Alternate history scenarios you've never seen that would be interesting to explore

[Zontar]

Now we've probably all seen the standard 3 for alternate history scenarios: what if Germany won WW2, what if the Confederacy has won the Civil War, what if the British won the Revolutionary war.

These three scenarios make up an easy 90% of alternate history fiction, so much so that when "decent sized town from 2000 Virginia gets sent to 1632 Germany" feels like a gust of fresh air.

So this thread is to talk about interesting ideas for alternate history fiction that you'd like to see.

For me, an interesting one is this: the Aeolipile. Also known as this thing.

Not really anything of use, but it was a steam powered device which looked nice and showed the fundamentals for how steam power works. During the Greek Classical Period. It may have taken a long time for practical application to be developed, but had the Greeks (and later Romans) looked further into the technology, either because of an academy that wanted to learn more about it or a simple man with wealth taking an interest, the idea of very basic steam power being used for different purposes centuries or even millennia before they where in real life is a scenario I'd very much like to explore. Sure it probably wouldn't realistically get to "Romans having steam powered shits" but it would be a very different world from the one we know simply from the butterfly effect.

So, what scenarios would you guys like to see explored?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

It's interesting how all these alternate history scenarios always hinge on the outcome of a war. How about more scenarios based on if a war hadn't had happened in the first place? What if there hadn't been any world wars?

 

[Nickolai77]

Sure it probably wouldn't realistically get to "Romans having steam powered shits" but it would be a very different world from the one we know simply from the butterfly effect.

Still, one could probably write a very entertaining alternative history novel of some sort of steam-punk Roman-Empire, with factories, steamships and railroads encroaching all over ancient Europe and forcing the Roman Empire to expand ever-eastwards to satisfy Roman industries insatiable demand for slaves to work down the mines and in the factories. It could make a pretty good dystopian novel.


Some examples from the top of my head: If Pontius Pilate had decided not to give into the pressure of the Jewish Pharisees, followed his conscience and spared Jesus' life. A world without Christianity would be insanely different, or would a similar religion fill the void?

Or, if Imperial Germany had been less willing in allowing communist revolutionaries like Lenin return to Russia to instigate the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Arguably without Lenin, the Bolsheviks would not have seized power. This may have changed the outcome of WW1 if Russia stayed fighting to the bitter end, or more likely stopped Russia from becoming a socialist state.

 

[Esotera]

One of my favourite alternative histories is a world where the Roman Empire didn't collapse, and continued until the modern day. Basically there was never a dark age so technology is more advanced, and the world is united under one leadership. But there is also the backdrop that non-Romans are not necessarily liked, and there are still slaves. I believe someone wrote a book based on this premise.

 

[Vegosiux]

I want to explore the alternate history in which Tesla went "You know what, go fuck yourself, Eddie", managed to rally some support and funding, and kept his inventions his own. But I suppose he just wasn't that kind of guy, he was a creator, not an entrepreneur or warrior...

 

[Aris Khandr]

I would love to see an alternate history story about the outcome of a failed Reconquista. Had the Muslims not been ejected from Spain, and thus no Columbus or Spanish Inquisition, how would the modern world look today? Would Islam be less prone to extremism? How would a strong Muslim state have affected British and French colonialism post-WWI? Would there even be a state of Israel now? What would be the status of the "New World"?

 

[SckizoBoy]

What if there hadn't been any world wars?

Depends on how one define's 'world war'... the first 'world war' in a limited sense of the victor's perspective of who and where was involved might well have been the Second Punic War (i.e. the western & mid-Mediterranean was the world to the mid-Republic Romans). Ignoring this, the first true 'world war' was probably the Seven Years War (misnomer, lasted nine years, but the label Nine Years' War had already been taken), and actually took up fighting across a greater geographic reach than the First World War.

Anyway, on the basis that you mean the First/Second World Wars, the question is, by what method, other than the directly obvious (i.e. keep Archduke FranzFerdinand and his family alive, though politics shows this only accelerated, as opposed to caused the war) would you prevent them?

I would love to see an alternate history story about the outcome of a failed Reconquista. Had the Muslims not been ejected from Spain, and thus no Columbus or Spanish Inquisition, how would the modern world look today? Would Islam be less prone to extremism? How would a strong Muslim state have affected British and French colonialism post-WWI? Would there even be a state of Israel now? What would be the status of the "New World"?

