Posted by Bill on August
29, 2001 at 15:56:19:
In Reply to: What if... posted by King George on August
29, 2001 at 04:46:33:
I think it is amusing but little more. It would require that the principle players of the time either had different personalities or were different people entirely. Not to mention it relies heavily on European history to dictate what might happen on a continent with it’s own very dynamic political scene.
Follow my example, please. The seeds of the American Civil War were planted
as the colonies were being settled and their national products formed. The
period covered in this dissertation covers that time in which America and
England were at war with each other as much as they weren’t. So admittedly
it does not cover the time frame that is typically thought of as the period
of Civil War, but countries rarely go to war after the first insult is lobbed.
The strong agrarian economy in the south was at odds with the industrial economy of the north creating political and economic strife. As slavery became less popular in the northern states the emotional backing of some factions reached cacophonic proportions long before the first shots were ever fired. And this only takes into account a narrow focus of American olitics. The span of history this website seeks to alter in reality covers a time in America when there were at least 4 major political parties rising and falling and our 7th President, Andrew Jackson, would have been in office for about a year; a very tumultuous time for us politically indeed. If the author of that website were to be correct the Tory or Loyalist party would have to rise to be the dominant political force of the time. Which is basically established if one were to read between the lines.
While I find this alternate history website to be amusing it does not seem
to enrich our understanding of what really happened and how do avoid repeating
histories pit falls.
