Favorite Historical What-if's

[Mcface]

What if Hitler had gone to art school?

Didn't he?
I thought he was a decent artist..

Although, I guess the nazi flag would have been something more imaginative if that were true.

 

[Mcface]

My favourite what if scenario is "What if christianity's crusades and other early shenanigans hadn't significantly diluted the variety of world spirituality?"

To their defense, without the crusades it's very likely Europe would haven fallen to foreign invasion.

The Crusades brought back scholars and texts long forgotten, medicine, a variety of cultures and trade skills, and most importantly, trade routes.

 

[Caiti Voltaire]

My favourite what if scenario is "What if christianity's crusades and other early shenanigans hadn't significantly diluted the variety of world spirituality?"

To their defense, without the crusades it's very likely Europe would haven fallen to foreign invasion.

The Crusades brought back scholars and texts long forgotten, medicine, a variety of cultures and trade skills, and most importantly, trade routes.

Considering Christianity's over-zealous burning and persecution of alchemists and other forbidden knowledge which basically consitituted everything but the bible, I suppose we can call it karmatically even.

Regardless, there are a lot of other spiritualities that fell to the advancement of christianity, two close to my heart - nordic and sami beliefs - were mostly marginalized by the most generous of assessments.

In any event it is what it is. It's just interesting to contemplate what it would be if it had not occured.

 

[Gosko]

What if the British actually attacked Washington's Army on March 5th 1776 when they were held up at Dorchester Heights. War would have been over a lot sooner and America would of had our Independence faster, or would have British pushed through and broke our lines and crushed the Continental Army?

Also if Lincoln wasn't elected president, that may have turned out HORRIBLE

 

[rekabdarb]

Snip)

EDIT: Looking through the post. Who says gamers aren't intelligent?

What if you could divide by... ZERO!

There goes your theory meowman.
OT: What if britain succesfuly colonised ireland?
What if hiroshima and nagasaki never happened, would WW2 be extended?

actually no, the navy had a large and very long blockade on japan so they were gonna surrender and yet Truman still dropped fat man and little boy.

 

[notyouraveragejoe]

What if Trotsky had become leader of the Soviet Union and not Stalin?

Trotsky was an entirley different person to Stalin. He had a different personality and had a different view of Communism. Nor did he have Stalin's paranoia. The USSR would have turned out VERY differently. The question is, how would it have turned out?

But Trotsky was more focused on spreading WorldWide Revolution (as he was more concentrated on Marxist beliefs) as opposed to Stalin's Socialism in One State. It wouldn't have been better, Russia would probably have been more interventionist. Conflict would have been more common and I doubt that the Cold War would have gone with so little Hot Conflict.

The best question would be what would happen if the Whites beat the Reds in the Civil War?

Or what if Napoleon had sent out his Imperial Guard at the battle of Waterloo and beat the English?

What if Molotov never became foreign minister, leading to no Nazi-Soviet Pact (since it is known as the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact)?

What if the USA didn't discover the Cuban Missiles until after they had been finished?

What if France won the original Indochina War?

What if during the Communist Revolution in China they had executed the Nationalists instead of just exiling them to Taiwan where they would be recognized by the USA at the UN?

What if Lenin was stopped by border patrol on his way back to Russia?

What if the Provisional Government was more successful in Russia and gained more popularity then the Soviet?

What if the USA didn't gain independence?

What if Truman wasn't the one who went to the Potsdam Conference?

I could do this for days.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

What if the British actually attacked Washington's Army on March 5th 1776 when they were held up at Dorchester Heights.

What if the British had mecha?

 

[uncle-ellis]

What if the dinosaurs never died?

Would there still be sentient life that evolved from that line? Because if we were all sentiant dinosaurs/reptiles that would fucking own.

That would be fucking awesome.

 

[Vuljatar]

I know "what if the South had won the civil war" is a pretty popular one, but I rarely hear people ask "what if the civil war had never occurred".

What if Lincoln had been less obsessed with preserving the Union, and had been willing to just let the South go?

 

[Altorin]

the ending from Inglourious Basterds.

won't describe it, but Eli Roth (the Bear Jew)'s last moment was awesome.

 

[twasdfzxcv]

What if Jesus die of sudden infant death syndrome.

 

[Nickolai77]

I'm surprised nobody has asked "What if Constantine had lost the battle of Milivan Bridge?- If Maxentius had stayed in Rome, could he have defeated Constantine in a siege? Or indeed, say Constantene had won anyway, what if he never converted to Christanity?

Without Constantine's offical support of Christanity, it is debatable if Christanity would have ever became Europe's main religion- would we today still be worshipping the Anglo-Saxon and Greco-Roman Gods?

What if the Barbarian crossing of the Rhine had been repulsed? Could the Roman Empire have survived? Is it possible that the Roman Empire could have survived the 5th century?

What if Pontus Pilate had spared Jesus? Would Christanity have taken off at all?

What if Harald's Fyrd were more disiplined and not charged down the hill at the Battle of Hastings? What would England, and the English language, be like without the French influense?

What if Britain and France had entered into an alliance with Stalin's Soviet Union against Hitler- what would have happend?

 

[cuddly_tomato]

If Henry the 8th had not been a large ginger fellow, would I have still gotten to be him in the school play?

 

[Quaxar]

Everyone talks about WW 2. But what if we started earlier?
What if Franz Joseph hadn't decided to listen to his ministers and declare war against Serbia, despite having a totally unprepared country and the Entente all around?
Or else what if he had given in to Italy's demands, leading to Italy joining war with the Central Powers instead of against, thus eliminating a whole front and raising the total troops?

Economically ruined germany leading to massive antisemitism and later on the election of Hitler? Rather not.
Hungary, Czech Republic and those seperating from Austria and falling under Russia's influence, leading to a communist East Europe and its long time weak economy? Nah.
That's one hell of a historic change.

 

[legion431]

I hope Im not ninja'd....what if religion didn't exist at all? Oh wait, peace on earth

What if everyone was the SAME religion.

 

[hazabaza1]

Now, just think about this.
What if 2 cavemen who survived, had died?

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

What if the ANZAC troops had taken one look at the cliffs surrounding Suvla Bay and said "No. Just no. Not going to happen."?

 

[Shaegor]

What if the Western Allies hadn't basically sold the Baltic nations to the Soviet Union in 1943?

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

What if America had been colonised in 512CE by giant, intelligent lobsters with advanced technology?