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*nods* A small war is usually preferable to a big war. Joel Send a noteboard - 07/04/2010 01:49:06 AM
Some French victory over Germany in the final decades of the 19th century, to let off pressure and serve as revenge for the Franco-Prussian war, and then maybe WW1 doesn't happen anymore. Or even just a war caused by one of the earlier crises of the 20th century - the Morocco one, for instance - in which Germany and France duke it out alone and the UK and Russia stay out.

Another interesting question if we're going to talk alternative history, is how WW1 would've happened - if at all - if Belgium hadn't been created. Either with the Kingdom of the Netherlands remaining together, or with France holding on to those lands. After all, the German violation of Belgian neutrality was the decisive factor in bringing the UK into the war.

Unless it just sets the stage for the next one the way the Franco-Prussian Wars did. Sometimes I think Bismarck was too successful for his own good; he seems to have been sincere in just wanting to integrate what he considered "German" territory into the nation proper, but by the time that goal had been achieved it had worked SO well that the Kaiser started buying into the whole "manifest destiny" line.

As to the other point you raise, I hadn't thought about it, but it's a good one. Without checking, I don't know what role Britains rivalry with the Netherlands from the Age of Exploration down to the colonial era had in England acting as Belgian Protector, but they might not have been as willing to stick their neck out for the Dutch. And, of course, if Belgium is just a French province it's to some degree another Franco-Prussian war (though I'm not sure ties between the British and Russian royal families wouldn't have dragged Britain anyway when Russia declared war on Germany in defense of Serbia, but Britain might have opted for neutrality to avoid another Crimean War. )
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I know I just did a survey, but this was too good to pass up. - 07/04/2010 12:44:15 AM 850 Views
Myself: World War I. - 07/04/2010 12:45:57 AM 714 Views
I don't think it's that simple. - 07/04/2010 12:57:16 AM 669 Views
I see your point. - 07/04/2010 01:02:33 AM 664 Views
Sometimes sooner is better than later. - 07/04/2010 01:10:11 AM 644 Views
True. - 07/04/2010 01:14:45 AM 619 Views
True, one might even say *adding* a war there would've improved things. - 07/04/2010 01:36:07 AM 622 Views
*nods* A small war is usually preferable to a big war. - 07/04/2010 01:49:06 AM 622 Views
The Plague - 07/04/2010 12:52:33 AM 602 Views
Re: The Plague - 07/04/2010 01:05:35 AM 495 Views
Maybe; there were episodic plague epidemics before and after that time. - 07/04/2010 02:05:18 AM 658 Views
I am talking about one of the plagues not THE plague - 07/04/2010 02:50:25 AM 599 Views
Re: I am talking about one of the plagues not THE plague - 07/04/2010 08:45:26 PM 586 Views
I'm so glad you have the time and inclination to type up these replies. *NM* - 08/04/2010 07:09:22 AM 379 Views
...? - 08/04/2010 07:51:14 PM 509 Views
Sounds like he was thanking you for saving him the effort of writing a similar reply. *NM* - 08/04/2010 09:28:55 PM 400 Views
If that is the case, then great *NM* - 08/04/2010 09:30:51 PM 353 Views
