A 1910 fusion and beam-weapon arms race — Bruships 183: Science Fiction/Naval History Questions… at 2:17:53

A 1910 fusion and beam-weapon arms race

A Swiss discovery of practical fusion and beam weapons would trigger an enormous European arms race while encouraging Switzerland to distribute the technology widely enough to preserve its neutrality.

Question

What if Swiss scientists discovered practical nuclear fusion and beam weapons in 1910?

Short answer

Europe would enter a massive arms race, and Switzerland would probably preserve its independence by ensuring that rival great powers all had reasons to prevent any one of them from seizing the technology.

Notes

If practical fusion power and beam weapons could be manufactured in 1910, Britain and Germany would compete to spend heavily on them. Switzerland would have a reason to supply both rivals: each would then have an interest in preventing the other from seizing the source of the technology. Supplying France and Italy could serve the same purpose by keeping their attention on each other. Swiss neutrality would become heavily armed while access to the weapons gave competing powers reasons to preserve Swiss independence.