/r/HistoryWhatIf

Photograph via snooOG

Welcome to HistoryWhatIf! We're here to explore alternate history scenarios in interesting ways.

Posting and Commenting Rules (more details are here):

  1. "Yes, And!" Please read questions charitably. Try not to shoot down posts too much. If there's a way to read the question that allows an interesting answer, go for it.

  2. Keep it historical. Questions should be set in the past, so no current events (6 years is a nice limit), and they should not require magic or time-travel to occur. Offer context if you can.

  3. Be civil. Don't insult people, don't correct spelling or grammar, and don't feed trolls - report them instead.

  4. No low-effort posts, which means answers should be more than single-sentence replies. It also means no image macros, no bots, no joke-only posts, etc. and no personal politics, conspiracism, snark, etc.

  5. Use the [Geography] tag to indicate points of divergence based on different landscapes. Use the [DBWI] tag to signify double blind what-ifs. Use the [Challenge] tag for posts where you're asking how something could have happened different rather than what if it happened differently.


Related Groups

/r/HistoryWhatIf

124,274 Subscribers

2

What if the Spanish Empire made it to WW1 and joined the Central Powers?

Arriba España

2 Comments
2024/03/12
08:50 UTC

5

What if America had annexed Japan following WWII?

This question is more or less straight-forwards. I'm well aware that, IRL, there was 0 chance of this happening for a massive variety of reasons. I'm curious as to the 'what-if' though. When offered the unconditional surrender America agrees and, at first things follow our timeline more or less, but then Japan slowly becomes, well, more and more 'western' until the post-war occupation turns into Japan effectively becoming an over-seas territory, then an actual territory, then it (or parts of it) seeking state-hood.
Once again, I want to stress, I'm more curious as to the 'what-if' aspect here. I am well aware this is unrealistic and I'm more just interested in the scenario and both what the outcome would likely have been and what deviations from our timeline would have happened as a result. Like, say, how the USSR would have reacted to Japanese territory/statehood.

7 Comments
2024/03/12
07:42 UTC

6

What if Lincoln skewered Booth with a Katana?

Okay, so as it's well known, Abraham Lincoln and the Samurai existed at the same time. What if in his youth, he went to Japan and was trained in the art of the sword, and then when John Wilkes Booth came up to assassinate him, Lincoln just teleported behind him, said something cool like "Sic semper tyran-this" and ran him through with his blade? How would this affect the future trajectory of the United States, and would people finally accept the superiority of the katana over western swords?

3 Comments
2024/03/12
04:40 UTC

2

How would World War 1, World War 2, and the Cold War played out if the Confederate States of America won the American Civil War? (1863 - 1991)

Let's say the Confederacy captures D.C. after the Battle of Gettysburg and wins the Civil War, since they have control of Washington and captured federal weapons, they become a superpower.
How would World War 1, World War 2 and the Cold War play out had the Confederacy won the Civil War?

Would World War 3 start?

4 Comments
2024/03/12
02:31 UTC

20

Meta: You are Grigory Rasputin

January 1, 1914. Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire.

You awake with a start from a terrible dream. Or perhaps it was the magic mushrooms. But in any case, the images were extremely clear -a world gone to hell over the next 6 months, the collapse of the Russian Empire, godless heretics seizing power, and your own eventual demise by a cabal of jealous nobles.

It doesn't take a prophet to know that neither yourself or the Russian government are popular. Unrest has been growing while the gilded aristocrats pretend nothing has changed inside their porcelain bubble. You've tried to speak your mind on some occasions. Heavens know that you could care less about court decorum.

But you are also guilty of indulging in the temptations of court life- wealth, power, and privilege mean an endless stream of young ladies ( some even nobility with the dangers of enraged fathers, brothers, husbands, and even sons threatening you) flocking to your doors. Even some church elders have denounced you as a fraud.

Perhaps they are right. You were not always religious. As a young man you were indifferent to religion. Until the day you had the vision of the Virgin Mary. Or at least that's what you hope it was.

Some of your detractors claim it was not a vision from Christ but something far more sinister, a throwback to the occult entities of pagan times. A time of spirits and witches. You recall swearing to serve this vision in exchange for the ability to do good and make a difference. The undeniable charisma which has carried you all the way to the imperial throne could not have been all of your own doing. But whether divine or infernal in origin you feel the need to do something.

After all, you have the adoration of the Emperor and Empress themselves. What do you do?

10 Comments
2024/03/12
01:19 UTC

45

What if Japan won World War II?

