians in the Horn of Africa in hopes of consolidating its already dominant position on the African continent, in particular control of the region around the Suez Canal. For the first time since the First World War, Germany fought against a major European power. The war dragged on through mid 1928, when Germany's superior availability of manpower and natural resources gave them an edge in the prolonged conflict. Experience gleaned from this conflict would greatly help Germany in the coming Second World War.

The Clash between Nationalism and Socialism
From the end of the First World War and throughout the early 1920's, a major conflict was brewing underneath the surface between the Nationalist interests in the country, which sought to expand the German Empire and subjugate the non-German races of the world (as the former colonial powers had done), and between the Socialist interests, which strove for the institution of a socialist or communist system in Germany, and the integration of the newly conquered territories into the Empire. The two major players on both sides were the Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP, formerly the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, DAP), and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SPD). The ever closer relationship among Russia, France, and Belgium, and the subsequent spread of socialism from Russia to those two countries, along with the difficulties Germany experienced in controlling its new empire, led to ever growing support for nationalism in the German Empire.

Second World War
Although Germany and its allies had achieved a victory over the Allies in the First World War, that didn't mean that the underlying hatred among the warring countries had been resolved. On the contrary, the loss of territory and forced reparations made France, Belgium, and Russia especially bitter. This led to a very close relationship among the three nations. The recent establishment of a communist government in Russia quickly led to increased socialist sentiment building in France and Belgium, with the eventual election to power of communist leaders. At the same time, nationalist sentiment was building in Germany. The empire had been having trouble maintaining control over their new overseas possessions, and that led to the election of the National Socialist German Workers Party to the Reichstag, on the promise of controlling the new territories with an iron fist. The highly charismatic leader of the National Socialist, Adolf Hitler, was appointed to the position of Reich Chancellor by the Kaiser, with the widespread support of the people.

During this time, scientists within Germany and its allied nations were beginning to explore the ramifications of atomic theory, and it quickly became apparent that the splitting of the atom could provide a source of great energy. It also didn't take long to realize that this energy could be released violently as a weapon of unspeakable power. Although Hitler was informed of this, he was unable to comprehend the ramifications of it, and refused to support further research. However, higher-ups in the military could realize just how indispensable such a weapon could prove to be in any future war between Germany and its neighbors. Against the orders of the Chancellor, a military program is developed to develop this new technology.

Third World War
(early 70s)