When writing alt history, I like playing with the wank/screw dichotomy in the genre (wank = country or faction gets stronger/richer/portrayed more positively; screw = the opposite). For example, let's say Germany unifies under a Großdeutsche Lösung, is forced to democratize in 1885, avoids starting two world wars and the Holocaust... but it's so economically dominated by Junkers that it ends up a lot like real-life Italy, with a huge low-productivity traditional sector.
