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Description
Now for something a bit more optimistic. Kinda.

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The Munich putsch was a failure for the NSDAP. Hitler had underestimated the loyalty of the Bavarian government and thought that, like Mussolini, he could start a long march to Berlin and take absolute power. It was not to be. While Ludendorff was acquitted by the court for his participation in the Putsch, Hitler would not be so lucky, and he was sentenced to death.

The Nazis were not the only parties to try to overthrow the "Weimar Republic." German communists organized a general strike in Berlin, which evolved into rioting throughout the country, in 1926. The communists failed, and afterwards the German communist party was banned, and ties between Moscow and Berlin severed.

In 1933, as the world suffered in the throes of the Great Depression, a wave of radical violence swept Germany. Organized by German communists operating abroad, this new wave of violence broke out into full warfare. Britain and France, fearing the collapse of a bulwark against communism, intervened on the part of the German government. Even Italy, Germany's rival for influence in Austria and the Western Allies' rivals in Spain, joined the fray against the communists. Soviet agents aided the communists, but Stalin knew his country was unprepared for war with the West, and held off on direct intervention. The Berlin government ultimately triumphed over the communists.

In the East, war raged between China and Japan. Japan's militarism isolated it from the West, but overt Soviet support for the Chinese government also made the West fear the creation of an eastern bloc. With the West weary of global war, narrowly averted in Germany, the Japanese and Chinese were left to their devices. The Japanese were eventually expelled from the continent, including Korea, as the Chinese gained more support from the Soviet Union. The Chinese Communist Party, which Stalin saw as a rival, was stamped out for good when its leaders were arrested by the NKVD during a meeting between "fraternal socialist allies." In the aftermath, Japan's militarist leaders were thrown out, as they had brought Japan's economy to ruins. The new Japanese leaders sought a renewed relationship with the West, which was welcomed, as fears of a Sino-Soviet bloc were coming to pass.

The 1940s and 1950s were a period of recovery, but also one of great instability. The development of the atomic bomb in Britain, and then the Soviet Union, in 1949 ensured that a second world war would truly be the war to end all wars. Instead, the conflict between the West and the East continued as it did - through proxy conflicts. Vietnamese nationalists, backed by Nanking, triumphed over the French in Indochina. North Africa and the Middle East were plunged into chaos by the Arab nationalist movement, with colonial powers and their monarchist allies unable to hold back the fray. These unsuccessful wars abroad proved extremely unpopular among the people back home, as they bankrupted countries as effectively as any global war. The peace movements of the late 1950s brought an end to European dominance over Africa, the Near East, and the Far East. India, which fell to the Indian communists, was a particularly devastating loss to the British. In response to economic woes, the French, British and Germans formed the European Community, a free trade zone which would eventually evolve into a military alliance and more.

In the meanwhile, the Soviet Union transformed itself from within. Seeking to hold onto its sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, the Soviets portrayed themselves not as revolutionaries, but as protectors of Eastern Europe. This message also placated the growing nationalist movements, which threatened to tear the Soviet Union apart. A "Soviet nationalism," relying heavily on Russian history and even the Orthodox Church, proved an effective tool alongside terror. When Stalin died in 1956, his successors continued this legacy, effectively transforming the Soviet Union into the new Russian Empire. Likewise, China looked to its ancient past to bind the country together, and the Nationalist Party began to live up to its name. Soviet-style reforms proved effective at industrializing the country, at a disastrous cost to the people.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, tensions between the East and West calmed. The United States, the eternally neutral superpower and the largest economy in the world, decided to intervene in the name of peace. The Americans hosted several negotiations between the West and the East on reducing arms, particularly nuclear weapons, and ending the ongoing wars in Africa. In exchange, the United States entered into greater trade agreements with the East, reinvigorating the economies of the Soviet Union and China. The East also adopted market reforms in addition to opening up their economies. The détente between the West and East was temporarily interrupted in the 1980s, as the European Community drew closer together and hardliners took control of the Soviet Union. However, tensions between the two blocs were ultimately smoothed out, and a more moderate government took control of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

While the "Sitting War" continues into the 21st century, fear of nuclear war has abated. The world is too interconnected; American fast food is sold in Peking and Leningrad, as it is in Berlin and Paris. Even a conventional war would grind the global economy to a halt, something the powerful in all countries do not want. The European Community is now a truly federalized entity, but its members do retain national parliaments which pass most laws. The Japanese Empire has long since abandoned militarism, and is even a major trade partner with China. The Soviet Union and China, while still autocratic one-party states, have toned down the oppression to placate Western businessmen, particularly Americans. The United States, still the premier economic power and considered a "third bloc" by itself, lords over the Americas, but is engaged in a war for influence with Brazil in South America. India, however, remains committed to the communist ideal. Believing the Soviets to be too soft on the West, the Indians have more or less left the Soviet bloc, and their once-vibrant relationship has become little more than a mutual defense pact against outsiders. Rising tensions between India and China may break the Eastern bloc apart, and turn India into a rogue element in the geopolitical game.

