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Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Fall 1918

AS ARMISTICE NEAR, CENTRAL POWERS UNABLE TO CLOSE OUT RUSSIA AND FRANCE WHILE BRITAIN LIBERATES BELGIUM: As the Central Powers cruise to victory in the overall war, a number of questions remain to be answered:
RUSSIA: The Motherland has lost the war, but will the tsar manage to hold power over an increasingly discontent populace? Is there a revolution in the offing?
GERMANY: Will Germany be able to declare victory with the British on the continent having liberated Belgium--a German-controlled territory? Which is more important--removing the British from Belgium or knocking out the French? Can Germany do both?
FRANCE: Can France survive the war as Germany and Italy surround her? Will the president remain in charge after such a devastating loss, or will a revolution be too late?
BRITISH: After staying away from the battles in Europe, will Britain continue to prove in Fall 1918 that it should receive special treatment at the peace settlement because it still is a great power? Or will its liberation of Belgium be seen as just a "flash in the pan" and Britain unworthy of anything but a great punishment at Versailles?
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY: Does the emperor have anything to worry about from the Italians--such as an unredeemed irredenta?
ITALY & the OTTOMAN EMPIRE: Will these new and renewed empires take advantage of their plentiful forces to grab a few more territories--possibly at the expense of their allies?
The war may be decided, but the implications for the peace settlement (or in our case who gets the extra credit points) remain up in the air until the very last moment.
