The What If? Thread

K

King of England

Tired Young Man
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I just got a great idea... :enlighten

What if certain events in history had ended up another way?

For starters, what do you think would have happened if the Confederates would have managed to win the American Civil War?

I somehow wouldn't see myself posting here right now, for instance. May have taken a bit longer for the French to leave Mexico. I can't think much beyond this narrow scope of things, but I do know the whole 20th century would have turned out to be an even wackier adventure.

Please add your thoughts, comments, and a couple more What If questions to this thread.

I like thinking. :grad:
 
What if Imperial Japan never attk Pearl Harbour but waited awhile and joined Germany in a coordinated attk on the Soviet Union?
What if the Prophet Mohammad stuck to his business dealings (owned by his wife) instead of preaching a new religion?
What if the Chinese Ming expeditions to the Indian Ocean in the 15th century was only the beginning of a massive expansion overseas?
What if Corporal Hitler got killed in the trenches of WW1?
What if the French won the Seven Yrs War and gotten India and the American colonies?
What if the Princip guy failed to assassinate the Archduke Ferdinard?
What if the Ottomans took Vienna in 1683?
What if the Arabs won at Poitiers in 732 (?)?
What if plague never hit the Byzantines and they could go on to reconquer the Western empire?

We can go on and on. I think we have more than enough to worry bout w/o conjecturing on all the historical what-ifs out there, no matter how romantic it is to do so. ;)
 
Originally posted by Knight-Dragon

What if Imperial Japan never attk Pearl Harbour but waited awhile and joined Germany in a coordinated attk on the Soviet Union?
What if the Prophet Mohammad stuck to his business dealings (owned by his wife) instead of preaching a new religion?
What if the Chinese Ming expeditions to the Indian Ocean in the 15th century was only the beginning of a massive expansion overseas?
What if Corporal Hitler got killed in the trenches of WW1?
What if the French won the Seven Yrs War and gotten India and the American colonies?
What if the Princip guy failed to assassinate the Archduke Ferdinard?
What if the Ottomans took Vienna in 1683?
What if the Arabs won at Poitiers in 732 (?)?
What if plague never hit the Byzantines and they could go on to reconquer the Western empire?

We can go on and on. I think we have more than enough to worry bout w/o conjecturing on all the historical what-ifs out there, no matter how romantic it is to do so. ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, yes, I know, I know. :cool:
I edited my first post, turning 'many more' to 'a couple more'. I just realized that it's no fun to have to answer so many little questions like that.

Perhaps it'll be more fun to focus on a few broad What If questions and make long posts about all the possiblilities.

BTW, it's not so much about worrying as it is about killing time and ceasing to put one's brain to constructive use for at least a while. ;)

What if German invented A-bomb before US? :eek:
Click to expand...

God that's a terrible thought. :vomit:

What if man would have never come down from trees?
Click to expand...

Then we wouldn't be having this discussion, would we?

And the world would probably be better off.

Ah, to think of a world where it is all wild, quiet and harmonious. (Most of the time. Exception: 65,000,000 before present day. :nuke: )

As I said on another discussion, I hate all cities!!
 
This approach has been taken by novelists I guess, with the favourite what ifs of time-travel.

The historical what if that comes to my mind is:

What if Chiang Kai Shek had been executed and not released by the Communists at the start of the Sino-Japanese war?
 
Originally posted by King of England
BTW, it's not so much about worrying as it is about killing time and ceasing to put one's brain to constructive use for at least a while. ;)
Click to expand...
Aah! But I am already doing that, playing Civ3. :lol: You can't believe how time-consuming it is. Hours can simply disappear into nowhere.
 
Originally posted by Achinz
This approach has been taken by novelists I guess, with the favourite what ifs of time-travel.

