As chaotic and bloody a time they're living in, how would Napoleonic Europe react to the even greater, two-part firestorm to come a century later?
Napoleonic Europe Reacts To The World Wars
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Despite his march across the continent ultimately ending in defeat, Napoleon Bonaparte left behind a legacy as one of Modernity's great conquerors and statesmen, with the wars that became his namesake having profound consequences of their own. Increasingly centralized states and the spirit of unity they engendered fueled the rise of modern nationalism, which even today, remains a source of constant back-and-forth. Small armies became monstrous militaries that demanded universal dedication on the part of the citizenry to all-encompassing war efforts against not just rival monarchs, but rival peoples, as well. With the defeat of France and decline of its Spanish and Portuguese competitors, the British Empire became global hegemon and enforced a century-long period of Pax Britannica. Little did people know, however, that—as momentous as all the events and trends taking shape around them were—they were only living through the prelude to an even greater orgy of bloodshed and extremism to come in the following century.
Skippy, intrigued by the cross-century trends he sees and curious as to what they'd say if they did know what was to come, has other plans. Hand-waving the importance of choosing an exact date—just to see what people at various points throughout the Napoleonic Wars think and creating as many parallel timelines as are needed for that—Skippy sends a hodgepodge of uptimer documents, recordings, and the miniaturized infrastructure needed to power them (i.e. hand-cranked chargers for portable TV sets) that tells the people of Europe all they need to know about the World Wars. Moreover, since it's also helpful to learn what built up to them in the hundred years between the Congress of Vienna and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Skippy will also send back material that addresses these issues and the developments that preceded and/or underpinned them (the Second Industrial Revolution and unification of Germany, for example).
Ignoring how the technology itself would leave a lasting impression of its own, how would Napoleonic Europe react to the World Wars that'd have followed, long after the current generation has died out and a new one has taken the reins? Personally, I suppose that—in addition to their unprecedented scale—they wouldn't take kindly to how they precipitated the decline and fall of the European empires. Nor how Germany, Japan, and, to an extent, Stalinist Russia were all more menacing than Napoleon ever was. Whereas they might see Soviet communism as a nasty parallel to Revolutionary France (with Joe Stalin himself staring as Robespierre Reincarnated!), I doubt they'd have a real point of comparison with Nazi Germany, with Hitler's Final Solution requiring prejudice and mass-slaughter on a scale never planned or so meticulously premeditated before—a scale that, if ever truly realized, would prove the Third Reich far worse than even the most blood-soaked leftist agitators ever were. Not to mention how some recently independent New England colonies across the Atlantic needed only a century and a half to become a global superpower, helping turn the tide of World War Two through sheer industrial might before rebuilding the post-war world in its own image. Ditto with the Manhattan Project and atomic bombings ushering in the Nuclear Age and helping lay the groundwork for the Cold War to follow.
Those are my own thoughts on the scenario, anyway. There will certainly be those with little interest in anything but the big picture and blatantly obvious, "shock and awe" aspects of two truly global conflicts and all the destruction they unleashed, but for the curious and historically inclined who'd dig much deeper, there's much more to discuss. It'd undoubtedly inform post-war political decisions and subsequent approaches to warfare, since leaders of all stripes would want to avert the violent excesses of the twentieth century and jockey for every possible edge over potential competitors. Especially those "damnable Yankees" across the Atlantic, suborning Europe to their whims and commanding wealth and power the British Empire could only dream of, if left unchecked.
Thank you in advance,
Zyobot
Skippy, intrigued by the cross-century trends he sees and curious as to what they'd say if they did know what was to come, has other plans. Hand-waving the importance of choosing an exact date—just to see what people at various points throughout the Napoleonic Wars think and creating as many parallel timelines as are needed for that—Skippy sends a hodgepodge of uptimer documents, recordings, and the miniaturized infrastructure needed to power them (i.e. hand-cranked chargers for portable TV sets) that tells the people of Europe all they need to know about the World Wars. Moreover, since it's also helpful to learn what built up to them in the hundred years between the Congress of Vienna and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Skippy will also send back material that addresses these issues and the developments that preceded and/or underpinned them (the Second Industrial Revolution and unification of Germany, for example).
Ignoring how the technology itself would leave a lasting impression of its own, how would Napoleonic Europe react to the World Wars that'd have followed, long after the current generation has died out and a new one has taken the reins? Personally, I suppose that—in addition to their unprecedented scale—they wouldn't take kindly to how they precipitated the decline and fall of the European empires. Nor how Germany, Japan, and, to an extent, Stalinist Russia were all more menacing than Napoleon ever was. Whereas they might see Soviet communism as a nasty parallel to Revolutionary France (with Joe Stalin himself staring as Robespierre Reincarnated!), I doubt they'd have a real point of comparison with Nazi Germany, with Hitler's Final Solution requiring prejudice and mass-slaughter on a scale never planned or so meticulously premeditated before—a scale that, if ever truly realized, would prove the Third Reich far worse than even the most blood-soaked leftist agitators ever were. Not to mention how some recently independent New England colonies across the Atlantic needed only a century and a half to become a global superpower, helping turn the tide of World War Two through sheer industrial might before rebuilding the post-war world in its own image. Ditto with the Manhattan Project and atomic bombings ushering in the Nuclear Age and helping lay the groundwork for the Cold War to follow.
Those are my own thoughts on the scenario, anyway. There will certainly be those with little interest in anything but the big picture and blatantly obvious, "shock and awe" aspects of two truly global conflicts and all the destruction they unleashed, but for the curious and historically inclined who'd dig much deeper, there's much more to discuss. It'd undoubtedly inform post-war political decisions and subsequent approaches to warfare, since leaders of all stripes would want to avert the violent excesses of the twentieth century and jockey for every possible edge over potential competitors. Especially those "damnable Yankees" across the Atlantic, suborning Europe to their whims and commanding wealth and power the British Empire could only dream of, if left unchecked.
Thank you in advance,
Zyobot
I think keeping Germany divided will be a major policy objective for a lot of countries and as for the US I think the Brits and others would engineer a North South split to weaken the US long term. The Spanish will really freak out knowing they lose all their colonies.
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Yeah, that's more or less what I've been thinking.
Not only was Hitler's agenda more monstrous than Napoleon's ever was, but from a geostrategic standpoint, a united Germany provided serious competition to everyone else at the start of the twentieth century. Moreover, even after two World Wars and its empire falling apart, Germany has still bounced back as the continent's industrial powerhouse and lies at the center of EU politics (both figuratively and literally). While Napoleon had grandiose dreams of a united Europe, I doubt the EU was quite what he was envisioning.
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I could see this leading to a somewhat earlier, messier breakup if the Spanish decide to remedy the problem by launching a pre-emptive crackdown.
We would also see the Ottomans and Russians try and institute some gradual reforms over the next century to ensure that their descendants don't end up murdered in a basement. We could also see efforts to keep Italy divided.