Description
Now for something a bit more optimistic. Kinda.

---

The Munich putsch was a failure for the NSDAP. Hitler had underestimated the loyalty of the Bavarian government and thought that, like Mussolini, he could start a long march to Berlin and take absolute power. It was not to be. While Ludendorff was acquitted by the court for his participation in the Putsch, Hitler would not be so lucky, and he was sentenced to death.

The Nazis were not the only parties to try to overthrow the "Weimar Republic." German communists organized a general strike in Berlin, which evolved into rioting throughout the country, in 1926. The communists failed, and afterwards the German communist party was banned, and ties between Moscow and Berlin severed.

In 1933, as the world suffered in the throes of the Great Depression, a wave of radical violence swept Germany. Organized by German communists operating abroad, this new wave of violence broke out into full warfare. Britain and France, fearing the collapse of a bulwark against communism, intervened on the part of the German government. Even Italy, Germany's rival for influence in Austria and the Western Allies' rivals in Spain, joined the fray against the communists. Soviet agents aided the communists, but Stalin knew his country was unprepared for war with the West, and held off on direct intervention. The Berlin government ultimately triumphed over the communists.

In the East, war raged between China and Japan. Japan's militarism isolated it from the West, but overt Soviet support for the Chinese government also made the West fear the creation of an eastern bloc. With the West weary of global war, narrowly averted in Germany, the Japanese and Chinese were left to their devices. The Japanese were eventually expelled from the continent, including Korea, as the Chinese gained more support from the Soviet Union. The Chinese Communist Party, which Stalin saw as a rival, was stamped out for good when its leaders were arrested by the NKVD during a meeting between "fraternal socialist allies." In the aftermath, Japan's militarist leaders were thrown out, as they had brought Japan's economy to ruins. The new Japanese leaders sought a renewed relationship with the West, which was welcomed, as fears of a Sino-Soviet bloc were coming to pass.

The 1940s and 1950s were a period of recovery, but also one of great instability. The development of the atomic bomb in Britain, and then the Soviet Union, in 1949 ensured that a second world war would truly be the war to end all wars. Instead, the conflict between the West and the East continued as it did - through proxy conflicts. Vietnamese nationalists, backed by Nanking, triumphed over the French in Indochina. North Africa and the Middle East were plunged into chaos by the Arab nationalist movement, with colonial powers and their monarchist allies unable to hold back the fray. These unsuccessful wars abroad proved extremely unpopular among the people back home, as they bankrupted countries as effectively as any global war. The peace movements of the late 1950s brought an end to European dominance over Africa, the Near East, and the Far East. India, which fell to the Indian communists, was a particularly devastating loss to the British. In response to economic woes, the French, British and Germans formed the European Community, a free trade zone which would eventually evolve into a military alliance and more.

In the meanwhile, the Soviet Union transformed itself from within. Seeking to hold onto its sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, the Soviets portrayed themselves not as revolutionaries, but as protectors of Eastern Europe. This message also placated the growing nationalist movements, which threatened to tear the Soviet Union apart. A "Soviet nationalism," relying heavily on Russian history and even the Orthodox Church, proved an effective tool alongside terror. When Stalin died in 1956, his successors continued this legacy, effectively transforming the Soviet Union into the new Russian Empire. Likewise, China looked to its ancient past to bind the country together, and the Nationalist Party began to live up to its name. Soviet-style reforms proved effective at industrializing the country, at a disastrous cost to the people.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, tensions between the East and West calmed. The United States, the eternally neutral superpower and the largest economy in the world, decided to intervene in the name of peace. The Americans hosted several negotiations between the West and the East on reducing arms, particularly nuclear weapons, and ending the ongoing wars in Africa. In exchange, the United States entered into greater trade agreements with the East, reinvigorating the economies of the Soviet Union and China. The East also adopted market reforms in addition to opening up their economies. The détente between the West and East was temporarily interrupted in the 1980s, as the European Community drew closer together and hardliners took control of the Soviet Union. However, tensions between the two blocs were ultimately smoothed out, and a more moderate government took control of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

While the "Sitting War" continues into the 21st century, fear of nuclear war has abated. The world is too interconnected; American fast food is sold in Peking and Leningrad, as it is in Berlin and Paris. Even a conventional war would grind the global economy to a halt, something the powerful in all countries do not want. The European Community is now a truly federalized entity, but its members do retain national parliaments which pass most laws. The Japanese Empire has long since abandoned militarism, and is even a major trade partner with China. The Soviet Union and China, while still autocratic one-party states, have toned down the oppression to placate Western businessmen, particularly Americans. The United States, still the premier economic power and considered a "third bloc" by itself, lords over the Americas, but is engaged in a war for influence with Brazil in South America. India, however, remains committed to the communist ideal. Believing the Soviets to be too soft on the West, the Indians have more or less left the Soviet bloc, and their once-vibrant relationship has become little more than a mutual defense pact against outsiders. Rising tensions between India and China may break the Eastern bloc apart, and turn India into a rogue element in the geopolitical game.