In a Brave New World...

Here's a War of the Worlds AU that I whipped up while messing around on Wikipedia during a lunch break at school... Basically the Tripods land during the Battle of the Marne in 1914, drastically changing the course of WWI. The Allies and Central Powers unite against the Martians and lead a huge offensive against the aliens, eventually coming out on top with the usage of biological and chemical weapons. After the war, most of the world was plunged into chaos as the great colonial empires tried to stabilise themselves in the post-Martian War world. The German Empire splintered after many years of insurrections against the government, some of them using captured Martian tech. Heat Rays (actually a misnomer as they use Plasma, as opposed to fire), Aether power and other wonders have been used to stabilise the world, but at a cost of keeping the old alliances intact.

The Russian Empire withdrew into isolationism, being one of the most hardest hit during the war. They eventually reorganised into a theocracy, lead by the mysterious and enigmatic Rasputin, rumours circulate that he's still alive today, but nobody knows for sure. The United States remains isolationist, but is willing to defend itself as the rise of an Imperialist Brazil has changed things in the Americas... Only time will tell if the Americans decided to join the new Entente....