1914 Incident

In the 1914 Incident timeline, World War I as we know it never happened. In 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated by Serbian nationalists, tensions quickly flared. Austria-Hungary soon declared war on Serbia. A huge net of alliances then came into play, pitting Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria, known as the Central Powers, against several opposing nations, including the world powers of Russia, France, and Great Britain. After nearly four years of trench fighting, the Central Powers were defeated and forced to make huge concessions that eventually lead to World War 2.

In this timeline, Germany was able to capture Paris by September 1914 through a modified Schlieffen Plan where the right flank remained stronger than in OTL. France quickly sued for peace and left the war, humiliated by their quick defeat. Great Britain and Belgium later made a white peace with Germany in early October, giving Austria-Hungary and Germany time to fully focus on the Eastern and Balkan fronts. Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary annexed Serbia, and Russia, humiliated as France was, sued for peace by December 1914. The war truly was over by Christmas. This timeline explores this possiblity and what would have happened later.