The spread of Christianity - 07/04/2010 12:55:29 AM 677 Views
Huh. Wild to think about. *NM* - 07/04/2010 01:06:44 AM 385 Views
Re: The spread of Christianity - 07/04/2010 08:47:06 PM 495 Views
Re: The spread of Christianity - 08/04/2010 09:29:17 AM 516 Views
Why would that have an impact on Judaism? - 08/04/2010 01:40:47 PM 597 Views
Re: Why would that have an impact on Judaism? - 08/04/2010 01:42:25 PM 429 Views
But wasn't Christianity the inspiration for a whole era of art? *NM* - 08/04/2010 01:41:34 PM 461 Views
Re: But wasn't Christianity the inspiration for a whole era of art? - 08/04/2010 01:44:36 PM 648 Views
precisely. - 08/04/2010 05:37:26 PM 622 Views
sorry, didn't see that Lorraine already addressed this. *NM* - 08/04/2010 07:55:00 PM 381 Views
The Partition of India, 1947... *NM* - 07/04/2010 12:59:32 AM 383 Views
Any paticular reason why? *NM* - 07/04/2010 01:34:54 AM 380 Views
Agreed. *NM* - 07/04/2010 01:59:02 AM 501 Views
The destruction of the Great Library. - 07/04/2010 01:02:59 AM 574 Views
Internet spam sucks indeed. - 07/04/2010 01:08:23 AM 671 Views
We'll never know; makes for fascinating speculative fiction. - 07/04/2010 01:13:49 AM 626 Views
This whole topic is wild, it's something I sometimes think about. - 07/04/2010 01:17:50 AM 605 Views
Ya, that's what makes history so gripping. - 07/04/2010 01:19:54 AM 702 Views
I don't know if that's really true... - 07/04/2010 01:39:51 AM 618 Views
It wouldn't have been as sudden or extreme. - 07/04/2010 01:58:39 AM 657 Views
"Joel captures Alexandria! The Great Library is destroyed!" *NM* - 07/04/2010 01:08:35 AM 253 Views
NOOOO1111 - 07/04/2010 01:11:33 AM 530 Views
A shame. It's one of the better ones, too. *NM* - 07/04/2010 01:14:20 AM 382 Views
Not in the first two Civs. - 07/04/2010 01:22:43 AM 467 Views
Civ, i love that game... - 07/04/2010 03:01:13 AM 572 Views
Yeah that's one of the small annoying things - 07/04/2010 07:34:52 AM 463 Views
An interesting point - 07/04/2010 02:57:03 AM 628 Views
That's usually my reply to this question too *NM* - 07/04/2010 11:42:55 AM 353 Views
if the giant meteor hadn't destroyed the dinosaurs... - 07/04/2010 01:10:42 AM 531 Views
"FOR" global warming? Now there's a phrase I never thought I'd here! - 07/04/2010 01:16:04 AM 455 Views
The spread of Islam - 07/04/2010 01:26:11 AM 639 Views
oh aren't you clever. *NM* - 07/04/2010 01:47:13 AM 363 Views
There's such a thing as being right for the wrong reasons, though I'm not sure he is. - 07/04/2010 02:12:14 AM 439 Views
Wikipedia is of course not a scholarly source, but all the same... - 07/04/2010 11:57:01 AM 602 Views
Fair enough. - 07/04/2010 12:51:16 PM 593 Views
I read the Bernard Lewis article referred to at Wikipedia... - 07/04/2010 01:19:03 PM 581 Views
So it's borrowed propaganda. - 13/04/2010 09:30:39 AM 562 Views
Re: The spread of Islam - 08/04/2010 09:24:31 AM 669 Views
Haha, are you kidding? - 08/04/2010 07:59:39 PM 439 Views
Re: Haha, are you kidding? - 08/04/2010 08:50:33 PM 423 Views
Ask yourself the question... - 08/04/2010 09:33:33 PM 441 Views
I don't see the connection. - 08/04/2010 08:49:46 PM 618 Views
Re: I don't see the connection. - 08/04/2010 08:51:21 PM 480 Views
I'd better not touch this one - 07/04/2010 03:12:00 AM 647 Views
The spread of Judaism. - 07/04/2010 04:30:37 AM 574 Views
Re: The spread of Judaism. - 07/04/2010 07:31:02 AM 515 Views
