As a (somewhat embarrassed) member of the "AltHistory.Forum" Website, I can say this particular scenario has been done COUNTLESS Times. The consensus from MANY threads usually boiled down to the following:
Without Hitler a series of events unfolds.
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Money: Without "Mein Kampf", a seizable amount of Revenue is denied to the fledgling Nazi Party.
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Policy "Mein Kampf" also became a policy bible to the Nazi party, again without it, the Party is denied a more populist message.
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Charisima Hitlers charismatic nature was also key in winning over many important part members. He knew how to manipulate the media and radio. Without him many key figures would not have joined.
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Accession to Chancellorship When the time came, could you imagine anyone else other then Hitler convincing Heidenberg to turn over the keys over power so fully?
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The Krupp intervention Even with the money form Nein Kampf, in the Original Time Line the Nazi party nearly went Bankrupt in the mid 20's. It survived only though an eleventh hour salvation from money from the Krupp Company due in large part to the companies son, Alfred Krupp. Joining the party early on. It is recorded that what entranced Alfred about the Nazis was in large part, the charisma of Aldof Hitler.
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Conclusion There ends up never being a Nazi party in Germany. While the German Economy remains a shithole, and while the path for a "Strong Man" to rise to power remains, the possibility of that leading to a similar WWII - Nazi Holocust _Axis Powers alliance War is slim.
Basically to boil it down, the chances of a timeline WITHOUT Hitler and the Nazi party someone being "Worse" than what we actually got is
virtually nonexistent.
Germany will most likely remain a stagnant backwater for a decade or so. If a dictator DOES manage to over throw the Chancellorship, there may be skirmishes with Poland and some of the other weaker boarder states around Germany. But without the central overpowering Nazi government, there would not be a way to maintain the same alliances that led to all out war.
As for the Ramifications of this?
The Bad
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Computer Science is stunted by a decade or more:
Virtually EVERY Scientist who did work with Electronic computers was spurred into action via WWII.
Konrad Zuse 22 June 1910 – 18 December 1995) was a German inventor and computer pioneer. His greatest achievement was the world's first programmable computer; the functional program-controlled Turing-complete Z3 became operational in May 1941. Thanks to this machine and its predecessors, Zuse has often been regarded as the inventor of the modern computer.
Zuse was also noted for the S2 computing machine, considered the first process-controlled computer. He founded one of the earliest computer businesses in 1941, producing the Z4, which became the world's first commercial computer. From 1943 to 1945 he designed the first high-level programming language, Plankalkül. In 1969, Zuse suggested the concept of a computation-based universe in his book Rechnender Raum (Calculating Space).
Also the brain trust formed to crack the Enigma codes in WW2 would never have been planted.
It is agreed that once the ball DOES get rolling on computers, things may still advance as rapid ally as in our Time, the point at which "The Ball gets Rolling" may be many many years delayed.
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Atomic Power/Bombs delayed
No World War II probably equals no A-bombs until the 1950s. Who gets them first? The US would have the industrial capacity but little incentive in the absence of war. The Germans and Brits would have the scientists, but neither would have a lot of spare money. France? A contender, but probably not the first. The Soviets? A wild card. If Stalin got interested and stayed interested and didn't purge key people, the Soviets could potentially be first with an A-bomb, simply because they put massive resources into it and others stayed at research levels. Equally possible: a covert A-bomb race where several countries got A-bombs, but decided to keep them secret weapons in an effort to keep hostile countries from gaining the key knowledge that they were possible.
In either case, the NEED for atomic weapons research is simply not there. The most referenced conclusion is that Atomic POWER is researched before atomic WEPONS as countries seek a better fuel source in the mid 1950's.
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Stronger but Happier Soviet Union? This is somewhat debatable, but...
Without WWII, the Soviet Union doesn't have a large amount of its industry destroyed, less of its population killed, and less property destroyed. Overall, its richer, therefore more politically stable, since the population will have a higher-than-before standard of living. Also, before German re-militarisation, the original plan for the third five-year plan was for consumer goods. So the Soviet people are going to be happier, the regime will be more popular, and will liberalise more than original time line after the death of Stalin.
There may however be new wars popping up. Soviet intervention in China is likely if there is no WWII and Japan is not Defeated or stopped as it was before.
. Japan has committed such atrocities they are unlikely to be supported by any allies and the nationalists remain unpopular with the people - a perfect place for Soviet expansion. If Molotov succeeds Stalin as Premier then you have a conservative figure who will do all he can to keep the Sino-Soviet Pact alive. The west will eventually gravitate towards some kind of agreement where Germany comes to terms with climbing out of it's economic troubles and formally joins the western community. While Italy will lead the third way fascist movement until sometime in the 1960s when fascism collapses.
Countries like Japan, Indonesia and Iran will not be formally fascist, but find they have a lot in common with the third way politics.
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The US will not the power it is today.
Let us be honest... Once you factor out the loss of life from soldiers, WWII was the BEST THING that ever happened to the US since it's creation.
Aside from the huge industrial boom from full war mobilization, we pulled in countless Scientists and other educated people from those fleeing Europe. Our huge advancements in Atomic power, Rocket flight, Computers and Chemistry would have all been deeply blunted from the lack of brain power from Europe.
Also, while Europe hangs on to a generation of educated people, giving rise to advances we can only dream of. In America, every single scientist and politician who would have been born past the 1930's may now never exist. Every advancement predicated on those people in America is now called into question.
