/r/althistory

Photograph via snooOG

Welcome to /r/althistory, the alternate history subreddit! Here you can discuss alternate history matters, whether they be books, essays, TV shows, movies, or podcasts.

Common Acronyms and Phrases:

  • AH stands for Alternate History.
  • WI stands for What If.
  • OTL stands for Our Time Line, history as it happened.
  • ATL stands for Alternate Time Line
  • POD stands for Point Of Divergence or the point at which a fictional timeline diverges from OTL.
  • ASB stands for Alien Space Bats, referring to alternate history so implausible it would have required the intervention of "alien space bats."
  • ISOT stands for Island in the Sea of Time, the S.M. Sterling novel which popularized the idea of transporting people and places to a different time period. ISOTs are, by their nature, always ASB.
  • DBWI stands for Double-Blind What-If, where OTL history is examined from an AH perspective. ex: "What if the Soviets put the first man in space?" asks a character from a timeline where the USA put the first man in space.
  • The butterfly effect, where small changes accrue over time to significantly alter events.
  • Counterfactual histories, the scholarly version of alternate history.
  • Wank, refers to when a nation is made unrealistically powerful.
  • Scew, the opposite of a wank.

Related Subreddits:

  • /r/HistoryWhatIf: An alternate history subreddit dedicated exclusively to answering traditional what-if questions.
  • /r/AskHistorians: Direct any questions about actual history to this excellent sub.

/r/althistory

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4

If Saudi Arabia ever did fall into Civil War in the 90s or 2000s who would come out on top? And how would this affect the Islamic World?

Disclaimer: For the record, I'm not pro or anti Saudi, but ever since I discovered a scenario in the For All Mankind timeline where Saudi Arabia falls into disarray it got me wondering.

So if Saudi Arabia ever did fall into Civil War, in the 90s or 2000s, who would come out on top? Would Al Sauds still rule Saudi Arabia in the end? Or would someone else take power in Saudi Arabia like the Hashemites or the Ulama? Or would Saudi Arabia transform into a republic instead?

And given the significance of Medina and Mecca to Muslims around the world, how would this affect the Islamic World?

1 Comment
2024/12/01
23:54 UTC

3

Alternate History: What would have happened if Theodore Roosevelt had decided to break his promise not to run in 1908?

Would he still won? (Probably Yes).

How this would have affected the results of the election of 1912/16, and WW1.

0 Comments
2024/12/01
05:04 UTC

2

Alternative General Secretaries of China

What do you think of the alternative universe of General Secretaries of China?

1.Mao Zedong(1893-1991)

1949-1954(First Term) 1954-1959(Second Term)

*Mao Anyiang (1922-2018) survived an air strike with the long three scars on his body chest, two scars on his back, and some deep burns on his right leg in November 25th 1950 during Korean War (1950 to 1953), honorary discharged as Captain of Infantry Forces from Soviet Red Army in Dandong, North Korea on July 27, 1953, and return to Beijing, China, safety with full military celebration as a hero, and meet Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Chen Yi, and his wife, Liu Siqi (1930-2011), pand meet two-months-old newborn son (1953)(71) in Zhongnanhai Palace on July 31, 1953. He later served as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs under Mao Zedong Administration (1953-1960), Ambassador to Cambodia under Zhou Enlai Administration (1960-1965), Ambassador to Myanmar under Zhou Enlai (1965-1968), Ambassador to Peru under Zhou Enlai (1968–1971), Ambassador to Portugal under Liu Shaoqi Administration (1971-1977), Ambassador to Tanzania under Deng Xiaoping Administration (1977-1981), Ambassador to Zumbia under Soong Ching-ling Administration (1981-1984), Vice Premier of China under Soong Ching-ling (1984-1989), and now Premier of China under Zhao Ziyang Administration (1989-1999), then retired from his political career to live with his elderly wife in Changsha, China, in 1999 until died of bladder failure and heart attack at the age of 96 at his residence on October 1st 2018, is gave a full state funeral with most government officials, including Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, and Xi Jinping, attended the state funeral, and is buried beside his late wife in Chenshi Cemetery on October 10th 2018.

2.Zhou Enlai(1898-2000)

1959-1964(First Term) 1964-1969(Second Term)

3.Liu Shaoqi(1898-1994)

1969-1974(First Term)

4.Deng Xiaoping(1904-1999)

1974-1979(First Term)

5.Soong Ching-ling(1893-1996)

1979-1984(First Term) 1984-1989(Second Term)

6.Zhao Ziyang(1919-2016)

1989-1994(First Term) 1994-1999(Second Term)

7.Hu Jintao(1942-???)(Age:82)

1999-2004(First Term) 2004-2009(Second Term)

8.Wen Jiabao(1942-???)(Age:82)

2009-2014(First Term) 2014-2019(Second Term)

9.Xi Jinping(1953-???)(Age:71)

2019-2024(First Term) 2024-???(Second Term)

0 Comments
2024/11/30
06:57 UTC

2

Alternative Presidents of Taiwan

What do you think of the alternative universe of Presidents of Taiwan?

