What If?: The World’s Foremost Historians Imagine What Might Have Been (What If Essays) by Robert Cowley (PDF)

Description

With its in-depth reflections on the monumental events of the past, this amazing book of essays ponders what might have been if things had gone differently in history. Featuring Stephen J. Ambrose, John Keegan, and many others.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I’ve only read the first two; I hope the rest are better.My primary complaint is the idea that the events discussed were so extremely unusual and critical that they were the only thing preventing a world of stasis, so to speak.The first chapter posits that if the Assyrians had not gotten sick and left the siege of Jerusalem, Judaism and the Jews would have died out, monotheism would never have arisen again, and Christianity and Islam would never have arisen, and the world would be stuck in a hell hole of every little group of people with their own little set of gods.So many problems! Was Jerusalem the last holdout of Jews? They escaped Egyptian slavery, why could they not have escaped Assyrian slavery? Could no other society have dreamed up monotheism? What’s so special about monotheism, Christianity, and Islam? What about Buddha? What about Japanese Shinto with its multiple “gods”?The second chapter posits that had the Greeks not won at Salamis, the Greek experiment in liberty and property and democracy and scientific thought would have died out, and the world today would be a hellhole of petty tyrants battling it out.Again, were there no Greeks elsewhere .. like the Black Sea, Sicily and southern Italy, North Africa? Would not some have survived from Greece itself? How could a Persian victory have left the next 3000 years in stasis?It reminds me of the worst of the dystopian fiction, which takes the rising (but still small) heroin addiction rate, extrapolates to a world where half the population is junkies, and says, in effect, “See? Drugs are bad, society is doomed, doooooommed!”C’mon, man, use your imagination! Look at the history of simultaneous inventions, where Bell beat the other guy to the patent office by an hour, or a zillion people were inventing light bulbs the same time as Edison. History is full of setbacks and perseverance, and to think that the Jews and Greeks would just roll over and give up over these particular setbacks, when they hadn’t over all the previous similar setbacks, is a really poor way to use your imagination.Future chapters make me think things are going to get a little more specific, like George Washington being killed or captured by the British; I wonder if those authors will also assume everyone else just rolled over and gave up? I am going to find out.In the book’s favor is that it does pick interesting points in history, and as I read up on them (elsewhere), I learn things. It’s not a complete waste of money.

⭐I admit – history was not one of my best subjects in school. I’ve acquired a good deal more appreciation for its study lately, however. I picked up What If? as a bit of research for an idea I had: a speculative fiction novel about a possible world history stemming from a single seemingly insignificant change several thousand years ago. Clearly, this would be a staggering task, and I knew I wasn’t up to the challenge. But it remains an intriguing thought, and I wanted to see what sort of alternate histories, counter-factual histories, had been written.One thing’s for sure: my history chops are not up to the challenge, not for something as detailed as what I had in mind! That’s okay – I’ve got plenty of other ideas where that came from. Meanwhile, I was astounded in reading What If? at just how many ways a given historical event could have turned out based on chance events – a sword or bullet that hit or missed its mark, a written order that reached or failed to reach its intended recipient, a small accident that, had it been worse, could have killed a key player before their big moment came along.These essays are well-researched and well-written. I gained a great deal of knowledge of historical figures I’d known only by name if at all, and a good deal more knowledge of those I knew already. I’m still amazed at what a brilliant tactician George Washington was. History teachers would do well to read it to supplement their own knowledge of events, as it might help engage students in the classroom.Admittedly, this is military history. However, it does touch on how certain events affected people’s everyday lives, and how things might have been different if certain small changes had occurred.

⭐This book presents a number of “counterfactual” scenarios – historical events that are considered turning points, with possibilities as to what might have happened had the event turned out differently. The most well-known examples (to westerners) are included, such as “What if the fog had lifted while Washington was evacuating Long Island” (American Revolution won by British), “What if Lee’s general order hadn’t been lost” (Confederacy fights Union to stand-still and gains independence), and “What if Germany had not transferred troops to the east prematurely in 1914” (Schlieffen Plan succeeds, no WWII, no Communism in Russia, etc.). But, to the credit of the book, there is much more. Historians from all eras were invited to contribute, so we have counterfactuals from the Roman Empire and Jerusalem in 701 BC up to Mao Zedong’s long march.The essays are uniformly enjoyable and interesting. As pointed out by another reviewer, there is more describing what happened rather than speculating too far into the future on the consequences. For example, if Lee’s order hadn’t fallen into Union hands, the result may have been a decisive Confederate victory in 1862. The author (J.M. McPherson) only goes so far as to say this might have led to an armistice and recognition of the CSA. But he goes no farther – what would the world be like today if that had been the case? It might have been more appropriate (given the name of the book) for a little more speculation on long-term consequences.Having said that, many (including myself) would argue that the history does not hinge directly on single events or single people. For example, if Washington had been captured on Long Island in 1776, would the American Revolution have failed? Maybe. If so, would it have have significantly altered world history? Probably not – the French Revolution would still have occurred, and the US would have achieved independence anyway (as did England’s other colonies). However, it’s impossible to forsee the consequences of the fall of Jerusalem in 701 BC – would Judaism have been wiped out, and therefore would Christianity and Islam never have existed? I don’t think anyone would say the only difference that seige makes is the deity to which St. Paul’s Basilica is dedicated.So, whether you believe in the ability of “small” events to change history for all time or not, this is a very interesting and informative book, including a wide variety of scenarios and turning points in history, and what might have happened had the outcome been different.

⭐This book is fascinating.I had never thought about the impact of tiny changes from the Ancient world….a random outbreak of a disease or the death of one person can change so much.The section on the Mongols was a bit scary because they were such a brutal fighting force and could have easily changed Europe into a barbaric tribal area with no great cities.The book lost my interest a bit in the middle when there was a huge section about the American war of Independence, although maybe American history buffs would find it interesting!You get a brief history lesson along with each counter-factual and it can help you discover periods of history to look into in more detail.It’s a shame there wasn’t more about Medieval England, as that’s my favourite era of history

⭐I just love books like this – having tried to write alternate history stories myself, I know how difficult it is – miss one tiny detail and the whole premise can fall apart. So books like “What If…” written by people who know a little bit more about their chosen subjects than myself (ie: proper Historians) are indispensable for anyone who wants to consider how different the world would be if, for example, the US hadn’t fluked a win at the Battle of Midway or even if the UK and US hadn’t entered the First World War. Would it have even BEEN a “World” War? Probably not as it happens. Food for thought.I also recommend “The Hinge Factor” by Erik Durschmied and “The Hitler Options” and “Invasion” edited and written by Kenneth Macksey respectively, the latter being an in-depth look at the alternate history of the German Invasion of England in July 1940.

⭐From reading this book previously myself, I decided to order it as a gift for somebody. The quality of the book when I recieved it was in a good condition and something which I would be happy to give to someone else. Upon recieving the gift they were very pleased with it. All in all it is a good read and I would suggest anyone who is the slightest bit interested in history to give it a go.

⭐Great read.

⭐The title of this book has to be taken a little too literally. The ‘What If’s are really very hypothetical and based on teeny weeny details that only history nerds will know of. Also, it is only about wars, not other incidents in World history. It therefore very quickly becomes so speculative that the ‘average’ history interested reader probably gets bored long before reaching modern times.

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