| abstract
| - Russia, 1917. Europe has been at war for years. The stalemate between the Triple Entente and the Central Powers has continued for years, grinding a bloody chunk out of Europe's population. In the Russian Empire, the people can't stand it any more. Tsar Nicholas II is overthrown and forced to abdicate, in what would be known as the Russian Revolution. After this, Alexander Kerensky sets up a Provincial Government in Petrograd. This government is eternally unsure of itself, at war with the Central Powers and faced with near insurmountable task of keeping Russia united. As the many divisions in Russia, between the rich and poor, between the different ethnic groups, between the Communists and the government, show themselves, it becomes obvious to the only two factions which can hope to save Russia: The Petrograd Soviets, and a part of the army led by General and Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, Lavr Kornilov. After German spies help bring the exiled Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin back into the country, Kerensky decides to act. He gives Kornilov three options:
* Form an authoritarian government, in which Kornilov would play a prominent role.
* Support Kerensky in becoming dictator of Russia.
* Assume dictatorship himself. Kornilov chose the third. Too late, Kerensky tried to back out. In response, Kornilov marched on Petrograd. Desperately, the Provincial Government begged the Petrograd Soviet for help, agreeing to rearm them in exchange for their aid defeating Kornilov. The Bolsheviks agree. Within days, Kornilov's army is defeated, through an uncharacteristic breakdown of the chain of command. This is a truly Pyrrhic victory for Russia, as the Bolsheviks will later launch an uprising of their own, creating the world's first communist nation, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. But what if Kornilov, an experienced and brilliant leader who later fought on the Provincials side in the Russian Civil War, had managed to keep his army in check? It would be daunting. The man would be forced to declare total war on his people. But the world would be different. World War I would have had no American intervention. The Kaiser would be forced to fight on two fronts. And Russia would have showed no mercy. With their devastating tactics, Adolf Hitler would have no Germany to cause his war. Japan would have continued its expansion in the Pacific unchecked. America would have relapsed into isolationism, while simultaneously following the Monroe doctrine with a passion in South America. The Imperialists of Europe, in retreat from Asia and South America, turn to Africa, the last of the truly contestable areas on the planet. And Communism would still be just a theory today.
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