1.Sun Yat-sen(1866-1962)

1912-1916(First Term) 1916-1920(Second Term)

2.Li Yuanhong(1864-1961)

1920-1924(First Term)

3.Xu Shichang(1855-1953)

1924-1928(1st Term) 1928-1932(Second Term)

4.Qian Nengxun(1869-1967)

1932-1936(First Term) 1936-1940(Second Term)

5.Sun Fo(1891-1986)

1940-1944(First Term) 1944-1948(Second Term)

6.Chiang Kai-shek(1887-1983)

1948-1952(First Term) 1952-1956(Second Term)

Note: Like in real life, Chiang Kai-shek and Natinalist Party fled to Taiwan after lose Chinese Civil War to Communist Party in 1949 and Chiang Kai-shek continue his presidency there until 1956 in Taiwan

7.Li Zongren(1890-1987)

1956-1960(First Term)

8.Chiang Ching-kuo(1910-2008)

1960-1964(First Term) 1964-1968(Second Term)

9.Hsieh Tung-min(1908-2004)

1968-1972(Firsg Term) 1972-1976(Second Term)

10.Lee Teng-hui(1923-2023)

1976-1980(Firsf Term) 1980-1984(Second Term)

11.James Soong(1942-???)(Age:83)

1984-1988(First Term) 1988-1992(Second Term)

12.Frank Hsieh(1946-???)(Age:78)

1992-1996(First Term) 1996-2000(Secnd Term)

13.Chang San-cheng(1954-???)(Age:70)

2000-2004(First Term) 2004-2008(Second Term)

14.Ma Ying-jeou(1950-???)(Age:74)

2008-2012(First Term) 2012-2016(Second Term)

15.Tsai Ing-wen(1956-???)(Age:68)

2016-2020(First Term) 2020-2024(Second Term)

16.Terry Gou(1950-???)(Age:74)

2024-???(First Term)

0 Comments
2024/11/30
06:56 UTC

3

Alternative Presidents of South Korea

What do you think of the alternative universe of Presidents of South Korea?

1.Syngman Rhee(1875-1971)

1947-1952(First Term) 1952-1957(Second Term) 1957-1962(Third Term)

2.Lee Beom-seok(1900-1997)

1962-1967(First Term) 1967-1972(Second Term)

3.Park Chung-hee(1917-2015)

1972-1977(First Term) 1977-1982(Second Term)

4.Kim Young-sam(1929-???)(Age:95)

1982-1987(First Term) 1987-1992(Second Term)

5.Kim Dae-Jung(1924-2020)

1992-1997(First Term) 1997-2002(Second Term)

6.Lee Myung-bak(1941-???)(Age:82)

2002-2007(First Term) 2007-2012(Second Term)

7.Park Geun-hye(1952-???)(Age:72)

2012-2017(First Term) 2017-2022(Second Term)

8.Moon Jae-In(1953-???)(Age:71)

2022-???(First Term)

0 Comments
2024/11/30
06:55 UTC

3

Alternative Presidents of United States of America

What do you think of the alternative universe of Presidents of the United States of America?

1.George Washington(1732-1828)

1789-1793(First Term) 1793-1797(Second Term)

2.John Adams(1735-1831)

1797-1801(First Term) 1801-1805(Second Term)

3.Thomas Jefferson(1743-1839)

1805-1809(First Term) 1809-1813(Second Term)

4.George Clinton(1739-1834)

1813-1817(First Term) 1817-1821(Second Term)

5.Rufus King(1755-1848)

1821-1825(First Term) 1825-1829(Second Term)

6.John Q. Adams(1767-1831)*

1829-1831(First Term)*

Note: On January 2nd 1831, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, John Q. Adams was physically attacked and shot in his right eye and mouth by an outraged surveyor, who angered at his construction policies, and died on the spot at the age of 64. He was succeeded by his 49-years-old Vice President, John Calhoun.

7.John C. Calhoun(1782-1878)

1831-1833(First Term)

8.Andrew Jackson(1767-1865)

1833-1837(First Term) 1837-1841(Second Term)

9.Martin Van Buren(1782-1877)

1841-1845(First Term) 1845-1849(Second Term)

10.Franklin Pierce(1804-1902)

1849-1853(First Term) 1853-1857(Second Term)

11.John C. Frémont(1813-1909)

1857-1861(First Term)

*John C. Fremont’s Vice President was Abraham Lincoln, who succeeded him in 1861.

