What if germany won world war 1?

A much better question than, what if Hitler had won WW2. Mainly because German victory in WW1 was actually a strong possibility.

It’s important to realize that Germany was never totally defeated in WW1. What happened was that British-led offensives in the summer of 1918 caused German leadership to panic and perceive defeat. Actually, the Germans had been able to halt and contain the Allies, but by then the door had been opened with the Allies for the negotiation of a cease-fire. Germany, tired from war, jumped at the chance, not realizing that the Allies had surrender and reparations in mind, rather than an armistice.

So, if this had never happened, and if you take into account that the British and French armies were also exhausted, strained, and at the breaking point, German victory is not far-fetched. In fact, Germany’s commander, Ludendorff, was planning on an autumn invasion, but by then the German Empire had come under serious internal pressure. Had that invasion gone through, it might have been the straw that broke either Britain or France’s back. The main arguement against this would be, well the US, in the war by then, was providing an enormous commitment of manpower and resources that Germany could not match. Partly true, but by then Russia was also out of the war, and Germany had not yet transferred all of its divisions from the Eastern Front to the West before the war ended. Had they done that, well, they might have had what they needed to at least break French or British fighting will, even with the Americans.

Now, if Germany had won, it’s hard to say what would have happened. Germany itself never knew for sure what it would demand if it won the war. It’s original goal had been to vault itself onto the world stage as a major power. Most likely, Germany would have wanted to increase colonial possessions in Africa and Asia. Germany might also have made the same demands on Britain that the British would make on Germany, that being unrestricted access to world waterways for their navy, maybe even trying to force the British to dismantle part of their fleet.

I think Germany’s allies Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire would still have fallen. The Turkish had already lost control of most of their former territories by 1918, and even most Turks wanted the Empire dead. Also, by 1918, many nations within Austria-Hungary had already declared their independence. Germany likely would have tried to ensure these governments remained friendly, part of a larger Central alliance.

That leaves us with another question. Would the Nazis have ever come to power if Germany had won WW1? Well, I do think it’s possible the Kaiser’s government would still have fallen. There were already many groups within the Empire pushing for revolt, and some provinces trying to break away. German victory might not have stopped this. Nor would it have stopped the severe economic depression that came in the next decades. The unhappiness that came across Germany in the 1920s also came across victorious Britain and France. And let’s not forget Italy, victorious in WW1, still saw the onset of Facism and Mussolini.

So the culture that existed in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s might still have existed even if Germany had won. And that means that something similar to the Nazi party could have eventually come to power, even if it wasn’t led by Adolf Hitler