A Few Non

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

A Few Non-GOF PODs for you

Loosely, I regard the Gang of Four (or should that be five?) as:

· World War Two

· American Civil War

· American Revolution

· Alternate US presidents

· Roman Empire

Needless to say, these are among the most thought-provoking areas of history, as they have defined the shape of the world. World War Two has many possible outcomes, some of the ‘allies win’ outcomes are most interesting than the ‘Germany wins’. The American civil war defined the face of the United States for a generation at least, the American revolution broke British power in America, while cementing it in India. The US president may not have always been the most powerful man in the world, but many of them have stamped their mark on parts of it. Lincoln abolished slavery, Buchanan allowed the civil unrest to develop and FDR led the allies to victory – until his death – in the Second World War. The Roman Empire defined many of the borders in the west that we live in today.

There are many other common themes. The Napoleon wars offer many possible outcomes for history; what if he had not invaded Russia? Or if he won the battle of Waterloo? The British Empire, the Aztecs and World War One all offer many possible outcomes for the world. Indeed, after WW1, every border in Europe changed, what might have happened if Germany had lost East Prussia?

Unlike a lot of people, I don’t believe that the Gang of Four/Five is mined out, but in the interests of reading something new and different, I have listed a few non-GOF ideas. You have my full permission to use these if you want to. A couple of them are outcomes of GOF periods that I think have never been satisfactory explored.

What if the Scots remained part of England?

Contrary to popular belief, many Scots in the first Scottish war of independence really did not care much about who ruled them, provided he left them in peace. Edward I was daft enough to presume his claim of overlordship gave him the right to conscript Scottish lords and their people to fight in France. Needless to say, the Scots revolted, and one hundred years of fighting and mutual hate broke out. But what if they had stayed in England?

What if Elisabeth I acknowledged the Pope?

Elisabeth faced many challenges to her reign and the Pope offered to support her, which would have meant her practically acknowledging that she got her power from the Pope rather than from her descent from Mary and Henry. She turned the offer down flat in OTL, but what if she had accepted it? She would have faced Protestant challenges to her reign, pressure to grant Catholic’s power (or even to convert herself) and demands to recognise the Pope’s grant of America to Spain and Portugal.

What if Philip and Ferdinand had fallen out?

Charles V of Spain, Germany, bits of Italy, et al, divided his kingdom between his brother, Ferdinand and his son Philip. The two of them worked closely together during their reigns. Now, what if they had fallen out over something? This would limit the amount of troops available to either of them and sparked off new wars.

What if the British Lost the Seven Years War?

A complete British defeat is unlikely, but a draw, an effective return to the status quo, was always possible. If which case, what happens? Will the American Revolution be put off or brought forward? What about the Indian tribes? Or, if we want to explore other possible outcomes, what if the British cede Canada back to France in exchange for Louisiana?

What if the Indian Mutiny Succeeded?

Few observers at the time or later realise how close the British came to losing India, a few more of the Indian princes joining the revolt, a Indian leader with real vision (such as Washington) and less religious conflict would shoved the British off the continent entirely. What would the effects of that have been? Could India have formed a united government? Would Russia manage to take over? What would the British do?

What if Britain had conquered China?

Believe it or not, some people in Britain during and after the Arrow war seriously considered adding china to their empire? What might have happened if they had tried? How unhappy would the other European powers be if they had no room to expand? There would probably be a war with Russia at some point.

What if the Blacks were all sent back home?

After the American Civil War, a number of people seriously suggested sending all the former slaves back to Africa, what if that had been done? Where would they go? Would they have formed a nation?

What if the French won the Franco-Prussian war?

The French and the Prussians were really very closely matched, only the intervention of Napoleon III snatched a French defeat from the jaws of possible victory. But what might have happened if the French had won? All of Bismarck’s careful work would probably be undone, as France reinforced her position as arbiter of Europe.

What if the Hundred Days succeeded?

In China, one of their emperors began a crash program of modernisation shortly before the Boxer Rebellion. The empress-dowager put a stop to that idea, but what if china had successfully modernised?

A more powerful china might be soon in a position to tell the ‘foreign devils’ where to stick it. Certainly, it would put a dampener on Japanese expansion and perhaps allow the boxer rebellion to succeed.

What if the Whites won the Russian Civil War?

More allied support and less allied mistakes might tip the balance, but what would the consequences be? Poland would know that it was on the chopping block and might ally with Germany to hold off the Russians. Hitler would find it harder to come to power if there is no substantial communist presence.

What if South Africa began a conquest of the rest of Africa after independence?

More immigration, pertucly of ex-nazis and others might allow a South African government the chance to begin a conquest of all of Africa. They would start by absorbing the British processions and then start gobbling up the independent countries. If they played the US and the USSR off against one another, they just might succeed. Alliance with Israel and other non-aligning countries would help them to cement their power.

What if the British withdrawal from India led to civil war?

The British left a country that was torn in two, with at least four main factions fighting for power, the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and the Princes. Most of them wanted to settle the disputes with violence, what if they had? The POD could be the appointment of someone other than Mountbattern as the last Viceroy, or the early death of Gandhi. With a divided India, would not China have been tempted to expand a little?

Or, on the other front, what if Indian and Pakistan became and remained friends?

What if the Argentines won the Falklands war?

The British victory hung by a thread at times, parts of the argentine forces simply abandoned the fight rather than attacking the British. Imagining a British defeat is not hard, but what would the consequences be?