I...do not know. - 07/04/2010 07:18:13 AM 505 Views
Amusing that the underlying expectation seems to be more along political history lines - 07/04/2010 12:56:49 PM 693 Views
Considering the way history is taught, is it surprising? *NM* - 08/04/2010 07:11:03 AM 342 Views
Nope, not really - 08/04/2010 10:24:54 AM 598 Views
Here's one that'll be more to your liking... - 08/04/2010 10:40:53 AM 443 Views
Yes - 08/04/2010 10:52:11 AM 579 Views
Re: Here's one that'll be more to your liking... - 08/04/2010 11:58:27 AM 473 Views
Uh... - 08/04/2010 12:11:14 PM 628 Views
Re: Uh... - 08/04/2010 12:15:20 PM 648 Views
The Devil is always in the details - 08/04/2010 12:29:25 PM 596 Views
Re: The Devil is always in the details - 08/04/2010 12:32:34 PM 387 Views
Not really - 08/04/2010 01:07:57 PM 553 Views
Re: Not really - 08/04/2010 01:10:16 PM 471 Views
Only to a degree - 08/04/2010 01:27:22 PM 570 Views
Re: Only to a degree - 08/04/2010 01:30:12 PM 687 Views
I was into cultural and religious history - 08/04/2010 01:38:24 PM 575 Views
Re: I was into cultural and religious history - 08/04/2010 01:41:31 PM 453 Views
Ha! - 08/04/2010 01:49:23 PM 609 Views
Re: Ha! - 08/04/2010 01:51:28 PM 431 Views
I'm really sleep deprived... - 08/04/2010 02:13:20 PM 727 Views
Re: I'm really sleep deprived... - 08/04/2010 02:19:07 PM 483 Views
- 08/04/2010 02:52:59 PM 573 Views
Interesting fact of the day for you two... - 08/04/2010 02:45:15 PM 468 Views
I know - 08/04/2010 02:46:41 PM 600 Views
It was nice being a "threadkiller" of a different sort - 08/04/2010 10:08:34 PM 478 Views
Quote Pyramids of Destiny FTL *NM* - 08/04/2010 10:16:21 PM 369 Views
me being born mega rich *NM* - 07/04/2010 02:15:34 PM 475 Views
Joanie Loves Chachi. - 07/04/2010 03:42:56 PM 531 Views
worse than "afterMASH"?? *NM* - 07/04/2010 03:50:10 PM 337 Views
Worse than "Joey" ? *NM* - 07/04/2010 06:48:25 PM 362 Views
If you remember Joanie loves Chachi, you might be too old? - 08/04/2010 12:00:34 AM 461 Views
Re: I know I just did a survey, but this was too good to pass up. - 07/04/2010 09:04:02 PM 482 Views
Science getting on the ball in the 40's and making superhumans *NM* - 08/04/2010 05:31:34 AM 411 Views
The spread of peanut butter and jelly. - 08/04/2010 07:12:21 AM 625 Views
The Bread of Christianity. - 08/04/2010 07:12:51 AM 615 Views
The dead of Christianity. - 08/04/2010 07:13:34 AM 599 Views
The thread of Christianity. - 08/04/2010 07:14:15 AM 547 Views
The head of [Roman Catholic] Christianity. - 08/04/2010 07:15:21 AM 581 Views
You completely missed the "pick 1" part of the question, didn't you? *NM* - 08/04/2010 09:26:23 AM 369 Views
Well, techinically, I never said that you couldn't make multible posts, each discussing 1 thing. *NM* - 08/04/2010 05:36:37 PM 343 Views
I'm fairly sure he was just mocking someone's earlier post "just thought it would be interesting..." *NM* - 08/04/2010 08:06:56 PM 343 Views
I'm pretty sure of that too. *NM* - 08/04/2010 08:33:46 PM 349 Views
...it's pretty interesting *NM* - 08/04/2010 08:35:47 PM 408 Views
just as you thought it would be? *NM* - 08/04/2010 08:44:49 PM 344 Views
My parody. - 08/04/2010 10:41:29 PM 557 Views
Re: My parody. - 09/04/2010 07:29:19 AM 635 Views
The 1987 Rugby World Cup Final - 13/04/2010 12:23:17 PM 637 Views

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