What If? II: Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been (What If Essays) by Robert Cowley (PDF)

Description

What if Lincoln didn’t abolish slavery? What if an assassin succeeded in killing FDR in 1933? This volume presents 25 intriguing “what if…” scenarios by some of today’s greatest historical minds-including James Bradley, Caleb Carr, James Chace, Theodore F. Cook, Jr., Carlos M.N. Eire, George Feifer, Thomas Fleming, Richard B. Frank, Victor Davis Hanson, Cecelia Holland, Alistair Horne, David Kahn, Robert Katz, John Lukacs, William H. McNeill, Lance Morrow, Williamson Murray, Josiah Ober, Robert L. O’Connell, Geoffrey Parker, Theodore K. Rabb, Andrew Roberts, Roger Spiller, Geoffrey C. Ward, and Tom Wicker.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Robert Cowley is the founding editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, which was nominated for a National Magazine Award for General Excellence. Cowley has held several senior positions in book and magazine publishing.

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

⭐When I first found out that there was going to be a “What If? 2” and that it wasn’t going to focus exclusively on military matters, I was very excited. As much as I am a fan of military history, I was very interested to see how historians of other disciplines might predict how our world could be different today. Unfortunately, having finished the book, I am rather disappointed. That’s not to say that the quality of the writing, or the turning points are sub-par, they’re not. In fact, in terms of composition and selection of historical turning points, this book is actually more original and uniform than its predecessor.That’s what makes this book so disappointing: there is great potential, but it never lives up to its self-proclaiming goal of telling the reader “what if?” The background research is solid, and the authors in almost every instance make a cogent, educated case as to why history turned on a given moment or person. Unfortunately, in almost every instance they fail to follow up with any meaningful speculation. In fact, there are very few alternate scenarios that extend for more than a few paragraphs.Considering how successful the first volume was in regards to alternate histories, this volume’s lack of them is inexcusable. What else can the reader expect in a series entitled “What If?” than a detailed exploration of how our world could be different today. The only explanation I can think of is that counter-factual history is an immensely useful tool in political-military history, but it is less so (or at least less utilized) in social history. It therefore seems probable that many of the writers in this edition were unsure as to how to weave a different world after having identified their turning point.At any rate, this isn’t a terrible book, but it is pretty disappointing. As I have mentioned above, the research and writing are excellent. Furthermore the points of departure for are some of the most unique I’ve come across in alternate history. Unfortunately, the “what if” scenarios never really pan out, and as a result the book never lives up to its title. This book will get you thinking about some overlooked episodes in history, but it will, for the most part, be up to your imagination to supply the counterfactual.

⭐If you love history, you probably have one. These two volumes are worth your time. It helps to know about what really happen & the various historian/authors usually supply background. Of course, unless you enjoy history, you’re probably not reading this. It’s simple. Take a historical event & create a plausible alternate outcome. Three examples stood out for me. What if the Allies had lost on D-Day? The Germans throw the invasion back into the sea? It could have happened. Does the U.S. give up & turn it’s attention to Japan? Does FDR get reelected? Mushroom clouds over Europe in 1945? Pontius Pilate pardons Jesus instead of condeming him to death. Chtistainity is changed. No salvation through Christ’s death on the cross. No cross, the ultimate symbol of the faith. Jesus dies of old age, confused, a great prophet maybe, but not the savior. The French win the Franco-Prussian War or even if that stupid little war nevers occurs, history could have been profoundly changed. The unification of Germany could have been slowed down. The German Empire might not ever existed. Without that, a little skirmish in 1914 Europe would never have become World WarI. Without World War I, no World WarII, no Communism, no cold war. Create your own scenario. Some of the histrians realy get into the aftermaths of their stories. Others not so much so, leaving you clamoring for more. But the reader or listener, can fill in the blanks. There are no right or wrong answers because it never happened.

⭐This book was described as ‘like new’. It was anything but that. There was a big tear on the front cover, folded and damaged corners on several pages

⭐Will be enjoyed by alternative history fans.

