Favourite Turning Point in History

[Sickman]

One of the main sins in historical study is whole this "turning point"-concept.

It's done mainly so the wide audience of average people can understand history. However we cannot simply hardly ever pinpoint the exact moment or event that shifted the balance from one end to an another. There are numerous "decisive moments" in example eastern front which changed/or could have changed the outcome into favor of another.

I think we should abolish whole thinking of "turning points" from historical studies. We might end up learning something about history as a true continuing process (both cyclical and linear) and not only as a timeline or as a scales swinging from one end to another showing the balance of power at certain timeperiod.

Numerous events affect the outcome and each of those events is a dot and by connecting them we might see the conclusion or then again not.

This doesn't of course mean everybody cannot have their "favourite turning point". That is more like personal opinion.
My favourite? = Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit

 

[I am the Future]

Ignore Sickman

Their are multiple turning point but i think th bigest one was the Spanish American War it slingshoted america into world history as a super power. It also signaled the end of the romantic colonial ages with the freeing of cuba and the phillipines from spain. it is also considered to be hte first modern war.

 

[Sickman]

Ignore Sickman

Thank you.

 

[mitsho]

No sickman, you are right, but it's just more fun to think in turning points and riddles ("In 1492, Columbus sailed the Ocean blue" is the only english one i know, but here are some Germans, "333, bei Issos Keilerei", "752 schlüpft Rom aus dem Ei", ...).
and we have to agree, this is not really history, what we are doing in here...

mfG mitsho

 

[Kal'thzar]

American Revoloution, or rather events leading up to it.

 

[Sickman]

No sickman, you are right, but it's just more fun to think in turning points and riddles ("In 1492, Columbus sailed the Ocean blue" is the

and we have to agree, this is not really history, what we are doing in here...

I of course agree.
Just wanted to make worthless point.

Staying in the truth the exploration and exploitation of New World after 1492 has been always the turning point for me.
Learning about Columbus and his journey make me read and study history in the first place.

 

[Jack the Ripper]

The pope taking on communism

 

[smallstepforman]

Battle of Kosovo in 1389 (Serbia/Ottoman empire), which delayed the islamic intrussion into Europe for 75 or so years. By then Europe got it's collective act together to organise a push back. Europeans / Americans would be speaking Arabic today.

 

[blindside]

Or they would be speaking their native languages like the Serbs do now even though they were conquered by the Turks.

 

[HalfBadger]

Well I suppose some of my favorite/important turning points in history or maybe moments, is a better word, as Sickman highlighted, Turning points is a weird terminology, especially with how little we understand "time", anyways:

Introduction of the Maple Leaf Flag, as Canada's national flag. Again making Canada more distinct.

Resolving the Suez Crisis wirh Peace Troopers and avoiding a Nuclear War/World War 3.

Switzerland declaring itself as a Neutral nation.

 

[Dreadnought]

For me its the battle of Tours or the introduction of Blitzkrieg (spell?) by the Germans in 1939/1940.

 

[REDY]

For me is favorite Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia 1989 ;-) LOL.

 

[Keshik]

Battle of Saratoga.

 

[das]

Turning points are very often not decisive - at least the POPULAR one aren't. Poitiers, Waterloo - all this doesn't matter. What does matter is killing off the last Umayyad before he reaches Andalusia (or just keeping Tariq there...) and making Napoleon a more capable diplomat (or just making him listen to Talleyrand at least once...).

IMHO a DEFINITE turning point was the early death of Empress Elizabeth of Russia in 1762. By all logic, the Seven Years War should have ended in the utter annihilation of Prussia and as a consequence of all hope for an united Germany. But Elizabeth died and suddenly Prussia had lost its main enemy that was about to take Berlin. And so Prussia survived.

Now that's just plain unrealistic, no? But it happened!