Keep someone alive...

[exessmirror]

JFK, i think the cold war would have ended a lot quicker

 

[Imthatguy]

Rasputin, sure he was a bit of a brute but what if he turned out good later on and used his influence to help people

Yeah right...

If Lenin had survived long I doubt we would have seen Stalin rise to power and all the bad shit that entailed.

there is no need for lenin.
leon trotsky was his rightful sucessor but he got robbed that title by a an orchestrated ?coup? set up by stalin.
so in this case, stalin should have died sooner.

Thats my point perhaps if Lenin's death hadn't been so abrupt...

 

[Albino Boo]

One thing that never ceases to puzzle me, though... how did Seleucus get the lion's share of the empire afterwards? He was a relative nobody in the Somatophylakes, wasn't he??

He got it because he was regarded as a safe pair of hands. Under Alexander he never got an interdependent command but commanded the silver shields so he had strong links into the elite Macedonian infantry. After Alexander's death he was appointed to command of the companion cavalry so again he built strong links to the elite of the cavalry arm. Seleucus got his position rather because he was a relative nobody and therefore wasn't a threat to the others. Similar to Stalin he used his appointments to put his own men into key roles.

 

[The Funslinger]

Hitler

I don't want to bring anyone back, but if I have to, I think he could make a fantastic leader in the right environment.

Don't think the thread's about who you want to bring back. It's more 'pick someone and predict how that would alter history'.

And I think putting Hitler in a leadership position would be a bit stupid, given the obvious... track record. It'd be the sociopolitical equivalent of waving your junk in a polar bear's face.

What he could be good for is being put in an advisory role. Guy fixed the German depression where people literally burned fistfuls million mark notes on the fire because they were worth that much less than newspaper.

But giving him a leadership position? Naaaaaaaaah! He was very much documented as being almost hypnotically charismatic as a figurehead.

Edit: Almost forgot. OT: Julius Caesar. His son wouldn't have been killed, and would likely have started a birthright empire. He'd probably have made a stable emperor and probably would have taught his son well enough.

There'd have been less unpredictable, fast and loose wankers for emperors, that's for sure. Not necessarily 'better', but more respectable as people.

 

[SckizoBoy]

He got it because he was regarded as a safe pair of hands. Under Alexander he never got an interdependent command but commanded the silver shields so he had strong links into the elite Macedonian infantry. After Alexander's death he was appointed to command of the companion cavalry so again he built strong links to the elite of the cavalry arm. Seleucus got his position rather because he was a relative nobody and therefore wasn't a threat to the others. Similar to Stalin he used his appointments to put his own men into key roles.

I knew as much (of his background), but wouldn't've guessed that it would be enough for him to be nominated to take the crown in Babylon... Would've thought that the other Diadochi would lay into his piece of the pie a couple years later.

Still, based on the above, surely he would've been given Lysimachus' demesne instead... *shrug* It's just that the Seleucid Empire was an expansive part of the empire and the illustration of Alexander's conquests. That said, he did very well for himself since AFAIK in the event, as he wasn't actually allocated anything at the Partition of Babylon...

Gotta love Macedonian politics!

 

[Albino Boo]

He got it because he was regarded as a safe pair of hands. Under Alexander he never got an interdependent command but commanded the silver shields so he had strong links into the elite Macedonian infantry. After Alexander's death he was appointed to command of the companion cavalry so again he built strong links to the elite of the cavalry arm. Seleucus got his position rather because he was a relative nobody and therefore wasn't a threat to the others. Similar to Stalin he used his appointments to put his own men into key roles.

I knew as much (of his background), but wouldn't've guessed that it would be enough for him to be nominated to take the crown in Babylon... Would've thought that the other Diadochi would lay into his piece of the pie a couple years later.

Still, based on the above, surely he would've been given Lysimachus' demesne instead... *shrug* It's just that the Seleucid Empire was an expansive part of the empire and the illustration of Alexander's conquests. That said, he did very well for himself since AFAIK in the event, as he wasn't actually allocated anything at the Partition of Babylon...

Gotta love Macedonian politics!

Personally I think there is a missing piece of the puzzle. Seleucus was obviously of noble birth but his farther doesn't appear to be a significant person but I suspect the answer lies in his extended kin group. The clannish nature of Macedonian politics leads me to suspect that Seleucus was very well connected by cousinage and by guest friendship.

 

[Friendly Lich]

I think it'd be fun to keep Jesus alive.

Would be interesting to see how things would have evolved if he was never crucified and killed.

This^ Also Lincoln