WW I German Victory?

Question

Given the immense cost of the war in human life, and the further negative impact of the war on the rest of the 20th century, particularly the Russian Revolution and the rise of Hitler, wouldn't everyone, even the French, have been better off if the Schlieffen plan had succeeded and the war had ended in 1914 with a German victory?

Answer 1

There's a revisionist point-of-view that a German victory in WW I could have led to a European-Union like federation with Germany as merely the strongest partner. Alternatively, a victorious German Empire modeled on the Ottoman Empire and the Czarist Empire (assuming both the Turks and the Russians retained their empires along with the hypothetical German victory) could have been a very nasty place -- especially if that whole system began to fall apart after about 100 years (i.e., around now).

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Answer 2

An interesting point, albeit a difficult one to get an accurate opinion from.

I think it would largely depend on who you asked the question too. For example I'm pretty sure the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, not to mention the estimated 50+ million people that were killed in WWII, would rather have had a German victory in 1918.

There are some that have suggested that an allied victory in WW1 led to the collapse of the European Empires. I disagree. Take the British Empire for example. On the back of defeating the Ottoman Empire, the British (and French) took control of territories, such as Palestine, which put a a huge finacial strain on the nations economy. This financial strain became to much for the British on the outbreak of WWII, and resulted in them mortgaging their Empire to the Americans, in exchange for military aid.

However whether the Germans, Austro/Hungarian & Ottaman Empires would have allowed Britain & France to keep their Empires has to be left to peoples opinions, but as British interests have always lay outside of Europe then this may have been possible.

Answer 3

Short answer - NO.

The war was horrendously costly in terms of human lives.

But, it did lead to the workers, farmers and soldiers of Russia overthrowing the Czar, and establishing the first workers state in world history.

It also led to the workers and soldiers of Germany overthrowing their kaiser and establishing a republic (you can thank them for ending the war too - in particular the sailors of the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet - their mutiny of October 1918 triggered the German revolution that overthrew Kaiser Wilhelm and established a German republic)

Also World War I brought independence to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and the reunification of Romania and Yugoslavia.

World War I also triggered the independence movements in Africa and Asia, which later led to the collapse of the European colonial empires.

So, no, we would NOT have been better off if Kaiser Wilhelm won!!!

Answer 4

Interesting theory, but who knows? I mean would the world really have been that much better with an absolute monarch, like the czar instead of communists? certainly not for the Russian people at that time.

Answer 5

No the world would have been better off with no war.

Answer 6

Most likely.