12.Abraham Lincoln(1809-1904)

1861-1865(First Term) 1865-1869(Second Term)

*Ulysses Grant was Abraham Lincoln’s Vice President

13.Ulysses Grant(1822-1918)

1869-1873(First Term) 1873-1877(Second Term)

14.Alphonso Taft(1810-1906)

1877-1881(First Term)

15.James Garfield(1831-1927)

1881-1885(First Term) 1885-1889(Second Term)

16.Theodore Roosevelt Senior(1831-1929)

1889-1893(First Term) 1893-1897(Second Term)

17.Benjamin Harrison(1833-1930)

1897-1901(First Term)

18.Theodore Roosevelt Junior(1858-1953)

1901-1905(First Term) 1905-1909(Second Term)

*William H. Taft was Theodore Roosevelt’s Vice President

19.William H. Taft(1857-1954)

1909-1913(First Term) 1913-1917(Second Term)

20.Calvin Coolidge(1872-1968)

1917-1921(First Term)

21.James M. Cox(1870-1966)

1921-1925(First Term) 1925-1929(Second Term)

*Franklin Roosevelt was James M. Cox’s Vice President

22.Franklin Roosevelt(1882-1978)

1929-1933(First Term) 1933-1937(Second Term)

23.John Nance Garner(1868-1939)*

1937-1939(First Term)*

Note: On September 15th 1939, in Tucson, Arizona, John N. Garner was shot twice in the neck and right eye by an outraged German-descent American extremist in response to the American declaration on Axis powers and died of the internal bleeding at the age of 71. He was succeeded by his 52-years-old Vice President, Robert A. Taft.

24.Robert A. Taft(1887-1985)

1939-1941(First Term) 1941-1945(Second Term)

25.Joseph P. Kennedy Senior(1888-1984)

1945-1949(First Term) 1949-1953(Second Term)

26.Theodore Roosevelt III(1887-1989)

1953-1957(First Term) 1957-1961(Second Term)

27.John Kennedy(1917-2019)

1961-1965(First Term) 1965-1969(Second Term)

28.Richard Nixon(1913-2011)

1969-1973(First Term) 1973-1977(Second Term)

29.Gerald Ford(1913-1978)

1977-1978(First Term)*

Note: On September 28th 1978, in Sacramento, California, Gerald Ford was directly shot in his heart, larynx, and neck by an outraged and frustrated Anti-Nixon protester, Micheal Kerry, in response of pardoning Nixon in 1977, and died of internal bleeding on the spot on the doorsteps of the city hall at the age of 65. He was succeeded by a 55-years-old former veteran Senator and Vice President, Robert “Bob” Dole.

30.Robert “Bob” Dole(1923-???)(Age:101)

1978-1981(First Term)

31.John Kennedy Junior(1942-???)(Age:82)

1981-1985(First Term) 1985-1989(Second Term)

32.Micheal Dukakis(1933-???)(Age:91)

1989-1993(First Term)

33.William “Bill” Clinton(1946-???)(Age:79)

1993-1997(First Term) 1997-2001(Second Term)

34.Albert “Al” Gore(1948-???)(Age:77)

2001-2005(First Term) 2005-2009(Second Term)

35.Barack Obama(1961-???)(Age:64)

2009-2013(First Term) 2013-2017(Second Term)

36.Hillary Clinton(1947-???)(Age:78)

2017-2021(First Term) 2021-???(Second Term)

3 Comments
2024/11/30
06:50 UTC

1

Alternative Prime Minsiters of Canada

What do you think of the alternative universe of Prime Ministers of Canada for my fanfic story?

1.John MacDonald(1815-1912)

1868-1873(First Term) 1873-1878(Second Term)

2.Alexander Mackenzie(1822-1881)

1878-1881(First Term)

*Alexander Mackenzie was assassinated by an angry engineer in hallway of Parliament on his 59th birthday on January 28th 1822.

3.George Brown(1818-1913)

1881-1883(First Term)

4.Melville Bell(1819-1917)

1883-1888(First Term) 1888-1893(Second Term)

5.Louis Riel(1844-1940)

1893-1898(First Term) 1898-1904(Second Term)

6.Hugh J. MacDonald(1850-1947)

1904-1908(First Term) 1908-1913(Second Term)

7.Robert Borden(1854-1951)

1913-1918(First Term)

8.Thomas Crerar(1876-1977)

1918-1923(First Term)

9.Henry Wise Wood(1860-1953)

1923-1928(First Term) 1928-1933(Second Term)

10.Ernest C. Drury(1878-1974)

1933-1938(First Term) 1938-1943(Second Term)

11.Louis St. Laurent(1882-1979)

1943-1948(First Term) 1948-1953(Second Term)

12.George A. Drew(1894-1992)

1953-1958(First Term) 1958-1963(Second Term)