That's an interesting one... Spain would easily be the intellectual centre of Europe, at least for a good few decades. Though why British/French colonialism post-WWI? One would expect there to be an effect almost from the off insomuch that colonialism itself would be a different sort of affair. The Barbary States would be different, if they even came into being, Portugal's maritime power would be different (how, I'm not sure), the Stadtholders' position as then bankers of Europe would be severely threatened etc. etc. Yes... interesting... maybe you could go back further a little and ask: was Rodrigo de Vivar actually of benefit to Christian/Muslim relations in Spain?

OT: Mine relates quite closely to the first reply - What if Frederick III reigned not for 99 days but 99 months, and without the effects of throat cancer? There is a certain subtlety to analysing what happens when you extend a life not to be found when you cut it short.

 

[TheIronRuler]

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I would like to see the Swiss win in 1515 and continue with their expansionism, taking over Burgundian land, Milanese, Savoyard and Swabian territories, evolving into a massive blob of a republic that still exports highly trained mercenaries as its top export.

The Reformation reaching the Catholic Church and being answered in time before anything radical happened, thus preventing the further disintegration of Christianity.

The prevention of the Split between the western and eastern churches following the council of Nicaea. What if Christianity was all one?

The conversion of Vladimir the Great to Islam or Judaism instead of Christianity, and thus the transformation of the Russian horde into an Islamic caliphate or a Jewish greater empire.

More Modern - Failure of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Carving up of Ottomans (failure of Ataturk), Imperial Dominance (De-Colonizing never happened), Persistence of the Chinese Empire.... Rio De La Plata, Grab Columbia - Manifest Destiny including Canada and northern Mexico...

So many things could have gone differently, I can't stop to speculate...

 

[Colour Scientist]

Focusing on issues close to home, I would love to see an alternative history where the Catholic Church didn't have the level of control it had in Ireland in the 20th century.

I'd be curious to see if we would have had similar social issues or problems with institutionalisation. I wonder how different our political system and constitution would be now.

 

[Reiper]

I would be interested to see an alternate history where the Byzantine empire did not fall to the encroaching turkish horde, and became a major colonial and later western power. Greece and the Balkans would also be much different because of this.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

I'll give it a go:

What would have happened had the Persians actually defeated the Greeks? For all intents and purposes the Persians weren't nearly as bad as Herodotus made them out to be, so it would be interesting to see how western civilization would change without Greece as the major influence.

What would have happened had Hannibal taken Rome? This is a bit difficult to accept, as it would require that his men (who were worn out by that point) to take the Roman capital and for the Roman campaigns in Spain and Sicily to completely fall apart. But it would be interesting nonetheless.

What if the Mongols had succeeded at the Battle of Ain Jalut and made it into northern Africa? Admittedly very little probably would have changed in the long run, what with the Mongols hands off approach to ruling, but I do wonder if they would then have crossed into Spain at some point.

What would have happened had the Confederates marched on Washington D.C. after the First Battle of Bull Run? The only real chance the South had to win the war was to break the Norths morale as quick as possible, as there is no way they could have won any war of attrition to the vastly more industrialized North.

 

[Aris Khandr]

I would love to see an alternate history story about the outcome of a failed Reconquista. Had the Muslims not been ejected from Spain, and thus no Columbus or Spanish Inquisition, how would the modern world look today? Would Islam be less prone to extremism? How would a strong Muslim state have affected British and French colonialism post-WWI? Would there even be a state of Israel now? What would be the status of the "New World"?

That's an interesting one... Spain would easily be the intellectual centre of Europe, at least for a good few decades. Though why British/French colonialism post-WWI? One would expect there to be an effect almost from the off insomuch that colonialism itself would be a different sort of affair. The Barbary States would be different, if they even came into being, Portugal's maritime power would be different (how, I'm not sure), the Stadtholders' position as then bankers of Europe would be severely threatened etc. etc. Yes... interesting... maybe you could go back further a little and ask: was Rodrigo de Vivar actually of benefit to Christian/Muslim relations in Spain?

