Virtual history : alternatives and counterfactuals

What if there had been no American War of Independence? What if Hitler had invaded Britain? What if Kennedy had lived? What if Russia had won the Cold War? Niall Ferguson, author of the highly acclaimed The Pity of War , leads the charge in this historically rigorous series of separate voyages into “imaginary time” and provides far-reaching answers to these intriguing questions.Ferguson’s brilliant 90-page introduction doubles as a manifesto on the methodology of counter-factual history. His equally masterful afterword traces the likely historical ripples that would have proceeded from the maintenance of Stuart rule in England. This breathtaking narrative gives us a convincing, detailed “alternative history” of the West—from the accession of “James III” in 1701, to a Nazi-occupied England, to a U.S. Prime Minister Kennedy who lives to complete his term. Cover Title page Copyright page Contents Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction – Virtual History: Towards a 'chaotic' theory of the past – Niall Ferguson [1] Divine Intervention and Predestination Scientific Determinism: Materialism and Idealism Contingency, Chance and the Revolt against Causation Scientific History – Continued Narrative Determinism: Why Not Invent History? The Garden of Forking Paths Chaos and the End of Scientific Determinism Towards Chaostory 1 England Without Cromwell: What if Charles I had avoided the Civil War? – John Adamson [91] Scotland in 1639: A Victory Forgone The Fortunes of Puritanism: Senescence and Decline? The Remaking of the English Judiciary Stuart Britain: The Refashioning of the State 2 British America: What if there had been no American Revolution? – J. C. D. Clark [125] The Inevitability of Anglo-American History Stuart Alternatives: An Empire of Many Parliaments – or None? Two Types of Tragedy? 1688 and 1776 'External Causes' and the Inadequacy of Teleology The Strategic Counterfactuals Domestic Counterfactuals: Colonial Union, Taxation and Democracy The Problems of Repression in a Libertarian Polity Manifest Destinies? The Denial of American Counterfactuals The Marginalised, the Expropriated and the Oppressed The Long Shadow of the Transatlantic Counterfactual 3 British Ireland: What if Home Rule had been enacted in 1912? – Alvin Jackson [175] The History of an Idea The Prospects for a Settlement Interpreting the Third Home Rule Bill Ireland under Home Rule Arcadia? 4 The Kaiser's European Union: What if Britain had 'stood aside' in August 1914? – Niall Ferguson [228] An Older Counterfactual: Anglo-German Entente Britain's War of Illusions Germany's Bid for European Union The Continental Non-Commitment The War against the Tories A War without the BEF 5 Hitler's England: What if Germany had invaded Britain in May 1940? – Andrew Roberts and Niall Ferguson [281] An Older Counterfactual: Non-Appeasement Peaceful Coexistence: The Charmley Counterfactual A Still Worse Scenario: The Invasion of Britain The Collaboration Counterfactual Never Surrender? 6 Nazi Europe: What if Nazi Germany had defeated the Soviet Union? – Michael Burleigh [321] Rosenberg's Counterfactual Hitler's Vision Himmler's Counterfactual And Tomorrow, the World? 7 Stalin's War Or Peace: What if the Cold War had been avoided? – Jonathan Haslam [348] What if the United States had not had the Atomic Bomb? What if Western Intelligence had not been Penetrated? What if Stalin had accepted the Western definition of 'Influence'? 8 Camelot Continued: What if John F. Kennedy had lived? – Diane Kunz [368] The Origins of a Myth The Second Emancipation America's Longest War What if Kennedy had Lived? 9 1989 Without Gorbachev: What if Communism had not collapsed? – Mark Almond [392] The End of Ideology – and of the Ideologists The Politics of Economic Crisis How would the West have reacted to a Crackdown? The Final Oil Shock Afterword: A Virtual History, 1646–1996 – Niall Ferguson [416] Notes [441] Introduction – Virtual History: Towards a 'chaotic' theory of the past – Niall Ferguson 1 England Without Cromwell: What if Charles I had avoided the Civil War? – John Adamson 2 British America: What if there had been no American Revolution? – J. C. D. Clark 3 British Ireland: What if Home Rule had been enacted in 1912? – Alvin Jackson 4 The Kaiser's European Union: What if Britain had 'stood aside' in August 1914? – Niall Ferguson 5 Hitler's England: What if Germany had invaded Britain in May 1940? – Andrew Roberts and Niall Ferguson 6 Nazi Europe: What if Nazi Germany had defeated the Soviet Union? – Michael Burleigh 7 Stalin's War Or Peace: What if the Cold War had been avoided? – Jonathan Haslam 8 Camelot Continued: What if John F. Kennedy had lived? – Diane Kunz 9 1989 Without Gorbachev: What if Communism had not collapsed? – Mark Almond Index [531] A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z "What if there had been no American War of Independence? What if Hitler had invaded Britain? What if Kennedy had lived? What if Russia had won the Cold War? Niall Ferguson, author of the highly acclaimed The Pity of War, leads the charge in this historically rigorous series of separate voyages into 'imaginary time' and provides far-reaching answers to these intriguing questions. Ferguson's brilliant 90-page introduction doubles as a manifesto on the methodology of counter-factual history. His equally masterful afterword traces the likely historical ripples that would have proceeded from the maintenance of Stuart rule in England. This breathtaking narrative gives us a convincing, detailed 'alternative history' of the West -- from the accession of 'James III' in 1701, to a Nazi-occupied England, to a U.S. Prime Minister Kennedy who lives to complete his term."--Publisher description A provocative look at history speculates what may have happened if nine major events did not occur, asking such questions as, "What if there had been no American Revoultion?" and "What if John F. Kennedy had lived?" Reprint. 20,000 first printing. Between 1638 and 1640, when not distracted by fiscal crises and Scottish wars, Charles I turned his attention to a more congenial task: the plans for a new royal palace at Whitehall.