13.Lester B. Pearson(1897-1995)

1963-1968(First Term) 1968-1973(Second Term)

14.Robert Stanfield(1914-2011)

1973-1978(First Term)

15.Pierre Trudeau(1919-2016)

1978-1983(First Term) 1983-1988(Second Term)

16.Brain Mulroney(1939-???)(Age:85)

1988-1993(First Term) 1993-1998(Second Term)

17.Kimberly “Kim” Campbell(1947-???)(Age:78)

1998-2003(First Term) 2003-2008(Second Term)

18.Jack Layton(1950-???)(Age:75)

2008-2013(First Term) 2013-2018(Second Term)

19.Justin Trudeau(1971-???)(Age:55)

2018-2023(First Term)

20.Jagmeet Singh(1979-???)(Age:46)

2023-???(First Term)

0 Comments
2024/11/30
06:44 UTC

1

What if Imperial Japan turned Manchuria into a Settler Colony?

I mean what if more Japanese people settled in Manchuria? for instance let's say 2 million to 4 million Japanese people there. How would the demographics, economics, politics, etc of this more densely populated Manchuria be like after Imperial Japan's occupation, in the Chinese Civil War and in the Cold War?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchukuo

4 Comments
2024/11/29
23:53 UTC

1

What if Britain colonized Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia instead of France?

In this timeline; France win the Carnatic Wars expelling the UK from the Indian Subcontinent and goes on to colonize it instead, so the British focus more on Southeast Asia and Australia instead in their colonial ventures. Eventually, the British invade and colonize Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam via military means and concessions.

How could history, politics, demographics, economic development, international relations, etc. be affected?

0 Comments
2024/11/29
22:24 UTC

2

If Xerxes had listened to Artemisia, how would they deal with Sparta? And how would the Greco-Persian Wars turned out differently?

So supposedly one of Xerxes Naval Commanders Artemisia advised him to adopt a fabian strategy, keeping the Greeks in Salamis bottled up until their supplies ran out, forcing them to sue for peace. If had listened to her instead of sending his forces to Salamis and assuming her strategy, how would they deal with Sparta? And how would the Greco-Persian Wars turned out differently?

3 Comments
2024/11/29
14:08 UTC

1

What if the Grand Bargain was agreed upon in 2011?

In 2011 both Obama and John Boehner came very close to agreeing on a deficit reduction plan that would have raised taxes in exchange for some sort of entitlement reform. The details were never worked out because the deal fell through obviously, but this is what was known at the time as the “grand bargain”. Needless to say this would have greatly angered the hard left and the hard right, and it is difficult to predict what the political outcomes of such a deal would have entailed, which is why I’m here. Opinions seem to vary on whether this would have significantly helped or hurt Obama’s reelection chances in 2012. Some people who I’ve asked have said it would have greatly improved his standing with independent voters at the time, who placed the debt as one of their top issues back then. Others have pointed out that regardless of the long term merits of a deficit reduction agreement, a cut in spending along with a tax hike would have likely caused a double dip recession and tanked Obama’s reelection chances in chances. Furthermore this would have likely caused Bernie Sanders to primary Obama. Which of these cases do you agree more with AND how long would Boehner last as speaker after abandoning the Hastert rule as he would likely have to do? What would the long term impacts of American austerity be, especially if it results in a Romney presidency? Thanks!

0 Comments
2024/11/27
18:10 UTC

2

What if the Southern Ming Yongli Emperor successfully Escaped?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhu_Youlang

So what Zhu Youlang was able to successfully escape into exile? Could he have gone to Taiwan to meet up with Koxinga? or would he have gone somewhere else? He could have gone to modern-day Malaysia, Cambodia or maybe Japan?

0 Comments
2024/11/27
10:33 UTC

2

What if Alexander of Greece wasn't bit by a Macaque and he survived for Longer?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_of_Greece

How could him surviving for a longer period of time have affected Greek and Balkan history, international relations, the Greco-Turkish war, etc?

0 Comments
2024/11/27
10:18 UTC

3

What if old Iraq was still around

What if Ba'athist Iraq was still around? I'm glad it's not, but it kind of kept Iran in check. Would they be bros now? Or would one have killed the other. Would they both be nuclear nations? How would it be today, do you think Israel would not be at war with hamas and hezbollah, or would the world be much much worse?

3 Comments
2024/11/26
14:30 UTC

3

What if Ananda Mahidol survived his assassination attempt? How would Thailand develop politically, socially, and economically during the post-war and cold war era? And how would it affect the Vietnam War?

In the post-war era the army used the assassination of the King as a pretense to seize power. But what if the King survived and it was revealed the army tried to kill him? How would Thailand develop politically, socially, and economically during the post-war and cold war era?

