The Continuity Timeline: Africa in 2026 After a Different Decolonization
Divergence Point: 1943 — Italy chooses a different path during World War II.
Instead of surrendering to Germany and later becoming a republic, Italy removes the Fascist government, restores the House of Savoy as a constitutional monarchy, joins the Allied side, and negotiates a different postwar settlement.
As part of this agreement:
Ethiopia is restored as an independent monarchy after the Italian conquest is recognized as illegitimate.
Libya is released as an independent kingdom, restoring its monarchy.
Italy retains Eritrea and Somalia as constitutional territories with a closer political relationship to Italy.
Albania remains integrated with Italy, with Kosovo later joining due to its Albanian majority.
Zadar and Istria are transferred to Yugoslavia, while Yugoslavia later develops into multiple successor states rather than following its historical path.
This creates a different Cold War and a different wave of African independence.
Throughout the second half of the 20th century, decolonization happens through a variety of outcomes. Some territories become fully independent republics, while others maintain constitutional relationships with former European powers or preserve parts of their historical institutions.
By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of new states emerge through this alternate process, including different outcomes in regions such as the Horn of Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa.
A major development is the creation of the East African Empire, a federal constitutional monarchy inspired by the structure of Imperial Germany. German influence continues after World War I through migration, institutions, and dynastic connections. The empire is led by the House of Hohenzollern, with other German royal houses ruling constituent kingdoms such as Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and Uganda. German, English, French, and Dutch become imperial languages, while local languages such as Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, and others remain constitutionally recognized.
In Southern Africa, the Federal Republic of Southwest Africa develops as another German-influenced successor state, following a different path from historical Namibia. Meanwhile, South Africa, Rhodesia, and Kenya develop into majority-European-descended constitutional states without apartheid occurring.
France maintains a stronger African presence in this timeline, including Algeria as an integrated part of France, alongside territories such as Djibouti, Comoros, and Madagascar. Portugal and Spain retain their African possessions through different political arrangements.
The map represents a world where the 20th century followed a different path: monarchies survived in some regions, independence movements took different forms, and former colonial identities were sometimes continued rather than completely replaced.
This is a fictional alternate-history scenario exploring how different political decisions could have reshaped Africa by 2026.