[DL] Europe and World War I in 1877 (was: Re: European Sourcebooks)

[James Knevitt <jknevitt@yahoo.com>]

--- Daniel Gwyn <dgwyn@colba.net> wrote:
> Hi,
>     A point I've been wondering about Europe is
> whether or not the French
> lost the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71?  The South
> o' the Border sourcebook
> suggests that Napoleon III is still in power in the
> Deadlands Universe
> (unlike the real world).  This in turn implies that
> the French at least
> managed to defend themselves against the Prussians
> (as Napoleon III lost
> power because he lost the war).  

This would seem to suggest that the French are a much
more powerful Imperial power in Deadlands. 


> This is also
> significant as the
> Franco-Prussian War was the last part of Bismarck's
> plan to unify Germany
> under the Prussian king.  If Prussians lost the war,
> is there a united
> Germany?

I've looked into this a fair bit and I'm amaed at how
balkanised the German region actually was. The number
of different types of nobility and the number of
different legitimate monarchs around was staggering. A
good collection of sites to look on this topic is at:

http://europeanhistory.about.com/cs/thesecondreich/index.htm

I found it purely by accident but I was suitably
impressed.

A good software package for this as well is the
pictorial timeline "Centennia". While it costs an arm
and a leg, the demo is available free on the internet
and shows the years 1796-1820. While not exactly the
right era, it is a good source of inspiration.

Back on topic, I'd imagine that Bismarck failed in
uniting Germany under one flag, and the French are
riding roughshod over the Rhineland. Can you imagine a
WWI feel in Europe in 1877, much like the trench
warfare we're seeing in the Eastern USA/CSA? You may
as well state that WWI has started, except in this
case the 'bad guys' are the French. I imagine
allegiances would be much like this:

French Alliance: France, England, possibly Spain
Central Powers: German Republics + Prussia,
Austria-Hungary
Neutral: Ottoman Empire, White Russia, Italy

If anyone could clarify this in accordance with real
world allegiances, let me know. :)

James

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