Thailand - Postwar Crisis, Phibunsongkhram, Democracy | Britannica

0 Comments
2024/11/25
12:44 UTC

2

What if Doggerland still Existed and the Indo-European Migrations never Occurred at All?

(Combining Two Alternate History Scenarios* together into One ) Doggerland + Indo-European Migrations never happened - POD = The Botai Culture or another Similar culture uses horseback travel to expand and subjugate the Indo-Europeans before they migrate into Anatolia or the Iranian Plateau for example.

How do you guys believe European history would shift and change if the Indo-Europeans never existed?

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://preview.redd.it/how-do-you-guys-believe-european-history-would-shift-and-v0-bfhrwkhn3poa1.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=bfdf804929d922e5d6bac55a71a1a5bf6a08ab1c

https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/how-do-you-guys-believe-european-history-would-shift-and-change-if-the-indo-europeans-never-existed.553270/

On a side note; Something I haven't mentioned in past Non-Indo-European alternate history posts is that Middle Eastern-style Cultures may exist in Southeastern Europe especially in the Southern & Eastern Balkans/Alternate Greece. In this alternate non-indo-european Doggerland, A Vasconic-speaking ethnic group or multiple ''Vasconic peoples'' are going to be living in this alternate Doggerland. (but I could be wrong) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasconic_languages // Etruscan Civilization would expand to maybe encompass most or all of Italy and would also be a big cultural influencer for the peoples of Western Europe (including Doggerland), Central Europe and the Western Balkans. Though I doubt the Etruscans would have expanded out of the Italian Peninsula to form a massive empire like the Romans though. The (non-hellenized) Etruscans would likely influence the peoples of the Baden Culture and Cotofeni Culture to start building kingdoms/or republics and city-states. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden_culture / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co%C8%9Bofeni_culture 

Also Uralic-speaking peoples similar to the indo-european Tocharians of our timeline and ‘‘Oxusian people’’ (people of the Bactria-Morgiana Archaeological Complex or Oxus Civilization, or at least their descendants) would likely inhabit Central Asia alongside some Yeniseians before the Turkic migrations. / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRBwWZs3W0Q

I am going to honest, I am not sure who would replace the Persians in a non-indo-iranian Iranian Plateau to fill their historical ‘‘niche’’. Who do you guys think will replace them? If the Hurrians for example are more numerous maybe they would become this timeline’s persians?? The Armenian Highlands might be called the ‘Arattan Highlands or Udian Highlands’ in this timeline. South Asia would be an even more complex smorgasbord* of Tibeto-Burman ethnolinguistic groups/Austroasiatic speaking peoples and conceivably remnants of the IVC (indus Valley Civilization) let’s call them ‘’Harappans’’ with their unique language or multiple Harappan languages maybe they would be the equivalent to Rajasthanis, Indus Kohistanis and Punjabis in this timeline. Other Dravidian peoples would live in this alternate South Asia of course.

The Brahuis may become populous and unique language isolates would probably still exist like the Nihali language which might viewed like Basque today. The Helmand culture people/people of Shahr-e Sukteh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahr-e_Sukhteh (I would call them ‘’Mundigakis’’ after the archaeological site of mundigak, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mundigak ) might be this timeline’s version of Hazaras, Pashtuns & Balochs for example. Anyways, the neighboring Bronze Age cultures to the east of the IVC would probably just be culturally and linguistically absorbed by the Harappans eventually. Another thing to mention is that, previously I had speculated that a language family of Elamite-related languages called ‘’Elamoic languages’’ might exist in this alternate timeline if true then the Mundigakis might be an elamoic ethnic group, but if Elamite truly is a language isolate as we think today then the Mundigakis might either speak a language isolate or be linguistically related to the Harappans. In terms of religious affiliation, I think a Hinduism-ish religion would still appear I would call it ‘Agamism’ or ‘Agamarism’ (adherents - Agamaris or Agamists*) named after the Agamas in Hinduism who apparently have a partial non-vedic origin so this religion would be a fusion of Dravidian Folk religions with IVC (Harappan) religion I think, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_folk_religion . Northern India (Meluhha) I am guessing would be more egalitarian at least compared to the caste-ridden south Asia of our timeline (On the other hand, maybe not Meluhha might still become highly socially stratified but in different ways compared to our own history). Meaning there might be greater socioeconomic mobility and potentially more meritocracy in military affairs which could possibly mean that ‘’India’’ or really Meluhha would be more able to resist/push back various invasions throughout OTL Indian history and South Asia would be able to draw more military leaders and fighters from a larger portion of the South Asian population rather than just the Kshatriyas (or rather than mostly the Kshatriyas). I wonder if India would be more expansionist without the Caste System outside of South Asia. Anyways the Adivasis of this ATL Meluhha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasi would be a collection of ancient Meluhhan hunter-gatherers, some Harappans, some Dravidians, Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burman speaking tribes. There would be more (pre-indo-european) PIE Iberians and Tartessians would be exist as well in this timeline. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberians / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartessos / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_folk_religion / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagros_Mountains#History / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUGhtEi5O0Y