I know the US was far stronger than Japan but so were China and Russia, Japan managed to defeat them in the late 19th/early 20th Century. Say the aircraft carriers and facilities at Pearl Harbor are destroyed and after the string of defeats they suffer IRL the Americans sue for peace (not likely I know but whatever). Does Japan become the #2 economy in the world by the 1980s as it did in OTL? Does it have the same cultural influence it does now? Does anime etc still become a thing? Would they still have their empire today? Do they win their war in China, what happens there if not? Would they be better or worse off today if they won? How would losing affect the Americans? And how would it affect the war in Europe? Plus anything else I've not thought of.

74 Comments
2024/03/11
23:51 UTC

4

What if Nintendo and Sega made smarter decisions during the 5th gen?

By smarter decisions, Nintendo's would obviously be using CDs for the N64. Although idk if this would've made them #1 during that era due to the N64 being hard to develop for. As for Sega, besides the disastrous surprise launch... If they handled their hardware differently, I feel like they would've had a better chance. Like during development to have focused on 3D to begin with, and maybe have the hardware based on their arcade model 2 tech. I predict it would've been easier to have developed for, but idk if it would've been stronger than the PS1 or not.

1 Comment
2024/03/11
23:40 UTC

2

What if the International Clearing Union and Bancor Proposal Succeeded?

If the International Clearing Union and Bancor Proposal succeeded, then how could politics, geopolitics and economics/economic development be affected?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Clearing_Union

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bancor

0 Comments
2024/03/11
23:13 UTC

3

What if the Umayyad Caliphate conquered Tibet?

1 Comment
2024/03/11
21:18 UTC

2

What if the USSR took over all of Finland during the Winter War?

It's annexed and made into another Soviet Republic, just like Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were

1 Comment
2024/03/11
20:47 UTC

0

Would the Soviet Union collapsed sooner had JFK not backed down and lost the Cuban missile crisis?

8 Comments
2024/03/11
18:56 UTC

72

What if the Soviets invaded North America in 1980s?

I understand that this is not a likely scenario from a realistic scope of things especially since the Soviets did not have the capability to do so. But for the sake of a good story and imagination...
If you had to create a scenario where the Soviets invaded North America during the 80s in a cold war gone hot, how would you plot out the story and the invasion of America? What cool stuff comes to mind?
What type of scenario would be somewhat believable?
Think of movies like Red Dawn for example. Alternate the timeline of history to make it more believable if needed.
Other Points:
- How many men are needed?
- What are the key points to go after and control first?
- What's the logistical situation?
- How would NATO respond?

92 Comments
2024/03/11
18:54 UTC

4

What if WWI was delayed by a decade.

What if the war began in 1924 instead of 1914?

11 Comments
2024/03/11
17:28 UTC

13

What if Iraq hadU not gone after Kuwait?

One of the main reasons Iraq went after Kuwait is because of the economic devastation inflicted upon it in the Iraq-Iran war. Say that the Iraq-Iran war still happens and roughly the same level of economic devastation still happens, here let’s imagine two separate scenarios:

•Iraq does the equivalent of licking its wounds instead of invading anybody.

•The Iraq-Iran war doesn’t devastate the Iraq’s economy as much so it doesn’t ‘need’ to invade anyone (Say Khameini accepts Saddam’s initial peace offer or something).

4 Comments
2024/03/11
17:12 UTC

5

What if after the civil war confederates left America in mass and formed filibuster states across Latin America and Russian Alaska.

Assume they manage to survive until atleast the mid 1870s (Russia never sells Alaska to America)

14 Comments
2024/03/11
16:48 UTC

3

What if anarcho-syndicalists and KPD allied when Hitler went into power?

As you all may or may not know, anarcho-syndicalists had a plan to start a general and nationwide strike if Hitler gained power, in order to protect democracy. However, they were arrested and executed just before initiating the strike.

Moreover, the KPD was one of the most resisting groups in Nazi Germany. Coups were set up but all failed.

What if, in this timeline, KPD and anarcho-syndicalist allied against Hitler? Considering they weren't arrested, would a general strike actually impede his ability to govern? Would Germany fall to a revolution? Would WW2 never happen? Would a civil war break out? I'd love to hear your thoughts and perhaps, theories.

3 Comments
2024/03/11
16:26 UTC

3

What would happen if Indochina peninsula was China's territory instead of Xinjiang?

Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore became territories of the People's Republic of China, but lost Xinjiang. Xinjiang is an independent country.

