Hi, everyone. I've been thinking about writing a timeline where things get better from the POD onward. The world gradually gets its act together and sets out on the right moral path, with justice gradually prevailing over injustice. It won't happen overnight, though, and there will be resistance every step of the way. But over centuries, the world will become more equitable, peaceful, and livable. My goal is for it to be plausible and interesting to read. It won't be 100% happy and I want to avoid leaving people with a sense of "that was too easy".
I haven't decided what time period I want to start in. Some of my top choices for the POD time period are: 1) The Seven Years War era in the mid 1700s, 2) The Gilded Age, around 1900, or 3) Right after World War II. It doesn't have to be one of these, there are plenty of other time periods that cone with their own interesting challenges. What are your thoughts?
This is a great idea for a thread, and I commend you for bringing up a challenge to come up with what the old poster GeographyDude would have called a 'high-trajectory' path.
Right before Henry viii beheads Anne Boleyn and decides not to so he can fit in with the fashion of all the other kings and queens in Europe and never married the rest of his wifes
One idea I've had is Henry VIII related, but different from this, but it was inspired from watching the first episode of HBO's, 'the Tudors'. It was when young Henry, in the midst of a peace treaty signing with France, was all excited about his Chancellor's concept of a Europe wide Treaty of Collective Security, where the states of Europe would pledge mutual nonaggression, and, in case of lawless aggression in violation of the pact, would unite as one to check the aggressor. I have only evoked this idea on these boards so far in the ASB forum, but found it interesting enough that this aspect of the 'Wilsonian' idea had appeared 350 years ahead of time, that I thought it worth discussing. Other early 'League of Nations'/Collective Security system ideas discussed in the 1600s and 1700s were a concept by a French monk involving a League of Europe, China, Persia, and possibly the Great Mogul, and then a similar idea by William Penn. A flaw in both their ideas is that it had a warlike, anti-Ottoman side. Although the Concert of Europe and Tsar Alexander proposed 'Holy Alliance' had its socially and politically reactionary and retrograde aspects in terms of opposing revolutionary and republican political change - sort of the self-determination aspects of Wilsonianism, it did have that aversion to international war, sanctity of borders, collective security aspect of Wilsonianism.
Regarding your specific requested periods
@Miranda Brawner -
Some of my top choices for the POD time period are: 1) The Seven Years War era in the mid 1700s, 2) The Gilded Age, around 1900, or 3) Right after World War II. It doesn't have to be one of these, there are plenty of other time periods that cone with their own interesting challenges. What are your thoughts?
Here is what I can come up with off the topic of my head:
1) Can't do 7 Years War on the nose....it seems to 'inevitably' follow from too much 'unfinished business' from the War of Austrian Succession. But I can get close. Let's prolong the period of 1715-1740s Anglo-French peace that existed under the guidance of Robert Walpole and Cardinal Fleury, in both Europe and the colonial sphere, throughout the rest of the century, and indefinitely, thus avoiding their parts of the War of Austrian Succession and the 7 Years War, and the two associated Intercolonial, or 'French and Indian' Wars. France and Britain, despite quite rivalrous and competitive feelings throughout the 19th century, and cultural rivalries and resentments into the 20th and 21st century, managed to avoid bilateral hot wars after 1815. They might be able to stay out of the rut from the early Enlightenment, 1715, onward. A secondary useful PoD, would be a lower ambition Frederick the Great, who does not landgrab Silesia, spur the European coalition to pounce on the Habsburgs, and determine Maria Teresa upon revenge.
2) The Gilded Age, around 1900 - a couple ways to go - if the main thing is to stop or slow the march of wars and political chaos, something helpful might be an unexpected thing, like an Ottoman alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, with the latter two signing up for a territorial guarantee of the former, at any point between 1896 and 1907. Backed by German and Austro-Hungarian protection, would be Italian and Balkan League attackers of the Ottomans are deterred. Wars and associated ethnic cleansings related to the disintegration of that empire are avoided. A more secure feeling Austria-Hungary never feels so threatened by Balkan developments that it starts looking to preventive war on Serbia as its policy solution. Germany's Austrian and Ottoman allies do not do anything to encourage German panick about taking care of France and Russia before Russia gets too strong. If your focus is more technological and cultural, perhaps green revolution agricultural tech is introduced earlier, allowing more people to live, and preventing living space fears in WWI and the interwar era. Or electronics and associated media technologies advance faster, allowing earlier popular mobilizations against various injustices.
3) Right after WWII - FDR sticks with Wallace, and Stalin dies, leaving Beria as his immediate successor. Beria then conveniently dies, with Malenkov as his successor. The US, USSR, and GBR remain on decently communicative terms. The powers agree to a united neutral Germany, later on a united, neutral Korea. The US and USSR both work to restrain the reemergence of the Chinese Civil War, as Britain tires of the Palestine Mandate, the US and USSR, and additional countries - Swedes, Brazilians, man a peacekeeping force that prevents the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli War. It enforces either the US partition plan boundaries, but without allowing forced ethnic movements, or it enforces a united multiethnosectarian state in Palestine, possibly with a 'cosociational' democratic constitution like Lebanon - different offices reserved for Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc. No Korean War obviously. More openness between eastern and western spheres economically, and when there is contrast and competition between spheres, it is more economic and peaceful than OTL.
