1895-1931 (The Right Blunder)

was shorter, earlier, and much less devastating than in OTL. The old system which held sway over Eastern Europe since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, shored up by the power of Austria and Russia, came to an end. The succeeding years saw both chaos and consolidation, as revolution swept the Balkans and Russia and as Germany became a great power.

World War One
For more details, see the main article about this subject. Most pre-war observers considered a Austro-Russian victory likely. To their surprise, Austria collapsed quickly and though Russia proved harder to subdue, the Allies won a (relatively) quick and easy victory, and thus did not harshly punish the losers.

The Post-War Order
Unrest forced both Austria and Russia to reform: the old, under threat of revolution, morphed into , and eventually the. With the last change, the long-reigning abdicated in favor of. The new emperor reminded many of the old councilor Bach: liberal towards the ethnic minorities but a staunch Catholic, fearful of war with the great powers but in favor of expansion overseas.

In Russia, the war's loss led to the abdication of Tsar and the ascension of his brother,. Nonetheless, the new administration proved no less oppressive than the last.

The Balkans found themselves divided again between Britain and France, along the same line as Austria and Russia did. The Balkans states furious at their 'betrayal' by Russia during the war, assembled armies in secret, to fight for complete and total independence.