Europe, at the very start of Season 1
Alternate History of Europe (AHoE) by YouTuber The Alternate Zeitgeist (formerly Imperial Mapper) is an Alternate History Web Animation about the aftermath of a German victory in World War I. It does so in the form of a mapping video, in which countries talk to each other as people in a text format somewhat like a chat room. The series playlist can be found HERE
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Season 1 chronicles the end of World War I and the German hegemony over Europe, with the political disputes that follow leading up to the season’s end in an alternate World War II. Season 2 begins in the aftermath of World War II – it didn’t go well for the Germans, and now the world is in a cold war between Russia-Slavia and fascist France – and ends with World War III. Season 3 is actually a quasi-Double-Blind What-If, in which Germany was able to come out on top of World War II.
This series contains examples of:
- A God Am I: During World War II, a mad German military dictatorship declares himself "The God of Death, War, Destruction and Blood" ..
- A God I Am Not: As the war starts to go even more downhill for the German military dictatorship, he renounces his claims of godhood.
- Allohistorical Allusion:
- Italy switching sides in World War II - only this time, against their will, as France betrayed them.
- A Fictional Cold War, with the roles switched around with a totalitarian West and a (relatively) democratic East.
- Alternate History: The story is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. It’s a scenario where Germany was able to win World War I (with Italy on Germany’s side). Drama ensues.
- Arachnid Appearance and Attire: Downplayed due to the nature of the series, but Fascist France is frequently described by both others and himself as a spider catching nations in his web.
- Big Bad: The Fascist Empire of France and it's emperor. It was they who set up the road to WWII in the first season, and who prepared to go one step beyond in the second season. The more it goes on, the more people realize who
- Black-and-Grey Morality:
- Season 1 - The revanchist fascists are most certainly the baddies, but the Imperial German order they seek to overthrow is innefective and the Germans heading it are turning mad.
- Season 2 - Again, fascist France is Obviously Evil, but Slavia is no saintly nation either. They're obsessed with creating a pan-Slavic state even at the cost of Slavic countries themselves. But, no matter how bad British Empire-style careless border-drawing can be, worldwide genocide with bioweapons is surely far worse.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Fascist France, to the end, is probably your least trustworthy ally to pick. Lampshaded early on in season 2.
- Chummy Commies: The USBR (Union of British Socialist Republics). They are the ones who wake up Slavia to the fact that France was using him, and who sponsor the communist underground against fascist France.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Zig-zagged with the Lion. He definitely loves his mother, having guarded her until her death and feeling regret for being unable to tell her of his brothers' fates. In addition, he states he felt pain at killing his brothers and claims the Americans would never understand. His children, however...
- Evil Feels Good: When France first turns to fascism, they begin to visibly feel Power High.
French Republic (upon electing fascists): "OH THIS POWER! IT STREAMS THROUGH MY VEINS! I FEEL THAT I COULD MOVE MOUNTAINS"
- Evil Overlord: The Emperor of Fascist France is a despotic overlord over the whole country, plotting world domination and a eugenicist "cleansing" of humanity. For most of the series the Emperor is a person only identified as "The Lion" (although in season 2 episode 9 he dies and is succeeded by his son Theodore).
- For Your Own Good: Austria tells Hungary that they are letting Croatia break free to stop the union (including Hungary) from collapsing. Hungary doesn’t believe it and doesn’t forgive Austria, declaring war.
- Fictional Cold War: Season 2 is dominated by a cold war between Slavia and fascist France.
- Gone Horribly Right: Bulgaria militarily supports fascists in Greece to make it harder for the government. The fascists take over Greece, win several wars against Bulgaria, take land, and commit genocide against Bulgarians in their borders.
- Government in Exile: After trouble arises in Britain, Canada serves as this for the British royal family and parliament.
- Great Offscreen War: Due to the focus on Europe, the viewers don’t see the East Asian war of season 2. But based on the descriptions given it was a pretty intense battle with two superpowers trying to overcome a powerful Japan.
- Inspirational Martyr: A villainous example. Greece kills the leader of their fascist movement in the hopes of stopping it. All this does is make the fascists angrier and eventually overthrow the government.
- Kaiserreich: Unsurprisingly, a series about if Imperial Germany won World War I features Imperial Germany.
- Manipulative Bastard: Fascist France, who manipulates events up till World War II and beyond - causing World War II was just the beginning. Their deceiving of other countries to meet their ends knows no bounds.
- A Nazi by Any Other Name: Fascist France is a totalitarian regime that conquers much of Europe in this timeline's equivalent of World War II - except they win. It's eventually revealed that they engage in eugenics and have a plan to purge humanity of everyone who doesn't fit their standards of genetic purity.
- Nuke 'em:
- France nuking Italy. Twice, in fact - first Naples, then Rome. And this is after already betraying Italy.
- The USA nuking Japan, oddly enough.
- Offing the Offspring: Happens big time with The Lion, who reveals to America he has sent the multitudes of children that he fathered to the countryside, where they go through rigorous training and tests to prepare to rule, with the ones who fail killed. It's implied he's done this to dozens of children, having sired so many he lost count.
- Religion of Evil: Imperial Japan is an Ax-Crazy Blood Knight worshiper of a "Blood-Sun", who wages genocidal war as Human Sacrifice. Naturally, it causes an Enemy Mine that leads to the "Blood-Sun" coming to Japan in the form of a nuke.
- Sanity Slippage: It all happens at once with Austria, who winds up mad after losing their war with Hungary and then Germany.
- Saying Too Much: Germany, in a fit of anger at Ukraine’s expansionism, ends up saying that they only wanted to use Ukraine as a pawn.
Germany: "YOUR ONLY PURPOSE OF YOU WAS TO SERVE ME AND OBEY MY ORDERS! YOU WERE MEANT TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN A PUPPET … Oh...''"
Netherlands: "You shouldn’t have said that Germany..."
Netherlands: "You shouldn’t have said that Germany..."
- The Social Darwinist: In season 2 episode 8 we learn that the Emperor of France (known only as "The Lion") is a Social Darwinist of the Evilutionary Biologist type. He killed his brothers for being genetically "imperfect". Then he killed those among his own children that he deemed "imperfect".
- Übermensch: The military regime of Greater Germany considers himself to be above ethics.
Greater Germany: "Feelings, ethic, international code, all boundries which limit the potential of an individual – or a whole nation … I am not a monster, I am just destroying all the worlds has set upon us to prevent that someone is becoming to strong… I am as much human as you are, but our big difference is that I don’t accept the boundaries the world and society has set upon us…''"
- World War III: How season 2 comes crashing down, as France and Slavia go to direct war.