Back to Iran; I am thinking of Hurrian dominance over Iran with a zoroastrianism-esque religion called "kumarbism" based on the kumarbi cycle and I am calling this Iran- "khurritamti". The Practitioner's of the kumarbism religion called "kumarbians" likely would be an Achaemenid-equivalent empire in the form of the Hurrian "Shubrian Empire" populated mostly by ethnic Hurrians, then by elamites, ellipians, georgians, mannaeans, assyrians, marhasians, some oxusians, egyptians, babylonians, hattians, minoans (?), pelasgians or talakyans (pre-greek substrate speakers), udi people, urartians, some nubians, arameans, some arabs, turukkaeans, some harappans in western meluhha (indus valley civilization people or grouping of indus valley civilization peoples), mundigakis (helmand culture people), etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrian_religion#Cycle_of_Kumarbi / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rulers_of_the_pre-Achaemenid_kingdoms_of_Iran / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Greek_substrate / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleo...edia/File:Map_of_Paleo-European_Languages.png (Meluhha = Alt South Asia)

In addition, some Libyans would be in the Hurrian shubrian-ruled Egypt and other peoples of this alternate hurrian Iran* might be : Namaris, Zamuans (named after zamua), Lullubians (related to the hurrians?), Zakharans (zayandeh culture people?), Gilzanis, and Zikirti people (a mannaean sub-group?), etc. These are all named after the pre-achaemenid kingdoms of iran. (but specifics are hard to know exactly) Hurrianization exists instead of persianization in this timeline and we would see Hurrianized Turkic empires/kingdoms in the "khurrian plateau" (instead of Iranian plateau). Islam(if* still existed) would be either culturally babylonian or culturally hurrian in the east, also we could see "hurri-meluhhan culture" in south Asia (instead of indo-persianate culture). This alternate iran can also be called "Hourria* or Churria" not just Khurritamti.

Moreover, I think the Early European Farmer Cultures of Europe would have been likely absorbed into waves of Uralic-speaking peoples migrating westward. If more Vasconic-speaking peoples influenced earlier by Rasenna survive, then Europe might look like this - Vasconic ethnic groups in Doggerland/Iberia/modern-day France, then the Western Balkans is populated by two or more peoples descended from the Baden Culture/Cotofeni Culture speaking languages distantly related to the Talakyans (let's call this set of languages ''Cernavodan languages'' (or ''Danubian languages'', though danubian languages could just be a subgroup branch* of the Uralic languages around this alternate Europe's Danube river) while the rest of Europe minus OTL greece (inhabited by the ''Talakyans'') is populated by Uralic-speaking peoples & later some Turkic peoples like Tatars. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cernavodă_culture / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnP23lQonC4 / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus_hunter-gatherer#Central_Asia_and_the_Indian_subcontinent

How could histories, cultures, languages, technological developments, social dynamics, economics, demographics, politics, geography/geopolitics, prehistory, protohistory, civilizations, religions, plant life, animals, the weather/climates, fashion/clothing, cuisines, writing systems, etc be affected in this alt timeline? So what do you think would happen?

0 Comments
2024/11/24
16:41 UTC

2

Most important single profession to change history if sent back to Augustan Rome.

Just a hypothetical situation. What single profession would be most valuable if sent back in time to early Roman Empire. My opinion is a medical professional such as a doctor. Basic hygiene improvement due to knowledge of germ theory, coupled with knowledge on immunisations may be able to avoid the disaster of the Antonine plagues which is one of the greatest contributory factors in the decline of the empire.

But I can also see a variety of other professions having a huge impact which may be more important such as; chemist, metallurgy, economist, religious expert, engineer.

3 Comments
2024/11/24
06:42 UTC

3

If the events of For All Mankind had played out in RL, what scientific advancements/regressions would be made?

So in the alternate history of For All Mankind advancements have been made in space technology, Energy technology, and EVs. However, the Internet does not exist because the technology to create it has not been declassified by the government.

All of this has made me wonder, what other scientific advancements/regressions have been made in this timeline/universe?

I mean take robotics for example. I remember that there is a cameo of Battle Bots in season 3 episode 2. And I can imagine that NASA and private industries would make advances in robotic hardware to assist humans with tasks in space, but in terms of software I don't think we will be seeing anything resembling an AI anytime soon.

Then there's developments in food science. With Mankind finally colonizing the stars they are going to need to ensure that these colonies have a stable food supply. I know that the show already explores ways to grow plants but what about ways to raise or make "meat"? Would humanity make advances in aquaponics/aquaculture and entomophagy? Or would they make advances focused on creating plant based and cultured meats to create a reliable supply of protein?