I mention British and French colonialism in the Middle East because one of the hallmarks of that was the Arabs constantly petitioning for support in their independence, and being ignored by not only the British and French themselves, but also their western allies and the newly formed League of Nations as well. Perhaps a Muslim Spain would have been the western voice of support that the Middle East needed. Perhaps Muslim Spain would have even allied with the Ottoman Empire and changed the course of World War I in general.

And, of course, without the Spanish patronage for Columbus, how would the Americas look today? Would Latin and South America be predominantly Muslim now? That would certainly change much of modern foreign politics.

 

[shootthebandit]

John lennon doesnt get shot. His ideas of peace and compassion spread across the globe. There are no more wars, no more greed, no more poverty and no more hatred.

Who the fuck could shoot john lennon after listening to imagine

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Another good example would be if the vikings settled america years before anyone else. There is strong evidence to support that they travelled to america

 

[Mr.Mattress]

I love Alt-History! I play A lot of Alt-History RP's (On Nation States), and CKII and EUIV give me a lot of ideas.

Here's a couple of ideas I've had floating in my head:

What if the Mongolians kept a hold on Russia?

What if the Hungarians converted to Judaism?

What if the Persians won the Persian-Arab Wars, allowing Zoroastrianism to continue flourishing in Persia/Pakistan/Transoxania?

What if the Romans never conquered Israel?

 

[InsanityRequiem]

Normally I'd go "What if Archduke Franz Ferdinand did not get killed" but I changed it. Instead, what if Austria-Hungrary went through with the Archduke's plan to turn the empire into the United States of Greater Austria and created countries for the people based upon their ethnicity instead of the persecution of Serbia for the Black Hand? It'd completely undermine the Black Hand's vocal point 'and' shows the world that Austria-Hungary are greater than those who would incite terror. Good example being Yugoslavia, under the USGA such a state wouldn't exist since the diverse minorities would have their own countries in the first place.

Another would be what if Reagan died in his assassination attempt instead of breaking the Presidential Curse?

What if President Carter did not get voted out of office?

What if the United States never expanded westward towards the Pacific Ocean, staying within the east coast and the great lakes area?

What if the vikings conquered the British Isles and never converted to Christianity?

 

[retsupurae yahtsee]

Shi Huang Ti never comes to power, and China never represses its technological and literary advancements.

Saladin III's descendents maintain control over Europe even in the present.

Language and writing as we know them are never invented, and information is communicated through colors, hand gestures and symbols. This is similar to the Octospiders in Rama, if I remember correctly.

A steampunk world where things are realistic, and thus everyone is pretty miserable because there are no electronics, cars, airplanes more advanced than they were in World War I, life support equipment except maybe respirators, etc.

A robotic society in which technology has made everything perfect and the technophobes are the villians trying to destroy the world.

Lovecraft takes over the world, and his racism, combined with his hatred for religions make for a surrealistic government.

Aliens come to our planet, see howviolent we are, and quarantine us.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

One of my favorite alternate history scenarios was presented in The Kerberos Saga (The film, manga, radio play franchise where the movie Jin-Roh takes place). It's set in an alternate history Japan, where Germany occupied the country rather than the United States.

That alone is pretty interesting, but the background information is where things get devious. It wasn't a clear cut "Nazis defeated everyone and totally conquered the earth" deal. The war dragged on, and several historically failed operations actually succeeded. Operation Valkyrie successfully saw Hitler assassinated by German officers. However, it wasn't out of a need to sue for peace, but rather to remove the psychopath. Germany was actually doing much better on the Eastern Front in the Kerberos timeline, because they developed the Protect Gear battle armor for their troops.

So mass purges during the Holocaust were cut short, and the atrocities committed on behalf of Hitler by the SS were also mitigated by a much less cooperative German High Command.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

1. What if the Bay of Pigs didn't fail?
2. What if Alexander the Great hadn't been born, or had died very very young (either works)?
3. What if Sigmund Freud had taken up cooking instead?
4. What if dinosaurs had survived the various extinction points to evolve side-by-side with mammals?

 

[Salus]

It turns out the Egyptians were right, and Ra steps down from his celestial throne to exact revenge on all us b*tches for not honoring him over the last two millenia. The deities draw straws over which mortal realms they get to rule over, and humanity is placed in a state of utter subjugation until we learn our place at the feet of the gods.