*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.
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. )
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!

LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
I know I just did a survey, but this was too good to pass up.
- 07/04/2010 12:44:15 AM
938 Views
Myself: World War I.
- 07/04/2010 12:45:57 AM
815 Views
I don't think it's that simple.
- 07/04/2010 12:57:16 AM
771 Views
I see your point.
- 07/04/2010 01:02:33 AM
761 Views
True, one might even say *adding* a war there would've improved things.
- 07/04/2010 01:36:07 AM
713 Views
*nods* A small war is usually preferable to a big war.
- 07/04/2010 01:49:06 AM
721 Views
Re: True, one might even say *adding* a war there would've improved things.
- 07/04/2010 10:48:49 AM
729 Views
I had a teacher with an interesting theory related to that
- 07/04/2010 12:57:49 AM
606 Views
Well, at this time, it was pretty well accepted that Russia wasn't exactly a techinical power.
- 07/04/2010 01:04:35 AM
592 Views
The Plague
- 07/04/2010 12:52:33 AM
694 Views
Re: The Plague
- 07/04/2010 01:05:35 AM
586 Views
He must be talking about a different plague, but I'm not sure which one, either. *NM*
- 07/04/2010 01:37:32 AM
429 Views
Maybe; there were episodic plague epidemics before and after that time.
- 07/04/2010 02:05:18 AM
757 Views
I am talking about one of the plagues not THE plague
- 07/04/2010 02:50:25 AM
695 Views
Re: I am talking about one of the plagues not THE plague
- 07/04/2010 08:45:26 PM
699 Views
I'm so glad you have the time and inclination to type up these replies.
*NM*
- 08/04/2010 07:09:22 AM
427 Views
*NM*
- 08/04/2010 07:09:22 AM
427 Views
...?
- 08/04/2010 07:51:14 PM
595 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
451 Views
OK, think this one's been pretty thoroughly covered in my absence.
- 13/04/2010 11:51:16 AM
754 Views
- 13/04/2010 11:51:16 AM
754 Views
The spread of Christianity
- 07/04/2010 12:55:29 AM
772 Views
Re: The spread of Christianity
- 08/04/2010 09:29:17 AM
606 Views
But wasn't Christianity the inspiration for a whole era of art? *NM*
- 08/04/2010 01:41:34 PM
565 Views
Re: But wasn't Christianity the inspiration for a whole era of art?
- 08/04/2010 01:44:36 PM
751 Views
The product of Christian inspiration was heavily Hellenistic in origin...
- 08/04/2010 07:54:12 PM
583 Views
The destruction of the Great Library.
- 07/04/2010 01:02:59 AM
674 Views
Internet spam sucks indeed.
- 07/04/2010 01:08:23 AM
777 Views
We'll never know; makes for fascinating speculative fiction.
- 07/04/2010 01:13:49 AM
724 Views
This whole topic is wild, it's something I sometimes think about.
- 07/04/2010 01:17:50 AM
713 Views
"Joel captures Alexandria! The Great Library is destroyed!" *NM*
- 07/04/2010 01:08:35 AM
317 Views
It's crazy to think that the human knowledge base doubles every 2 years...
- 07/04/2010 08:49:28 PM
556 Views
Literacy and communication have literally made a world of difference.
- 13/04/2010 09:25:45 AM
647 Views
if the giant meteor hadn't destroyed the dinosaurs...
- 07/04/2010 01:10:42 AM
630 Views
"FOR" global warming? Now there's a phrase I never thought I'd here!
- 07/04/2010 01:16:04 AM
536 Views
The spread of Islam
- 07/04/2010 01:26:11 AM
726 Views
oh aren't you clever. *NM*
- 07/04/2010 01:47:13 AM
407 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
547 Views
Wikipedia is of course not a scholarly source, but all the same...
- 07/04/2010 11:57:01 AM
713 Views
Fair enough.
- 07/04/2010 12:51:16 PM
697 Views
Re: The spread of Islam
- 08/04/2010 09:24:31 AM
768 Views
I...do not know.
- 07/04/2010 07:18:13 AM
596 Views
A lot of times, you change one thing, and everything changes- even the things you don't think about.
- 07/04/2010 12:26:51 PM
560 Views
Amusing that the underlying expectation seems to be more along political history lines
- 07/04/2010 12:56:49 PM
811 Views
Here's one that'll be more to your liking...
- 08/04/2010 10:40:53 AM
527 Views
Re: Here's one that'll be more to your liking...
- 08/04/2010 11:58:27 AM
569 Views
Uh...
- 08/04/2010 12:11:14 PM
730 Views
Re: Uh...
- 08/04/2010 12:15:20 PM
752 Views
The Devil is always in the details
- 08/04/2010 12:29:25 PM
694 Views
- 08/04/2010 12:29:25 PM
694 Views
Re: The Devil is always in the details
- 08/04/2010 12:32:34 PM
490 Views
- 08/04/2010 12:32:34 PM
490 Views
Not really
- 08/04/2010 01:07:57 PM
656 Views
Re: Not really
- 08/04/2010 01:10:16 PM
580 Views
Only to a degree
- 08/04/2010 01:27:22 PM
674 Views
Re: Only to a degree
- 08/04/2010 01:30:12 PM
786 Views
I was into cultural and religious history
- 08/04/2010 01:38:24 PM
671 Views
Re: I was into cultural and religious history
- 08/04/2010 01:41:31 PM
568 Views
Ha!
- 08/04/2010 01:49:23 PM
711 Views
- 08/04/2010 01:49:23 PM
711 Views
Re: Ha!
- 08/04/2010 01:51:28 PM
534 Views
- 08/04/2010 01:51:28 PM
534 Views
Since, surprisingly, no one's pointed it out yet, prehistory/=history.
- 13/04/2010 09:52:19 AM
674 Views
Re: I know I just did a survey, but this was too good to pass up.
- 07/04/2010 09:04:02 PM
572 Views
Science getting on the ball in the 40's and making superhumans *NM*
- 08/04/2010 05:31:34 AM
465 Views
The spread of peanut butter and jelly.
- 08/04/2010 07:12:21 AM
721 Views
I think two spreads that would be better to eliminate would be marmite and vegemite (sp).
- 08/04/2010 05:30:26 PM
687 Views
- 08/04/2010 05:30:26 PM
687 Views
The head of [Roman Catholic] Christianity.
- 08/04/2010 07:15:21 AM
679 Views
You completely missed the "pick 1" part of the question, didn't you? *NM*
- 08/04/2010 09:26:23 AM
419 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
397 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
396 Views
I'm pretty sure of that too. *NM*
- 08/04/2010 08:33:46 PM
403 Views


