Favourite Turning Point in History

[slip79]

How about Constantine's council of Nicea?
One of my fav's as it was a definite turning point within the christian church as it was at the time and therefore affected how "christianity" dealt with "heretics", within itself and externally. And unfortunately how things are, sometimes, still being dealt with by church leaders today.

 

[Icmancin]

Stalingrad was no turning point in the war only in morale. Kursk nevertheless was.

Adler

I'm inclined to disagree. It's highly argueable that Stalingrad was the turning point of the land war. Kursk could not be because it happened because the Russians won Stalingrad. Kursk was a battle to break a Russian advance (and to test out the Tiger II (I think) the Elephant and Panther tanks in battle). Kursk was Hitlers attempt at stopping an advance that could have been stopped at Stalingrad IF he had stuck with his original plan.

 

[garfio55]

The Discovery of America allowed the development of capitalism and started a parasitic relation that lasts until the present. MAJOR turning point!

 

[Adler17]

Kursk was a year too early. Everyone warned Hitler, but he didn´t hear. After that Germany was never able to get the initiative at the Eastern front back. So yes Kursk was decisive, not Stalingrad. 4 Soviet armies were destroyed in the month after Stalingrad. The German army still had the initiative. They lost it at Kursk. A year later with a full complement of tested Panther and Tiger tanks things would have run very different...

Adler

 

[Pyrite]

Martin Luther's stamping of his demands on the door.

No, I'm not protestant, but, definitly a huge turning point.

 

[Icmancin]

They wouldn't have a year. The Soviets began their counter-attack during and after Stalingrad. They drove them out of the Caucasus and the Germans wavered. if they had waited they would have waited to long. Stalingrad was a prelude to the end. It may have not been certain but now with an ally on it's feet, it pulled alot of pressure off the West.
And Hitler loses North Africa in 3 months after Stalingrad. Two months later the Allies invade Sicily and Italy surrenders. If Hitler had waited he would still have to deal with the Italian front where there wasn't that many soldiers and the Russians which were now in a better position to launch an offensive. Ethier way it was over.
If he waited a year it wouldn't be Kursk, it would be Lvov or Minsk or something like that. At that time, even it was successful, he couldn't win with D-Day just around the corner.

Ic

 

[YNCS]

The Sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the Fourth Crusade.

 

[chancellor_dan]

Stalingrad was no turning point in the war only in morale. Kursk nevertheless was.

Adler

Beat me to it. Kursk was the battle that put the Germans on the defensive in the east for the rest of the war.

 

[Endim_Analys]

The death of Djenghis Khan. If he had stayed alive for only a few more years the mongol horde would have swept through Europe as well as the rest of Asia (except India and Siam?) killing millons and crushing any chanse of a future europen world domination.

 

[Bugfatty300]

The American Civil War and the begining of age of exploration.

 

[DBear]

The Battle of Tours, stopping Muslim expansion into Europe.

 

[Harbringer]

The Battle of Canni and the 1968 "waterdrops"(very important A-bomb drop).

 

[Rik Meleet]

How about Constantine's council of Nicea?
One of my fav's as it was a definite turning point within the christian church as it was at the time and therefore affected how "christianity" dealt with "heretics", within itself and externally. And unfortunately how things are, sometimes, still being dealt with by church leaders today.

Completely agree. It changed the balance of power since into a shape that most of modern humans can't even imagine it ever have been alternatively. Suppression of women, abolishment of sex-enjoyment, state-induced religions, etc.

Far older and to me the turning point in history was the step from hunting/gathering to agriculture. What a mistake that turned out to be ...

 

[MattII]

Spanish Armarda
El Alamein
Midway

 

[DAv2003]

The day England was formed baby.

 

[classical_hero]

I would say the formation of Israel. No nation in the world has affected world history like this nation.

 

[Dark Khan]

Battle of ayn calut
Battle of tours
Stalingrad

 

[josephstalin]

In Russia Stalingrad is 2nd turning point after Battle of Moscow. Stalingrad asures a final stop of Hitler offence, but Moscow could be won by Hitler - but it is first blow of Hitler in Russia, if not in whole war. Hitler saw Kremlin in binocle, but never could get there - 1st European mainland capital he did not get. I agree that D-day is just 2nd front, nothing close to Moscow/Stalingrad.

 

[Reno]

In Russia Stalingrad is 2nd turning point after Battle of Moscow.

Albeit not that decisive, the battle of Kursk is. Stalingrad caused massive losses on the German, Hungarian and Romainian forces but they still had a chance at Kursk. And the Battle of Stalingrad cost the Red Army more troop lives then to the Axis. (1 Million soviet soldiers to a quater million Axis troopers)

Stalingrad asures a final stop of Hitler offence,

See my comment above.

 

[blindside]

Soviet casualties(killed, wounded, missing) at Stalingrad were 1 to 1.5 million. Axis casualties, thats including Germany, Italy, Romania, Hungary and Russian hiwis was about 900,000. Perhaps more because I'm not sure if all these groups, especially hiwis, are counted together when trying to figure out Axis totals. Soldiers killed is obviously less. I believe about 140-200,000 Germans were killed in the pocket and 90,000 were taken prisoner of which 6000 returned to Germany at the end of the war. The Germans originally started off with about 300,000 men. The Romanian and Italian armies were virtually wiped out and all the Russian hiwis were killed in battle or executed when caught.