Richard
Is Alternate History Worth it?
December 17, 2007 12:00 AM
There is some suspicion of Alternate History - the exercise of looking at the past and asking "what if"? - as it can stretch to the most ludicrious situations. Personally I love it, all of it, from serious scholarly counter-factual history to Lizards invading Earth during the Second World War. The possibilities are endless. Just at the moment I'm having a good look at Alternatehistory.com which is contains some very credible attempts to imagine what might have been. Scenarios include:
- If the Confederacy had not invaded Kentucky, they would have been able to survive for much longer in the Eastern conflicts, Lincoln would have lost the election, McClellan would have taken over and peace would have been signed between the two sides.
- Or what about if Alexander discovered a possible conspiracy against him and wasn't poisoned going on to create an empire that ultimately extends from Gaul to India, and which lasts 130 years, and in one form, beyond.
These scenarios generally work on the plausible or likely event. My absolute favourite does not. Guns of the South by the master of Alternate History fiction, Harry Turtledove is a brilliant book where white supremacists deliver the means to make AK47s to the Confederacy and Robert E Lee. As an exercise in plausible implausibility, it cannot be beaten.
So what do you think? From credible counter-factual analysis to wilder flights of fancy is there any historical validity in it all?
COMMENTS
I find alternative history based on historical research a great mental escape.
My favorites are the "What If?" books by Robert Cowley, and the "Victorious" books by by Peter Tsouras where everybody from the Third Reich, the Japanese Empire and the Confederacy win if certain events went in another direction. My all time favorite has to be "The Moscow Option" by David Downing.
Posted by: Gene | December 18, 2007 at 11:37 PM
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On a more serious level, check out "Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals" (Niall Ferguson) or for just plain fun, the 'Axis of Time Trilogy' (John Birmingham)... 21st Century Battle fleet transported back to the Battle of Midway!! Great stuff
Cheers & happy Xmas all
Andy ;-)
Posted by: Andy | December 19, 2007 at 01:09 PM
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It's a flight of fancy for me. Twenty years ago, I guess I had been fascinated by alternate history and would read it keenly. Today, you would have to pay me to read it.
Posted by: Chuang Shyue Chou | December 21, 2007 at 02:35 AM
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The thing I enjoy most about Alternate history are the descisions people take to deliver their alternate history. To take a simple example I've seen plenty of "Third Reich Wins" scenarios, almost all of which focus on one of three battles:
- D-Day
- Battle of the Bulge
- Kursk
I've always found this imensly amusing because I've never been convinced that winning either of the first two would actually lead to ultimate victory.
The other thing that cracks me up is that nobody seems to try and create an alt. history where one of the winners wins earlier/better and then the attendent results. For example what would have happened if the Battle of France was won by the Allies? If Arras was followed through, the German advance stalled and High Command demanded a return to trench warfare now that mobile tactics had faile?. What if Crete held and Germany was sucked into a war in the Med rather than Russia?
Similarly alt. history is usually hilariously biased towards a certain nation. So in steampunk universes where Victorian/Edwardian Britain never falls Britain is usually supreme. Similarly Turtledove's histories usually have a deciden American-centric plot whilst many Third Reich histories seem to exist to allow people to have wet dreams over Maus, Vampir scopes and Komet's whilst paying no heed or creed to things like economics.
Ultimately I find it a much more interesting anthropological study than historical. Though I can't say that at the back of my mind a little voice doesn't whisper, "What if..."
Posted by: Guy | December 21, 2007 at 10:36 AM
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