The historical what if that comes to my mind is:

What if Chiang Kai Shek had been executed and not released by the Communists at the start of the Sino-Japanese war?
Click to expand...
Then I think the Japs would have an easier time in China and can devoted millions more troops (not bogged down in the Chinese mainland) in other operational theatres.
But really, it's Marshal Chang and his Manchurian troops who kidnapped and held the Generalissmo in Xi'an, not the Commies. ;) He simply wanted Chiang to stop the internal war against the Commies and concentrate on the Japanese external threat. The Marshal was a Chinese loyalist and wouldn't have harmed Chiang in any case, cos it would harm China a great deal more.
BTW, the old Marshal recently passed away a few weeks ago in Hawaii. While the Taiwanese were mum bout it, the Mainland Chinese hailed him as a great hero, with Jiang Zemin personally giving a speech and praising him. Guess the Commies owed a lot to him for their survival. ;)
 
Quote:
BTW, the old Marshal recently passed away a few weeks ago in Hawaii. While the Taiwanese were mum bout it, the Mainland Chinese hailed him as a great hero, with Jiang Zemin personally giving a speech and praising him. Guess the Commies owed a lot to him for their survival.
--------------------------------
Actually, it was the Young Marshal who just passed away. The Old Marshal was Chang Tso-lin, and the Young Marshal was his son, Chang Hsueh-liang. Chang Tso-lin was assassinated by the Japanese.:mad:
 
Originally posted by Knight-Dragon

What if the French won the Seven Yrs War and gotten India and the American colonies?
Click to expand...

Then Western Canada also becomes a French colony. It might not be such a nice and peaceful place, and I'll be speaking French, not English!
 
Originally posted by goododa


Then Western Canada also becomes a French colony. It might not be such a nice and peaceful place, and I'll be speaking French, not English!
Click to expand...
No. More like all of North America north of Mexico became French and the USA might never have come into being at all. The Spanish (and Mexicans) might still have held Florida and California. ;)
 
Originally posted by goododa
Quote:
BTW, the old Marshal recently passed away a few weeks ago in Hawaii. While the Taiwanese were mum bout it, the Mainland Chinese hailed him as a great hero, with Jiang Zemin personally giving a speech and praising him. Guess the Commies owed a lot to him for their survival.
--------------------------------
Actually, it was the Young Marshal who just passed away. The Old Marshal was Chang Tso-lin, and the Young Marshal was his son, Chang Hsueh-liang. Chang Tso-lin was assassinated by the Japanese.:mad:
Click to expand...
Yes, I know. I mean the old Marshal, not the Old Marshal. The Young Marshal was in his 90s when he passed away, and so was old, in my books. ;)
 
I think 'what if the Roman Empire had never adopted Christianity' is a *very* interesting 'what if'. Anyone with some serious knowledge in that area care to take a shot at it?

What if V.I. Lenin had been 'just a lawyer'? How long would the Czars have lasted into the 20th century?
 
Originally posted by shirleyrocks
What if V.I. Lenin had been 'just a lawyer'? How long would the Czars have lasted into the 20th century?
Click to expand...
Probably not very long. Hitler would have made short work of them. It was Stalin's unhumanism (as well as Hitler's supremacist racism) which enabled the Soviets to beat back the German forces.

But then, had the Czars held on, there might never have been effective Communists in Germany. Hitler might not have been able to use them as a boogieman to come to power. Hmmmmm.......
 
Originally posted by Magnus
What if Alois Schicklgruber hadn't changed his name. Would anyone have listened to his son, Adolf? ;)
Click to expand...

No, but if that were the case, maybe he would have changed his name to Hank. And then the name Hank Schicklgruber would have been despised throughout all of history.
 
Originally posted by Magnus
What if Alois Schicklgruber hadn't changed his name. Would anyone have listened to his son, Adolf? ;)
Click to expand...

"Heil Shicklgruber"? I think not! Shicklgruber became a major thing in history class last year.

What if the Texans would've won the Battle of the Alamo? Would it have done more harm than good because successive Texans would not have had the snappy battle-cry "Remember the Alamo?" Or would the moral boost have been an extra shot in the arm?
 
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