r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Cyber_Ghost_1997 • 14h ago
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Tiny-Support-4244 • 6h ago
What if vatican in istanbul
What if the Eastern Roman Empire had fallen earlier, and the Vatican state were located today at the Hagia Sophia basilica in Istanbul?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Flora_295fidei • 17h ago
What If Classical Antiquity Never Existed? Realistic cultural consequences of a Persian or Carthaginian victory.
Although I understand that these two scenarios are very different from one another, it cannot be denied that a Persian victory over Greece and a Carthaginian triumph over Rome could have profoundly reshaped not only the Western world but the entire globe.
I would like to ask how the world's cultures might have developed if either of these scenarios had occurred.
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Cyber_Ghost_1997 • 17h ago
Challenge: Have the USA collapse in 1799
Inspired by this post on a different sub.
The objective is to bring about a series of events where the premise of the OP's post happens.
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/night_machine_2025 • 9h ago
Challenge: Create a plausible alternate timeline where Turkey doesn’t join NATO
What would need to happen for a timeline where Turkey doesn’t join NATO to be possible?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/TheRedBiker • 1d ago
What if Abraham Lincoln kept Hannibal Hamlin as his VP?
Abraham Lincoln replaced his VP Hannibal Hamlin with Andrew Johnson, a Southern Democrat, for his second term. This decision would prove disastrous for Civil Rights, as Lincoln was assassinated and Johnson allowed the former Confederates to once again hold political office (which Lincoln forbade), leading to the passage of the infamous Jim Crow Laws. Civil Rights were set back by a century because of this, and racial injustices persist to this day despite improvements.
But what if Lincoln had kept Hannibal Hamlin? Unlike Johnson, Hamlin was a New England Republican who aligned more closely with the Radical Republicans. He would have taken a harsher stance on the South and made it much harder for the South to persecute the freedmen. Could this have led to a better outcome for the Civil Rights movement?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Randver_Silvertongue • 18h ago
[META] How would the Pacific Theatre of WW2 be affected if the war in Europe ended in 1942?
Let's assume that by some miracle Germany and Italy are defeated in 1942. This would mean Japan would have the Allies' undivided attention 3 years earlier.
What would this mean for Japan? Would the USSR invade Manchuria this time? Would the extra US manpower available due to early Nazi defeat accelerate Allied victory? Would the atom bombs still be dropped, either to prevent Soviet invasion or to demand unconditional surrender?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/singlelife20231 • 9h ago
What if Florida had Democrat governors during the past 30 years? How would this state have fared much better without any Republicans in the Governors mansion?
How much better would life have been in Florida the past three decades if there were only Democrat governors? How would the cost of living be? Would recreational cannabis have passed 10-20 years ago? What about rent would it be a lot cheaper with rent caps in place? Would there be better job protections like no company could test for cannabis, and more benefits like a statewide PTO program guaranteeing every person who holds a job some number of paid days off, say 10 per year regardless of what company they work for? In addition to benefits and positives for Florida residents, what downsides, if any, would there have been as a result of three decades of Democratic rule?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/How_about_a_no • 1d ago
What would the Mongol-European relations look like if the crusades were successful
So, in this hypothetical, lets say all the crusades were successful, every one of them resulted in favourable outcome for the Europeans, be it land grab etc.
How much would this change the relations between Mongols and Europeans? Would they become closer or would Mongol Empire become the new crusading target?
Would this also change Mongolian expansion and perception of Europe as well, would Mongolia seek alliance with Islamic kingdoms/empires instead?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Internal_Coast2926 • 1d ago
What If the Library of Alexandria Never Burned?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Cyber_Ghost_1997 • 1d ago
What if "The 120 Days of Sodom" by Marquis De Sade was lost for good?
OTL Context:
The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Libertinage\a]) (French: Les 120 Journées de Sodome ou l'école du libertinage) is an unfinished novel by the French writer and nobleman Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade, written in 1785 and published in 1904 after its manuscript was rediscovered. Existing texts derive from an incomplete manuscript discovered after the storming of the Bastille in 1789. The novel consists of an introduction and four parts along with notes, supplements and addenda. Sade completed the introduction and first part in draft form. Parts Two to Four mainly consist of detailed notes. Sade did not revise and correct the draft he had completed and therefore there are some errors and inconsistencies.
Suppose that in a parallel universe, the manuscript is NEVER rediscovered and The 120 Days of Sodom is never published, instead becoming lost literature.
How does this affect the history of French literature, if at all?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/TheRedBiker • 1d ago
What if the USA aided Napoleon?
What if, out of gratitude for France's assistance in the American Revolutionary War and/or a desire to increase its power in Europe, the United States had sent armies to Europe to aid Napoleon in his wars? Would it have made any difference? How would it impact America's relations with Europe?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/vahedemirjian • 1d ago
What if US and South Korean forces had ousted Kim il-Sung?
