If you could change something about your countries history

[Kinokohatake]

Yeah pretty much what the title says. What 1 thing would you change?

For me it would be the establishment of the U.S. two party system. We really need an equal third or fourth option.

 

[dyre]

Yeah, let's bring back the Whigs!

I'd probably change the Cold War paranoia that led the US to replace so many popular, often democratic regimes with "strong men" (brutal dictators). I think if we had approached the Cold War more rationally, as a country we'd be a lot less inclined to try to bully every nation that doesn't see things our way. People might like us more too.

 

[Lionsfan]

Yeah, let's bring back the Whigs!

I'd probably change the Cold War paranoia that led the US to replace so many popular, often democratic regimes with "strong men" (brutal dictators). I think if we had approached the Cold War more rationally, as a country we'd be a lot less inclined to try to bully every nation that doesn't see things our way. People might like us more too.

You're thinking way to narrow. Clearly, we need the Federalist Party back. Or the Populist Party

But if I could change anything, I would probably block the release of Birth of a Nation. Cinematically it's a great film, and one of the most important films ever....but it also probably delayed racial reform and set race relations back probably 50 years

 

[MetalDooley]

I would stop the Plantation of Ulster because let's face it it's pretty much the reason behind the decades of violence and sectarianism in Northern Ireland not to mention the reason Northern Ireland exists in the first place

 

[Hollyday]

Oh, so many things. It's going to take a hell of a lot to wipe Britain's slate clean (it'll never happen. We're scum!).

I'm going to go with the Mandate of Palestine. If we hadn't waded into the middle east after WWI and carved it up to keep under our 'protection' we might have avoided nearly 100 years of political and religious unrest in the region.

But seriously, sooooooooo many things...

 

[xplosive59]

The almost total amount of control the Chruch had over England in the middle ages. Kept medicine and science back for such a long time blaming all diseases such as the plague on God's doing, the Jews or spirits. The Crusades were because of the Church trying to reclaim the Holy land and one of the biggest genocides in history, it doesnt help that alot of kings were thought to have been seen as unfit if they did not try to win the holy lands in the name of god.

Also slavery, would get rid of that as well.

 

[Joshey Woshey]

One thing? C'mon mate, I'm English. Wiping away one of our crimes won't do much.


Probably the massacres of Ireland. I think even for England that was fucking brutal.

 

[JoJo]

Perhaps a massacre or something for England but you what the problem is? Change the past and the present could well end up worse. I'm probably going to get some flak for this but I think the British Empire was actually a positive force in history, bringing Western values and knowledge to the four corners of the world. Sure, many places are still dirt poor now but they're miles ahead of where they were before we arrived. We Brits get too down on ourselves some times about our past, we should remember that our nation was responsible for the opening and industrialisation of the world: our modern society today wouldn't exist without it!

 

[miketehmage]

Yes, I'd like to stop the formation of Celtic and Rangers football clubs.

GOODBYE POINTLESS SECTARIAN VIOLENCE OVER FOOTBALL!

Yes, football, you know, kicking a ball around a field? Yeah, well, it spawns all sorts of vile scum up here, best just to rid ourselves of it.

 

[gigastar]

Being British, i can tell you we have done alot over the 2000 years of our glorious nations history that we arent proud of. See how most of the responses to the thread so far are about Britan? Thats just the surface.

Though i suppose that means little compared to what our former colonies have done, so i would go back and stop the Roman Empire from collapsing.

 

[Winthrop]

U.S. over here. I would get rid of slavery, segregation, the Klan, that whole shebang. Its appalling that a country that claims to be based on freedom has such a big history of oppression. I don't view the whole taking tribal lands as nearly as bad. While I think the bio warfare and complete disregard for Native Americans lives and health was horrible, the taking of land which is what seems to get a lot of people is common in wars. Not saying I support all the horrible things that happened, but the land taking is much less horrible than slavery and its consequences.

 

[CityofTreez]

Winthrop stole what I was going to say.

As an American, I'll say entering WW1. That way the German empire would have likely won thus being no Versallis treaty.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I wouldn't. I'd have no idea what the effect would be.

But if I were allowed a reset and the chance to do so out of curiosity...I wonder what would have happened if the US left the nascent Soviet Union alone in 1918, rather than intervene directly and indirectly.

 

[Axolotl]

Another Brit here and to go against the grain I wouldn't prevent a massacre or war. In fact I'd start a war. I'd never ally with Stalin, force him to fight the Nazis alone, actually even tone down the bombing campaign if it looked like the Soviets were winning. Then bomb whichever side won into submission.

Now this would massively increase the casulties of the war but it would prevent the cold war whcih I think would us all alot of trouble overall.

 

[Ruedyn]

I'm american so I'd probably get rid of the Red Scare. I think we would be better for it, and it wouldn't really mess up anything.

 

[370999]

For me it would be the establishment of the 13 Colonies (Indirectly, anyway). Yeah. Wipe that out of Britains past and... Wow, the world would be a different place.

Oh, and there would be a hell of a lot more native americans.

Really? I tend to think we were going to see less Indians either way, it's just you would of been the Estado Unidad (my spanish is muy fatal)instead. Imagine that much spanish contol, chilling...

For Irish history I don't know what I would change, perhaps the Brits not being so harsh on the rebels of Easter Rising? But that harshness helped act as a catalyst for Irish independence which was a good thing. Perhaps certain tactical movements so that Ireland would have had more success in fighting of the Brits? But even then that would mean the repercussions would of even be worse. And to be honest I would rather have the Brits in charge then the Dutch.

 

[Supertegwyn]

Winthrop stole what I was going to say.

As an American, I'll say entering WW1. That way the German empire would have likely won thus being no Versallis treaty.

Who knows WHAT would have happened then. WW2 still may have started, although in a different capacity.

OT: Probably the White Australia policy.

Not cool guys, not cool.

 

[Frission]

Winthrop stole what I was going to say.

As an American, I'll say entering WW1. That way the German empire would have likely won thus being no Versallis treaty.

I don't know about that. Hitler used the Versailles Treaty as a rallying point, but the main reason for Hitler's rise to power was the Great Depression in 1930, which caused high employment. There's a 14 year margin between the Treaty of Versailles and Hitler being appointed as Chancellor in 1933. A time where people like President Hindenburg and such were in power.

Germany paid less because of the Versailles Treaty, then France after the Franco Prussian.

For my native country it would be the First World War. In one month at Verdun, it managed to kill 698,000 people. More men than the entirety of the American Civil War, to put it in proportion. An entire generation was destroyed. There was also no lesson learned."War is bad" was not learned, "misplaced nationalism" was not learned and " horrible weapons like mustard gas should not be used" was not learned.

Stopping the War, or at least keeping it a war between Austria and Serbia would be nice.