In my previous thread, I explained how a key feature of France made it powerful: the two passes through the southern European mountains
How would have world history changed if these passes had not existed? Maybe the US, Russia, Germany, Spain, LatAm, China would be different now
How would have world history changed if these passes had not existed? Maybe the US, Russia, Germany, Spain, LatAm, China would be different now
Romans would have taken much longer to get to the northern European plain, if they ever managed. Civilization gets there centuries later, which might have delayed the industrial revolution—or even allow other regions like China or India to lead it.
North & south would have remained as distinct as Germany is vs Italy, or Poland vs Greece.
Northern FR (the kingdom of the Franks) is now simply FR, stops at the Massif Central, and another country (“Occitanie”?) controls the south.
Northern FR (the kingdom of the Franks) is now simply FR, stops at the Massif Central, and another country (“Occitanie”?) controls the south.
In this world, there’s no country in Europe that straddles N&S. Northern FR is not as populous or rich. It doesn’t have the wealth and pop to tower over its neighbors. Power is much more balanced throughout the middle ages
Maybe FR doesn’t get a Marseillaise hymn to set fire to French hearts, or a Napoléon to lead them on the European battlegrounds (since he comes from Corsica, the Mediterranean island).
Without Napoleonic campaigns, maybe the ideas of the Enlightenment don’t travel across Europe as fast. Maybe they take a few more centuries, and maybe they start somewhere else.
Maybe Northern FR focuses more on its Atlantic coast like England and Spain, and invests much more in its American colonies. Maybe it conquers much more of North America. Maybe some of the 13 colonies are French. Maybe FR doesn’t sell these colonies to the US in the early 1800s
Maybe New England is in fat New France, while England focuses farther down south. Maybe there's more than 3 countries in Northern America today.
Maybe Spain, without such a formidable threat to its north, is able to keep its American colonies for longer. Without the inspiration from revolutionary France, the local Latin-American elites take much longer to develop their nationalistic ideals.
Maybe without Napoléon´s invasion of Spain, the Spanish army isn’t as weakened and the Latin-American nobility doesn’t have a military opening for independence in the early 1800s. Maybe it takes one more century for them to get their independence. Or two.
Maybe the Holy Roman Empire doesn’t get humiliated by Napoléon. Maybe the impetus for German unification doesn’t exist, and Germany remains a loose confederation for longer. Maybe its leader becomes Austria, not Prussia, and its capital is Vienna, not Berlin.
Without a newly-minted Germany built to fend off a powerful France, maybe there’s no WWI, and no WWII. Without world wars in Europe, maybe Europe maintains its colonies for far longer and never unites into the European Union. Maybe the US remains isolationist for much longer.
Without a world war, maybe the communists can’t take advantage of the mess of WWI to take over Russia. Maybe Russia remains a monarchy, and Eastern Europe is never conquered by the USSR
Maybe there’s no US-USSR competition, no Communist China, no Cold War, no nuclear weapons dropped on Japan, no African decolonization, no...
Alas, geography had other plans.
Here's the original thread:
Alas, geography had other plans.
Here's the original thread:
And here's my article I based it on. Subscribe to get new articles, I publish a free one every week or two.
unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com
unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com
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