Ten Little Hitlers

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

What if Germany wins the war in 1914: Hitler won’t have seen much action or had the chance to distinguish himself. In a world in which Germany won, a Austrian would have no place in the local German power structure, nor would there be a conviction that the war was badly handled to allow him to gain power. If the French seek revenge, Hitler may see action against them, or perhaps he’ll become a popular artist. Or perhaps dead in the gutter, abandoned by all.

What if Germany wins in 1918: The war’s cost Germany thousands, for what they don’t have the ability to use properly, and the development of dozens of new enernies. Hitler could still rise in this TL (he’d have earned his Iron Cross by then) and could show how little Germany had really achieved in the war. However, it is unlikely that the Jews would still be blamed for the disaster. Expect Hitler to be on the list of people to be purged when the commies take over, or perhaps a street thug fighting them.

What if Hitler died in the trenches: Without Hitler, the nazi party stays a small party, without any serious chance at power, while the communist party, with support from Moscow, could become a serious problem. Germany becomes a military dictator ship or a communist state.

What if Hitler became a communist: Its hard to see Hitler playing second fiddle to anyone, even Stalin, so I would expect him to be purged at some point. However, let’s say he puts the communists in power instead of the nazis, so that Germany becomes communist. Would he seek to expand the revolution to France and Italy, both of which have large communist parties? Or would he oppose his orders from Moscow and declare Germany an independent centre of communism. Imagine a world in which both Germany and the USSR sent supplies to the nationalists in Spain.

What if Hitler became a successful artist: Let’s say that Hitler develops his artistic skills to the point where he does become famous before the war breaks out. Richer than OTL (not difficult), he avoids military service entirely and stays a figure on the background of Europe. His paintings of the madness of the trenches fuel an anti-war movement in Europe, which convinces Europe to reduce weapon spending, and leads to a communist invasion from the USSR.

What if Hitler was a quartermaster instead of a private: It’s clear that Hitler, at least, had no idea of how the supply services worked or how important they were, while, until 1943, he did not have the sense to appoint someone (Speer) who did. What if his war service had been spent in the German supply services instead? Practical experience (and the contracts that gave him) would allow him to reshape the German economy properly without silly diversions and obsessions with numbers instead of supplies. This could make Germany a more dangerous foe in the long run; perhaps even give it a shot at competing with America.

What if Hitler used the Jews as slaves: Hitler and his cronies wanted to be rid of the Jews completely, so they shut them up in camps and gassed, starved or shot them. This might have achieved the objective, but it was a serious waste of resources. If Hitler had used them as slaves, he could have had a bigger industrial base and more supplies. Further, this would both give the Nazis better propaganda, and allow thousands of Jews to survive the war. What might happen if Israel got an influx of Jews with weapon making skills?

What if Hitler did not hate the Jews: Let’s say that Hitler finds another group to be nasty to instead, Blacks (unlikely, too few of them), communists, or French people. Meanwhile, we have the Jewish population working as individuals for the Third Reich, people like Einstein and other famous scientists. This would both hamper the American Nuclear Project and give a massive boost to the German project. Not to mention the saving of resources that would result – see above.

What if Hitler distrusted Mussolini: Hitler was the only nazi to consider Italy a serious ally. The rest considered it a burden. Two possibilities here; Hitler forces Mussolini to toe the German line in 1940, which means Germany runs North Africa from start to finish, therefore a German walkover. On the other hand, if Hitler made his attitude clear earlier, such as 1937, would Mussolini support the Czechs, with or without the Poles and the West. Such a war would not be a German walkover, but it would drain both powers for a long time. Or, if Mussolini was on the allied side in 1939, Hitler would have serious difficulties deciding where to go after Poland, while Mussolini would probably cause a panic by ordering an attack on Germany, like the one on Britain in 1940.

What if Hitler’s family had not changed their name: Hitler’s family was originally called Schicklgruber, and they changed their name in mysterious circumstances (see Kershaw, Hitler: Hubris, Ch. 1 for details and speculation). What if their name had remained Schicklgruber? In Britain, a boy with a name like that would almost certainly be bullied at school, what effects might that have had on Hitler’s psyche? However, assuming that there are no major changes until 1930, it is difficult to imagine millions of Germans raising their arms and chanted ‘Heil Schicklgruber’. Unlike the rythematic chanting of ‘Heil Hitler’, they would be saying something that could not, really, be said in all seriousness. Germans might stop taking Hitler seriously. This might stop him getting either supreme power or getting a big head when in power. I’m not sure if there are any major changes from this, but it remains an intriguing area of speculation. One final note: one possible reason for the name change is that Schicklgruber can be a Jewish name. How seriously is an attempt to exterminate the Jews going to be taken from someone who carries a Jewish name? (And if its not Jewish, you can bet that opponents of Hitler will make it out to be one.)