And what about genetic engineering? Would this still face the same hurdles and restrictions that it faced in the OTL? Or would world governments back this research on the grounds that they need to create better livestock, crops, and even humans in order to advance space colonization?

Finally there is the development of biofuels. I have heard that certain biofuels, like algae and ammonia, are good for powering planes and ships. And I find it hard to believe that entire fleets of aircraft and watercraft would be converted into all-electric vehicles. Do you think they would build the necessary facilities and infrastructure to allow aircraft and watercraft to be powered by biofuels?

0 Comments
2024/11/20
04:14 UTC

8

What if the Rashidi Dynasty defeated the House of Saud unified Most of Arabia?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashidi_dynasty

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Jabal_Shammar - The Kingdom of Rashid Arabia (KRA) timeline

(What if the Rashidi Dynasty defeated the House of Saud and** unified Most of Arabia? or What If Everything went Perfect for the Rashidis?) Rashid Arabia's flag is just like the one it had in OTl except that there is a yellow sword* in the centre of the flag stretching from the crescent to near the edge of the flag adopted from the Saudis which is used to differentiate the Rashidi Arabian flag from the Ottoman flag. The emblem for the country's coat of arms consists of a red palm tree with a yellow star above it and a yellow sword underneath it.

POD - in this alternate scenario timeline; the Central Powers defeat the Allies with the US remaining neutral and so the Ottomans support the Rashidis in conquering most of the Arabian Peninsula except Oman and Yemen, which would be under a Ottoman client Sultanate, the ''Sultanate of Yemen'' to partially appease anti-Turkish elements there instead of re-incorporating it as a Vilayet. Kuwait and Bahrain are both part of the Ottoman Empire. As for Qatar, it is also a part of the Ottoman Empire while the Trucial States are either conquered by Rashid Arabia or they become independent, but align themselves with the Ottomans and German Empire. The Ottomans re-asserted control over Egypt and Sudan plus also took over modern-day Eritrea and Somalia also. The capital of the country ''Rashid Arabia'' is Ha'il and Rashid Arabia is a Unitary Islamic Absolute Monarchy. They enter into a free trade agreement with the Ottoman Empire and when Crude Oil is discovered, they are able to exploit it with Ottoman and German technical expertise and become fabulously wealthy creating a Sovereign wealth fund for the people of Rashid Arabia (the ''Rashidi Investment Fund') and a citizen's dividend. The Rashid Arabian government also invests in desalination, a national railway network, a desert greening mega-project with their petroleum cash, invests in a small mining industry of gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, tungsten, lead, sulfur, phosphate, soapstone, and feldspar mining, as well as making a mandatory secular and islamic educational system. Islamic Banking or Sharia-compliant finance would also be a big part of Rashidi Arabia's economy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_banking_and_finance . The government also creates a Constitution and Parliament with nominal legislative powers inspired by the CUP-led Ottoman Empire's Constitution called the Basic Constitution of Rashid Arabia & General Assembly of Rashid Arabia with collective bargaining for various interest groups in the country. Rashid Arabia also modernizes it's military with Ottoman and German weaponry. I think Rashid Arabia (assuming it was copying the Ottomans) would probably have a Corporatist class collaboration-based market economy with perhaps some limited manufacturing. In terms of education, Scientific advancements/achievements would be likely promoted a lot and the Rashid Arabian Military might have a fanatical doctrine similar to nation in arms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0ttihadism#Nation_in_arms feasibly paired with some Islamonationalist sentiment. Furthermore, the Rashidis (and by extension the Ottomans under Committee of Union and Progress rule) could have developed a unique philosophical idea I am calling ''Islamic Scientism'' which blends Scientism with Mu'tazila thought/Sunni Islam ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientism / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu%27tazilism ) almost like Quranism in contrast to the Wahhabism of the Saudis. I think their armed forces could be organized like this; Rashid Arabian Army, Rashid Arabian Navy, Rashid Arabian Aviation Force, Rashid Arabian Gendarmerie, Rashid Arabian Expeditionary Force, Rashid Arabian Special Force, Rashid Arabian Royal Guards (for protecting the House of Rashid from being overthrown and it serves as a counter-guerrilla reserve army too), Rashid Arabian Border Guard and the Shammar Strategic Missile Force. Since the holocaust wouldn't happen and German Jews like Albert Einstein's family would remain in Germany so it would likely be the first country to develop nuclear weapons followed by the United States and the USSR (if it still existed) so the Ottoman Empire could have become a nuclear weapon-armed country with them placing some nukes inside Rashid Arabia like how the US did with Turkey or it would help Rashid Arabia to develop nuclear weapons of it's own to help counter/deter the Soviet Union as they both would be anti-communist and staunch monarchists. So Rashidi Arabia would have a mutual defense pact with the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman client state - The Sultanate of Yemen and perhaps the German Empire in the interwar period all the way into a future WW2-style conflict. Rashid Arabia also invests in solar power and nuclear energy as part of it's energy modernization program in the 21st century. The country strengthens private property rights to attract foreign economic investments from the USA, Ottoman Empire and German Empire. Finally the King of Rashid Arabia has the title ''Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques'' and in the 21st century, the Rashid Arabian government constructs a walkable Arabesque mega-city in the Hejaz with a high-speed railway network and modern amenities-fitted Arabesque architecture which becomes a wonder of the modern world called ''Jawharat Aram'' named after the Iram of the Pillars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iram_of_the_Pillars . Another Arabesque city is built in the Hail region this time named ''Jawharat Jabal'' or Jabal Jewel called because of it's dazzling beauty. Rashid Arabia invests in industrialization and aquaculture including polyculture kelp farming in the Red sea & Persian gulf to diversify it's economy and better feed it's people. The country uses seaweed fertilizer created from the kelp farming industry in the agricultural sector with edible seaweed (or sea vegetables) becoming a greater part of Rashid Arabian Cuisine, uses the seaweeds that are grown in the production of chemicals & for algae biofuel and also exports seaweed fertilizers to it's neighbors, Somalia, Eritrea, Pakistan and North Africa. While the state-owned petroleum and natural gas company of Rashid Arabia is called the ''Sublime Rashidi Oil Corporation'' (sroc instead of saudi aramco) after the Sublime Porte. The Ottomans no longer hold the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques because of the shift to Turkish Nationalism, in addition to the Rashidis building a Mu'tazila university called the Royal Rashidi Mu'tazila University. One of the main goals of the Rashid Arabian government is to build a Supranational Pan-Islamic Alliance of Muslim countries world wide and another is to revive the Islamic Golden Age in the modern day including sponsoring ''Neo-Mu'tazila'' educational institutions from Indonesia to Morocco. The Rashid Arabian government also invests in improving rural development and in particular communal seaweed farming towns along the Red sea coast and Persian Gulf coast are constructed with modernized irrigation systems similar to the New Village Movement of South Korean President Park Chung Hee in our timeline. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saemaul_Undong In the modern-day, Rashid Arabia would have a space exploration agency - the ''Rashid Arabian Space Agency'' in cooperation with NASA, JAXA and the Ottoman Space Agency and might possess it's own satellite internet constellation ''RashidSatnet''. The Barzan Palace wouldn't have destroyed and it would be outfitted modern infrastructure today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barzan_Palace / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shammar

