Author Topic: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration  (Read 3000 times)

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Offline PzLdr

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Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« on: July 28, 2014, 02:21:57 pm »
What if: Alexander makes peace with Darius, getting the Persian Empire up to the Euphrates, one of Darius' daughters in marriage, and an alliance [Parmenion urged him to do so]. Alexander had already declared Carthage his enemy. Would Alexander have then moved into the Western Mediterranean? There were Greek cites along the littoral, and on Sicily he would have wanted. And would Rome, the mother society of all western culture have survived?

Hannibal wins the Second Punic War, leaving Carthage, not Rome, the dominant power in the West.

Mongke Qua Quan doesn't die on campaign in Sung China, leaving his brother Hulegu with his whole Army for the invasion of Egypt, and the potential destruction of Muslim power in the Middle East.

The Emperor of Byzantium pays the artillery designer who built the guns Mahmet used to bring down the walls of Constantinople for the guns and his services [which were offered to Byzantium first].

English Major Patrick Ferguson forgets about chivalry, and kills, with his rifle, the American officer he sees riding across the river [or stream] from Ferguson's location, the officer being George Washington.

England declares war on the United States after the Trent Affair, allying with the Confederacy.

Anybody care to add to the list? Discuss the ones posted above?
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Offline Chieftain

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2014, 03:38:04 pm »
At the outbreak of the War of 1812, King George IV sees his chance to avenge his Father's legacy, and sends Lord Wellington to America to wipe out the last traces of the budding United States, impressing survivors into the British Navy and Army, which Wellington is building to take on Bonaparte in France.  As a result, what is left of the former colonies are annexed to the British Crown under the Canadian Government.

eh?  That would make our National Beverage Maple Syrup.........

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Offline ABX

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2014, 03:51:32 pm »
Edward II decides not to engage Robert I in battle but instead, holds Sterling Castle and waits the Scots out, letting them retain the small tip of the UK as their own. The Scots would have a land but they wouldn't be able to raid Northern England and later Ireland. There is no Irish campaign by Edward Bruce, no second Scottish war for independence, no English civil war, and possibly no seeds of the American Revolution.

Offline ABX

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2014, 04:02:16 pm »
What if Gerald Ford beat Carter?  The Shah of Iran is not over-thrown and instead, with the support of the US, crushes the Ayatollah. The Shah continues to nurture a westernized, liberalized quasi-democracy in Iran, creating a elected parliament and prime minister position.  They ally with Iraq and Turkey. They, instead of the Saudis, step in the power vacuum in Afghanistan after the Russians are pushed out and the Saudi radicals and their followers the Mujahidin have jailed never escape leaving the more secularized forces in power. The Taliban are outlawed or retreat into the mountains to live as isolated herdsman. Bin Laden does not see a revolution opportunity in Afghanistan and instead, keeps his focus on trying to over-throw the Saudi royal family, who subsequently, have him and his family killed.

Offline EC

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #4 on: July 28, 2014, 04:35:08 pm »
What if James Forrestal had honeymooned somewhere other than Kyoto?

The entire nation of Japan would have gone into a berserk frenzy at the death of the emperor.
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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #5 on: July 28, 2014, 05:12:30 pm »
What if I'd gotten up on the other side of the bed today?

Offline Chieftain

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2014, 05:18:05 pm »
What if Karen Carpenter had eaten that ham sandwich Mama Cass choked to death on??

If my Aunty gets a sex change, does that make her my Uncle??

Which would you rather be, or an orange?

Did you take the bus, or bring your lunch today??

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Offline truth_seeker

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2014, 05:51:51 pm »
Pondering matters within the Angloshpere, America would have turned out to be like Canada, or a part of Canada?

In which case Churchill could have drawn us into WWII sooner, with whatever result that might have yielded.

And postwar, Churchill was more wary of Soviet expansionism than were US leaders, so the Cold War might have been waged and decided sooner, and more hotly?

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Offline speekinout

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2014, 01:19:27 am »
What if Mitt Romney had won the Presidential election in 2012?

Offline massadvj

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2014, 02:23:55 am »
What if Pickett's Charge had been successful and the Confederate Army had won at Gettysburg?

Offline mountaineer

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Re: Some "What Ifs" for your consideration
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2014, 08:01:33 pm »
What if Pickett's Charge had been successful and the Confederate Army had won at Gettysburg?
Mr. M and I just visited Gettysburg and learned that the other speaker on Nov. 19, 1863, noted orator Edward Everett, asked that very same question in the two-hour-long speech that preceded Lincoln's more famous comments. I didn't have time to read the entire speech carefully, needless to say.