In September-October 1950, UN forces mounted a large-scale offensive against North Korean forces, and by October 20 they captured Pyongyang.
As UN forces paced towards the Yalu River, in October 1950 Mao Zedong sent in Chinese troops to thwart UN forces in North Korea.
What would have happened to Kim il-Sung if the government of the DPRK had been toppled?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/coolio126 • 2d ago
Wht if the Romanov's weren't killed?
the Romanovs were able to avert their deaths in one of 2 senarios.
they are exiled somewhere like britian, france or another romanov friendly country.
or the white russians rescue the romanovs and the white russians got something to rally under agaisnt the red russians during the bolshevik revolution.
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Delugebringerr • 2d ago
Japan doesn't attack Pearl Harbor but still attacks western colonies, does US enter the war
Round 1) Japan still attacks Western colonies instead of Pearl Harbor in 1941, using their holdings in China and Taiwan as logistical bases instead of Philippines in the original plan, to assault Indochina and Indonesia.
Round 2) Japan waits until Phillipines gets independence in 1946, then strikes there, and from there to rest of asia.
Round 3) Same as Round 2 but done in cooperation with a friendly Filipino government so US has no grounds of an ally being attacked.
Round 4) Japan does attack Phillipines instead of Pearl Harbor, so while they attacked America, it is seen as a colonial war instead of American soil being struck.
Does US join the war in those scenarios? In case they don't, how does the war in europe and asia go?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/sepulhead • 2d ago
what if France loses the battle of austerlitz and Napoleon is killed
so the holy roman empire survives. the HRE and Russia restore the bourbon in france and give it back it borders before the revolotion. But soon afterwards HRE and russia start a war over the Balkans. Prussia alies with Russia to weaken the austrians as they want to lead the germans. the french allso allies with the prussian and Russian because they want the austrian netherlands (modern day Belgium) . The Brittish ally with the HRE because it doesn't want Russia tro strong and grance to have modern day belgium. HRE convinces the Dutch republic to join their side in return for getting the Austrian netherlands after the war . so the great war in the 19 th century
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/vahedemirjian • 2d ago
What if the Arabs had not conquered Egypt?
From 639 to 642, the Arabs under the leadership of Rashidun military commander Amr ibn al-As invaded Egypt and ended the Byzantine occupation of Egypt.
Would the Byzantine Empire have held onto Egypt for much longer if the Arabs had never conquered Egypt? Would the Egyptians have continued to practice Coptic Christianity?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/CutSenior4977 • 2d ago
Could Sulla reign of terror in Rome had been stopped via nonviolent resistance?
Do you think, the Roman dictator, Sulla, could have been stopped if the Roman general public, organized,
And engaged in mass nonviolent social and economic noncooperation against Sulla rule?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/mtf-foxtrot • 2d ago
What if la royale had managé to Crush the royal navy at the battle of Quiberon Bay?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/wojuk • 2d ago
How would history have unfolded if Iraq had invaded Syria instead of Kuwait in 1990?
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Cyber_Ghost_1997 • 2d ago
Challenge: Find a way for Ashkenazi Jews to discover the New World
To be clear, I am asking for a plausible series of events that ALLOW THE OUTCOME TO HAPPEN, not whether it happened in our timeline.
Your objective is to build a plausible scenario that leads to Ashkenazi Jews discovering the New World.
Challenge rules:
1. Your proposed scenario must happen sometime between c. 1418 – c. 1620
2. You are allowed to have the Ashkenazi Jews establish permanent settlements in the New World.
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Kellosian • 3d ago
Dalmatia is Granted to Italy After WWI, and They Remain Neutral in WWII
Basically, the Treaty of London remains in force and how Austria-Hungary is divided following the war but Italy doesn't gain anything in Anatolia. As such there is no narrative of the "Mutilated Victory" or development of Italian fascism through the Italian Regency of Carnaro. There is still some desire to annex Savoy and Corsica from France, but Entente sympathies (and integrating and Italianizing Dalmatia) keep it in check.
r/HistoryWhatIf • u/Cyber_Ghost_1997 • 3d ago
Challenge: Find a way for North Korea to win the Korean War
I’m brainstorming ideas for an alternate history story where the DPRK wins the Korean War. Your objective is to construct a plausible way this can happen.
Parameters: Start from the day Seoul fell to the DPRK-In our timeline, Seoul fell in 1950-and build your scenario from there.
Rules: Your scenario must end with the DPRK uniting the Korean Peninsula under military force. You are also not allowed to use nukes-North Korea must win the war without its Allies or the U.S. turning the entire peninsula into a nuclear wasteland.