World War I

[J. J.]

We should have entered the war on Germany's side

IIRC, all they wanted in a peace treaty was Alasce (sp?) & Lorraine, compared to the Allies' barbaric Treaty of Versailles (sp? darn French place names )

First, I'm going to point out that the bulk of Alsace-Lorraine had been annexed to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1.  While there were some (relatively minor) claims of French territory by Germany, there were not the subject of annexation.  Luxemburg and Belgium were however being considered for incorporation into the Second Reich.  This was the the sticking point for the British; centuries of strategy of the British were to Keep the low countries out of the hands of any great power.

One reason that the Germans wanted to annex what they did, and not all of France, was that Alsace-Lorraine was German speaking.

Second, Imperial Germany was not all that Imperialistic.  It entered the race for colonies late in the 19th Century.  Bismarck was actually opposed to colonialization and to a large navy to defend them.  What they had was exceptionally underpopulated and not profitable.  Most of Germany's colonies were overrun prior to the American entry.

Third, the Zimmerman note was basically a proposed alliance with Mexico that was predicated on the case of the US declaring war on Germany.  The reason Germany thought it was likely was that they were preparing to restart unrestricted submarine warfare.

The US wanted to be in a position where it send ships to the UK (and sell the cargos) and not enter a battle zone.  We balked at being shot at when we entered a war zone.

Yes, I would have opposed our entry into World War I, the Germans would have won and the Social Democrats (then including German Communists).  There numbers were growing and I would have expected a constitutional crisis in Germany after the war.

[J. J.]

Africa:
German Kamerun
German East Africa (now Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania)
German South-West Africa (now Namibia)
German Togoland

Asia and the Pacific:
German Samoa (assigned to New Zealand after war)
New Guinea and Nauru (assigned to Australia)
Various German islands in the Pacific north of the equator (which were assigned to Japan)
 --Mainly the modern countries of Palau, Micronesia, Marshall       
   Islands, and the Northern Marianas.

Most of these were very sparcely populated.  84% of the population of the Germany Empire lived in Germany proper; 84% of the landmass was in the colonies.  The Germans had to organize native Africans in East Africa to quell an Arab rebellion. 

It really wasn't much of an Empire.

[J. J.]

I only support British imperalism in Northern Ireland because they are protecting the Protestants there from the horribly authoritaraian and mysgonistic government on the rest of Ireland. Although it has been improving.

Yes, like the Protestants weren't put there by the British. They've been there all along..yeah, sure.

Actually, most are native.  They aren't even Church of England.

[J. J.]

Right thing.  With German soldiers redeploying from the eastern front, the allies would have lost.  A Central Powers victory could potentially have been disastrous from a historical standpoint, as the great European Democracies would probably become fascist states, like the Weimar Republic.

I seriously doubt it.  Germany was about 5 years away from a constitutional crisis.  The Socialist  were the largest party before the war, and growing.  Wilhelm II might have saddled with a Socialist PM after the war.