⭐Maybe a REALLY dedicated historian would enjoy muddling through this volume. As a reader of much historical non-fiction, and even some volumes of conjecture as this book is, I found it quite difficult to deal with–though I must say I tried really hard.

⭐The second volume of essays on alternate history tries to reach or ambitiously exceed the quality of the first volume but fails. There is a different tone and approach in the way of unweaving the layers history in this book than in the previous one.The first volume summarized the events in detail and then gave you space for your own fantasy; it thus succeeded masterfully at being history document spiced with exciting never-to-be traces of history – I had a clear idea what I was reading and what to expect.What If 2 is a confusing territory of genres for me. It gives less details on the history context and puts more emphasis on developing a “short” story on each of the topic. It seemed to me that some stories had almost literary ambition, for which it is still too much academic.It was not a bad read, still some of the topics were more than intriguing, but my expectations based on reading the “What If 1” were not met.

⭐What If? 2 continues the work of What If? 1 by offering interesting looks at alternatives to known history (counterfactuals) written by well known historians. What If? 2 is even better than its predecessor because it does not stick to military issues, but examines a wide range of cultural and biological possibilities. For example, the most intriguing chapter is a look at what would have happened had Jesus not been crucified, but lived to an advanced age. The postulated result is a true Judeo-Christianity imposed on the world by an apparently permanent Roman Empire. Another remarkable chapter describes the probable impact of a Ming Chinese trans-Pacific voyage of discovery in the 15th century. Military affairs are not entirely neglected, as there are discussions of alternate endings for the Battle of Hastings, the Franco-Prussian War, and World War I, among others. Finally, there is a fine examination of the role of the potato in history. I hope there is a What If? 3, 4, etc.

⭐Passing these essays off as ‘counterfactual’ is actually downgrading their value. In the main, most of these essays actually consist of well argued cases of historical turning-points, with the ‘if’ speculation only a small element of each essay….*They are a reminder that much of history is frequently determined by small but crucially pivotal events – a sort of human Chaos Theory in action.There are a host of meaningful insights to be gained from these thought-provoking well written pieces. Cowley’s synopses of each contribution are excellent. * No contemporary anthology of this nature is complete without the tiring prognostications of the dreadful fate that would have befallen life on Earth had the ‘Austrian corporal’ prevailed in WWII…..Several essays cover this now obligatory mantra.

⭐Book seems to continue on from ideas already suggested in the old book eg. Napoleon the third not losing at Sedan was already mentioned in the first book. This one suggests he avoids fighting Prussia and thus first world war doesn’t happen – already in the first book in a short article, and we get an early common market and no world war one. As for Jesus not being crucified, of course this would change history – we wouldn’t even use the same dates ! Has anyone ever wondered what would have happened if Guy Fawkes succeeded in killing King James in 1605? Like how does Jamestown, Americas first successful place (1607), get it’s name from a dead king? Or get started at all if Spain gets dragged into an earlier English civil war, a kind of “War of the English succession?” England could not have established a presence in the Americas without a peace treaty with Spain. These are only ideas of course, but the book seems, with a couple of exceptions, to have only new ideas on the same points in history as the old one. Loved the “William loses battle of Hastings” article, that was new, but it seemed to suggest there would be still be a war of independence in the USA when, in actual fact, history would be so changed we can’t even postulate the effect on borders of countries 700 years later. One thing is for sure, it wouldn’t have been George Washington who would win for USA, his ancestors came over with William from Normandy !A good book though, and I’m glad I bought it.

⭐Separate essays by historians who theorise what the outcome would be if key events in history panned out differently. Certain events will mean more to the reader than others, depending on your knowledge of history.The book was originally published in the USA, so some of the essays are more of interest to an American readership, for example the results of certain U.S. elections or alternative Presidents throughout their history.Clearly some of the speculations are arguable, but altogether the book is a good romp for anyone interested in history.

⭐The content was well written and researched. The book itself was not satisfactory. The print was small on off color pages and it was hard to open. I guess it was the binding.Jack B. Walters

⭐Again a birthday gift to an American friend who had borrowed my husbands copy and was very reluctant to return it

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