Next, the re-election of FDR as President is put severally in doubt. His third term was shaped by the Nazi's rise to Power in the 30's and 40's. While he had put the Economy back on course and was immensely popular, His third term election was based largely on his policy against the Nazis. IF he had been elected to a third term, the chances of him being elected to a FOURTH term are slim to none.
The Women's rights movement as well as Black Equality would have also been blunted.
Without thousands upon thousands of men going to war, the entire "Rosie the Riveter" movement never comes to be. Women across the country never get a taste of how empowering it is to work and have a job outside of 'Homemaking'.
For Blacks, WWII led eventually to integrating the armed forces, as well as empowering a generation of blacks to feel, like women, they were capable of accomplishing so much more.
No Baby Boomers. the "Baby Boom" of the late 1940's led to a massive population spike in America and a huge generation of young kids in the 1950's. This generation is the one responsible for the counter culture of the 60's and 70's. Wanting to move beyond the stuffy social polices of the previous generations. Rock Music, Jazz, poetry, the Beatniks, Hippies, even Gay Rights may all be blunted or may never have existed without those of the "Baby Boom" from after WWII.
Aside from the cultural aspect of the generation. The lack of "Baby boom" invalidates a second Economic Boom that kept American industry Roaring through the 1940's and 50's and into the 60's.
Now than...
The Good
Where to start?
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No Holocaust
The scourging of Poland and the systematic elimination of the Jews as a purely Nazi program that would have never existed otherwise. An Entire generation of Scientists, Artists, Businessmen, etc, will have gone on to lead their normal lives. There is in incalculable amount of science and production that was killed off in WWII that is now free to seek it's future. Further, Poland would have remained the center of the Jewish world, and we would have never had the creation of Israel. The modern mess in Palestine and the Holy Land, may not exist at all.
The lack of Holocaust in general is something that shall be far better for the "Soul" of humanity. There would be no lingering Neo Nazi movement. The vast amount of Anti-Jew, Anti-race, Anti-Gay "Science" of the Nazi never exists. A huge amount of Hate, Bigotry and Ignorance now never exists for it to slowly infect the world over the next 60 years or so.
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No destruction of Europe
WWII Led to VAST swaths of Europe being bombed into dust or burned to ashes. An incalculable amount of Art, books, historical documents, historical buildings, historical artifacts, music, etc was burned or destroyed in WWII. Thousands of years of history went up in smoke in places as schools and museums were either looted by Nazi's or bombed by the allies.
With Europe remaining largely intact, the industrial might of several countries is left to leap ahead. While some science and advancements stagnate or are delayed by no WWII, others will explode and flourish.
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No School of "Modern Architecture"
This is a personal a rather selfish one... But...
After WWII, because of the destruction of so many European Cities as well as the deaths of a whole generation of Architectural Professors, a whole new style of Architecture was born from the students who looked to the ashes of Europe and wanted to build something "New". This gave rise to the "Bauhaus" style of Architecture which led to a sweeping feeling of "Out with the old and in with the new!" Huge swathes of destroyed Europe were rebuilt in a brutal and clinical mold of start concrete monstrosities that many today look back on with a great deal of regret. When the style spread to the US, it led to the infamous "Urban Renewal" movement which saw countless Historical buildings destroyed in an attempt to "revitalize" many US cities who, like Europe, wanted to look more "Modern"
With no WWII, and thus no loss of European cities and buildings, the growth of the movement is student, and the schools for Traditional Architecture remain long into the next Decade, perhaps never spreading to the US at all.
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The USA will not be what it is today...
For everything BAD that results from no WWII for the US, there are a few things to look forward too...
No "Military Worship".
After WWII, the sense of superiority the US had regarding it's Military was second to none. WE were the big kids with the BIG guns and everyone else look out! The "Greatest Generation" of those that served in WWII led to an almost religious worship of the military as the fixer of any and all problems that shaped US foreign policies for the next 40 years. Our involvement in various political matters across the world were shaped by this Superiority of military power. It also helped the rise of the Conservatives in the US, especially with the election of Dwight Eisenhower and the whole "Military Industrial complex" the fueled American politics.
No Cold War?
With Germany a single country and not split in two, the direct confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union is severally reduced. As stated earlier, Without the ideological purges of Stalin due to WWII, as well as the immense nationalistic furor that was whipped up, the USSR may have actually been a more progressive nation than it was.
This, coupled with the lack of military leaders who came to control US politics following WWII, may mean that tensions between the two powers may have been far more warm than what we received. Also, factoring the delay in Atomic weaponry, the threat of Nuclear War, and the fear mongering that came with it, may have furthered the warming between the powers.
No Baby Boom.
For all the Bad that comes with no Baby Boom, there is some good. the huge population explosions is what spurred countless families to leave urban centers and move to the new created suburbs. indeed "Suburbia" itself may not have existed at all. the upshot of this is that there may be no "White Flight" with upper class white families fleeing city centers in search of a "better life" for their new kids. Population centers remain more integrated and center aspects of civil rights may actually be advanced. Also with the lack of people leaving city centers, the abandonment of the 'Downtown' in countless cities in the US that took place in the 50's may not happen at all. This may have long term implications on Politics as well, as it means that the rise of mostly white conservative suburbs does not take place.
SO!!! There you have it! A laundry list of "Good and Bad" ramifications of what happens with no WWII.
Hope everyone may find it useful!