What if?

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meatcleaver -> What if? (8/13/2006 5:34:24 AM)
I listened to an interesting interview on BBC world service today with the historian Niall Ferguson who has some controversial theories about history. It prompted me into my own little game of what if and one he touched on. What if the British Empire had never happened? There would be no USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Israel and many other countries. Yes the physical land would be there, and would probably inhabited by many different peoples than it would be today. One can start this fantasy from any historical time or geographical point. Fascinating to muse upon. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/the_interview.shtml The interview is worth listening to but it would be interesting to hear other people's idea of 'what if?'

mnottertail -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 6:01:12 AM)
What if the trees moving made the wind blow? (From the 'Ransom of Red Chief') I like to consider these scenarios, time-to-tiome..... good ideas... Ron

LotusSong -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 8:20:53 AM)
Good thread :) What if nuclear power never was discovered? What if Hitler never was born?

CrappyDom -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 9:56:31 AM)
Considering that many historians now believe that the population of the Americas was greater than that of Europe and vastly more civilized, I think the world would be a very interesting place.

KenDckey -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 3:57:38 PM)
What if we were hatched from eggs, well educated, and aged backwards - Yeah I remember Mork from Ork.

popeye1250 -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 4:01:34 PM)
There'd be a U.S. if there was no British Empire. We'd simply be speaking Dutch instead of English.

Level -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 4:30:31 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LotusSong Good thread :) What if nuclear power never was discovered? What if Hitler never was born? emphasis added Then you'd have to find someone else to compare Bush to lol.

HarryVanWinkle -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 4:55:48 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: popeye1250 There'd be a U.S. if there was no British Empire. We'd simply be speaking Dutch instead of English. I think French, Spanish and Russian would be a lot more likely. No thanks. Sudent of history that I am, I like more subtle "what if's" myself. Like what if George III had been a little wiser man and Pitt the Elder had been a healthier one? The War of Independence might never have happened. Or, what if the liberal Kaiser Friedrich III had accepted the first diagnosis of his German doctor and had the cancer removed in time to save his life? He might have ruled for three decades, rather than three months and turned the German Empire into a Constitutional Monarchy, thus avoiding the absolutism favored by his son, Wilhelm II. In which case, in 1914 the German and British Empires may still have been on very friendly terms and the World Wars of the 20th Century may have never happened. Hitler would never have been more than a failed artist, Lenin would have died in exile and we would be living in a profoundly different world. All due to one decision made by one man.

HarryVanWinkle -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 5:02:27 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: CrappyDom Considering that many historians now believe that the population of the Americas was greater than that of Europe and vastly more civilized, I think the world would be a very interesting place. Would these "historians" happen to be from the Howard Zinn school of revisionist history? Vastly more civilized? Flower wars for the purpose of taking captives to be used for human sacrifice in cultures that never invented either the wheel or writing don't strike me as "vastly more civilized."

HarryVanWinkle -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 5:11:03 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LotusSong Good thread :) What if nuclear power never was discovered? Had nuclear power never been discovered, many of us might never had been born due to our fathers or grandfathers having been killed in the invasion of Japan, an invasion I'm not convinced would have succeeded. Also, had nuclear power not been discovered, the Cold War would have been a very, very Hot War, instead.

juliaoceania -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 5:21:27 PM)
Ever here of a show called Sliders? It was a science fiction tv show that focused on these questions by focusing on parallel universes. My son and I used to watch it all the time when he was small.

Level -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 5:40:23 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: HarryVanWinkle quote: ORIGINAL: CrappyDom Considering that many historians now believe that the population of the Americas was greater than that of Europe and vastly more civilized, I think the world would be a very interesting place. Would these "historians" happen to be from the Howard Zinn school of revisionist history? Vastly more civilized? Flower wars for the purpose of taking captives to be used for human sacrifice in cultures that never invented either the wheel or writing don't strike me as "vastly more civilized." LOL Harry. "Howard Zinn, he who never met a history book he wouldn't re-write" [:D] I enjoy the what ifs too (good idea, Meatcleaver). What if Hitler hadn't attacked the Soviets as soon as he did, and instead concentrated on Britain?

juliaoceania -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 5:59:21 PM)
What if one of the murder attempts on Hitler succeeded?

HarryVanWinkle -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 6:04:59 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Level LOL Harry. "Howard Zinn, he who never met a history book he wouldn't re-write" [:D] I enjoy the what ifs too (good idea, Meatcleaver). What if Hitler hadn't attacked the Soviets as soon as he did, and instead concentrated on Britain? Hmm, there's an interesting one. While it would only have taken a little more time and effort to knock the British out of the Mediterranean, which, according to Churchill (who may not ALWAYS have been right, but was NEVER wrong, at least according to his memiors) would have led to his being thrown out of office and Britain coming to terms, it would have delayed Operation Barbarossa until at least 1942. By June of 1941, the military purges were over and Stalin was rapidly rebuilding the Red Army. By the spring of '42 the Soviet resistance to the invasion would have been considerably tougher. How about if Mussolini hadn't invaded Greece and promptly gotten his butt kicked by the Brits there. This would have negated Hitler's perceived need to invade the Balkans to save him, allowing him to invade Russia nearly two months earlier than he did. The Red Army was even weaker and more demoralized by the purges. As it was, starting in late June, the Russians best fighter, General Winter, caught the Germans in the outskirts of Leningrad and Moscow.

Level -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 6:29:41 PM)
Good points, Harry. General Winter was indeed a badass [:)]. Imagine the frustration of the Germans as they push so close to Moscow, within sight of the city, and are stopped "cold" in their tracks by the fierce elements and the even fiercer Soviets. As for Mussolini and the Italians, well, they certainly had their way in Ethiopia [8\|].

LotusSong -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 6:49:08 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Level quote: ORIGINAL: LotusSong Good thread :) What if nuclear power never was discovered? What if Hitler never was born? emphasis added Then you'd have to find someone else to compare Bush to lol. evil laugh oh, there is always Cheney

HarryVanWinkle -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 6:52:00 PM)
There's another good one. What if Mussolini had never been born? As Hitler's ally, he was one of the best things that ever happened to his enemies.

thomas49 -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 7:39:24 PM)
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thomas49 -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 7:45:01 PM)
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Level -> RE: What if? (8/13/2006 7:45:47 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: thomas49 Have you talked about your feelings with someone else? It is often easier to deal with the real issues of the heart privately. However, this isn't always the best option. Talking about what's really going on in your mind and your heart gives you the opportunity to release any painful or negative emotions you didn't know you had bottled up. Trust me, there are almost always bottled up emotions you're unaware of. If you don't have anyone you feel you can trust to talk to, try talking to a group of people online. A great place to start [email protected] thomas, you sound like an advertisement.

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