How could history, economic development, politics, international relations/geopolitics, borders, demographics, crude oil discovery/exploitation, etc be affected? But what do you guys think? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Golden_Age#Philosophy / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Averroes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_of_Union_and_Progress / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0ttihadism / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0ttihadism#Cult_of_Science / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan /Arabesque Architecture => https://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrEo93HtGhmr1QulxJNBQx.;_ylu=c2VjA3NlYXJjaARzbGsDYXNzaXN0;_ylc=X1MDMjExNDcxNzAwNQRfcgMyBGZyA21jYWZlZQRmcjIDc2EtZ3Atc2VhcmNoBGdwcmlkA2J2VklFSGY4UWV5a0NMQzBpNTdRTEEEbl9yc2x0AzAEbl9zdWdnAzEEb3JpZ2luA3VrLmltYWdlcy5zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMxBHBxc3RyA2FyYWJlc3F1ZSBhcmNoaQRwcXN0cmwDMTUEcXN0cmwDMjIEcXVlcnkDYXJhYmVzcXVlJTIwYXJjaGl0ZWN0dXJlBHRfc3RtcAMxNzE4MTM4MTY5BHVzZV9jYXNlAw--?p=arabesque+architecture&fr=mcafee&fr2=sa-gp-search&ei=UTF-8&x=wrt&type=E210GB91082G0 / https://www.pinterest.com/adamdeep/modern-arabesque-architecture/ / https://www.aquaculturenorthamerica.com/seaweed-farming-gains-traction/ / https://www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2021/02/28/five-reasons-why-sea-vegetables-could-be-the-future-of-produce/

0 Comments
2024/11/19
21:33 UTC

2

What if Puerto Rico had remained an AUTONOMOUS province of Spain

Alternate history the maine doesn't explode So there's no catalyst for the Spanish-American war And Puerto Rico Is remains a part of the Spanish Empire. What happens. Does Puerto Rico remain a part of Spain or does it overtime transition to becoming an independent country.

0 Comments
2024/11/19
01:54 UTC

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