2 Comments
2024/03/11
15:58 UTC

2

HWI: AHC: Make Mexico a superpower but also terribly evil (think WMIT or Decades of Darkness)

What Madness and This and Decades of Darkness are 2 alternatehistory.com scenarios with the premise "What if America was massive and evil", make a Mexican scenario where Mexico is just like WMIT or DoD America, expansionist, populist and highly autocratic (bonus points if they get the entire Gran Patria) and i will link the timelines i am reffering to

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/DecadesOfDarkness

https://www.alternatehistory.com/wiki/doku.php?id=timelines:what_madness_is_this

0 Comments
2024/03/11
15:23 UTC

3

[DBWI] What if the USA won the Space Race?

As we know, in 1968 the USSR shocked the world with the infamous "Lunar May Day" broadcast sent from the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon. But what if the Apollo Project had actually gone right and the US got to the moon first?

4 Comments
2024/03/11
15:13 UTC

13

What if the US invaded Iraq in the first Gulf War and not 2001?

US doctrine in 1991 changes so that not only are they liberating Kuwait, they're also "liberating" Iraq.

How does this affect the coalition and the future of the war?

14 Comments
2024/03/11
13:21 UTC

43

What would happen if a fascist party (like Nazi Germany or Musolini's Italy) came to power in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union?

In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed despite the majority of Russians protesting. The collapse of the Soviet Union was a great humiliation for the Russian people. Not only that, Russians also had to endure a hellish life under Yelstin's rule. Therefore, it is possible for a fascist party to rule in Russia.

The situation in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union was very similar to Germany after World War I. Both countries lost a lot of territory. Both countries are facing serious economic crises. Both countries suffered extreme humiliation.

40 Comments
2024/03/11
13:14 UTC

0

What if Frank and Louie never died?

Frank and Louie was a two-faced cat who lived from September 8, 1999 to December 4, 2014. He was born with two faces. He was sent in at just one day old to be euthanized but survived and became an cat adult. He was owned by Marty Stevens.

What if he lived to be 25 today? What would it be like?

1 Comment
2024/03/11
12:47 UTC

76

What if JFK shot back?

We all know one of the biggest failures of the Kennedy administration was the President's inability to protect his own personal safety. What if Kennedy had actually listened (to me), taken a firearm to Dallas and successfully took down his would-be assassin after evading his shots? How would this impact the rest of his presidency, or the 1964 election?

54 Comments
2024/03/11
11:26 UTC

56

What if Marx was right?

What if instead of communist uprisings happening in poor agrarian countries like Russia and China, they actually happened in western industrialized nations like France, Britain, Italy etc like how Marx predicted? How would world history change if said uprisings actually succeeded?

For the same of this scenario let’s say that this happens shortly into the interwar period but you can decide when it happens if you like it better that way.

56 Comments
2024/03/11
11:13 UTC

4

If JFK was never assassinated, how different would America had been should he had served two full terms?

Mainly thinking about Vietnam and the Cold War in general as well as domestic policy compared to LBJ.

4 Comments
2024/03/11
09:37 UTC

21

If history had been different and the Triple Entente had lost WW1, do you think someone like Hitler would have emerged among these countries?

As we know, one of the reasons why the Hitler phenomenon was possible was because of the strict and a little bit bully Treaty of Versailles and the humiliation of Germany. But if the situation had been different and countries like England or France had been on the other side of the table, with the same conditions and reprisals, do you think we would have had a British Hitler or a French Mussolini?

50 Comments
2024/03/11
07:42 UTC

1

What if Queen Mary of England had children with Phillip II?

1 Comment
2024/03/11
05:33 UTC

25

What if the *Bismarck* made it safely to France in 1941?

I've been working on an alternate timeline historical fiction story for close to ten years now, though I abandoned much of the original work following Covid. In the new version, I use the survival of *Bismarck* as a way to take the main faces of the Nazi party along with Heydrich and Eichmann off the board just before the early start of Operation Barbarossa, which leads to the recovery of early drafts of the next steps of the Holocaust and the notion of the Final Solution. I then have it advance to full denazification while enforcing full protections of civilian populations in occupied territory and reparations to populations affected by the discrimination. I have my own follow up timeline on how social and military events might unfold after that point, but I'm curious what anyone here might think on this idea.

42 Comments
2024/03/11
04:08 UTC

2

When WW1 would have started, if Franz Ferdinand wasn't killed in June 1914?

WW1 was inevitable by 1914, but the assasination of Franz Ferdinand accelerated the ignition of WW1. So, when WW1 would have started, if Franz Ferdinand wasn't killed in Sarajevo? And how this WW1 would have changed compared to OTL WW1?

3 Comments
2024/03/11
03:15 UTC

4

The leaks to the USSR during the Manhattan Project don't occur and the Soviets are unable to successfully develop nuclear weapons. Further, England and France are the only other countries holding weapons as of 1980.

3 Comments
2024/03/11
00:47 UTC

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