What If?: Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been

Beginning with the siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC and ending with the Cold War, the contributors posit some amazing historical alternatives. Christianity and Islam, for example, may never have existed and Hitler might have been killed in the First World War. Generally taking a "Western" (sometimes specifically American) perspective, the far-reaching repercussions of real and imagined events are shown. Information gems include the fact that Genghis Khan's soldiers wore silk underwear and that the Kaiser almost met his end in a Wild West show stunt in 1889. What If? reveals that the path of history is a mix of action, reaction and chance. As the editor writes, "milliseconds can influence centuries" and "the difference can be as slight as the path of a bullet". A book of both facts and opinions, it can be argued with as well as learnt from. It might provide perfect fodder for an intellectual dinner party--although pondering the frightening unpredictability of past and future could damage your appetite! --Karen Tiley

Reader Reviews:

Not just for history anoraks! (0/0 people found this helpful)

An excellent read, never gets too technical or detailed to turn off the casual non-expert reader. Great both to learn more about the actual events and to think about the impact of alternative scenarios that could have happened if one small thing had gone differently. Definitely worth a look.

Fascinating and thought provoking (0/0 people found this helpful)

Most fans of history have often asked themselves "What if" certain historical events had turned out differently. What is [...] attack on the Soviet Union had succeeded? What if the British had beaten George Washington? All of these questions are given a very detailed analysis by professional historians, who manage to blend historical rigour with entertaining prose. Some of the what ifs raised are truly astounding, such as the notion that the sole reason the Ottoman Empire never conquered Europe was simply because of heavy rain during a major battle.

At times it can be extraordinary to think just how different the world would be had even very slight circumstances differed. The book also details little known but critical historical turning points, like the Roman Empire's defeat in the forests of Germany in the first century and the Greek naval battle with the numerically superior Persians at Salamis, which are similarly fascinating.

The writing style is very relaxed an informal, which is surprising given its academic subject matter, and maps and illustrations are provided to help explain trickier concepts, for example a possible alternative invasion route [...] could have taken into the USSR. The contents page is well organised so you can pick which historical events interest you most. The only "weakness" is that there are no footnotes to back up the claims of the historians, but then again this is possible history, not actual history. It may be a little unfair therefore to mark the book down for not referencing sources that cannot possibly exist.

All in all, this book is an absolute must for fans of history, and is one of the most though provoking books I have read in a long time. I would also very strongly recommend "More What If", the equally fascinating sequel to this book, for similar reasons.

fantastic fun (2/2 people found this helpful)

well, i just think this is a superbly interesting book, perfect for dipping in to and re-visiting. If more people were to read this sort of book on trains etc. it would represent a considerable intellectual advance over puzzles and glossly magazines. its NOT a university text book, and to criticise it from that point of view is to mis-understand the aim of the book.

Also, to complain that the consequences of various alternatives are not fully fleshed out is a dire mistake. The book allows a lot of room for the reader to fill in the blanks- for instance, the wonderfully written little segment on the mongols and the death of Ogadai that saved Europe perfectly explains how our continent could have been culturally decimated without trying to piant that particular picture in full.

Another interesting element to that particular story is the destruction of the Caliph of Baghdad by the Mongols. The supreme head of Islam was put in a sack and "trampled to paste" by wild horses. the caliphate has never been restored...how would christians have coped had the pope suffered the same fate?

anyway, questions like that are left to your imagination, which is a pleasant and pleasing thing to get from a book.

the last few chapters are slightly below power, and the over-emphasis on america is slightly grating. But the book clearly believes that the various cultural traits of people can be traced back to historical events- for instance, Russian xenophobia comes from the attacks of the Mongols centuries ago, whilst German aggression is put down to that nation never having experienced Roman rule etc etc. its a highly debatable thought, but to go with it a minute only a young, historically naive nation like America would have the temerity to revise history and re-present it in such an interesting fashion.

Entertaining (4/4 people found this helpful)

As a history student myself and with an interest in alternative histories and what might have been, I found this book to be very entertaining. The book covers scenarios such as Thirteen ways the Americans could have lots the revolution, a Roman Victory over the Germanic tribes in the Teutoburg Forest, a victorious Spanish armada, a failed D-Day, and the cold war turning hot at the Berlin Wall in 1961 to name but a few. In each scenario events are pin pointed in which history could have diverted off into an alternative path. It is thoroughly entertaining to read, although I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that the alternatives weren't explored in a bit more detail. Nevertheless, the book is an interesting and entertaining read to anyone with an interest in history.

Not history but entertainment. (2/4 people found this helpful)

I read this book expecting a work of well researched history and read it alongside Creasey's Decisive Battles. I was disappointed.

It wasn't the historical clangers that cropped up on the periphery of the scenarios. They were quite entertaining in their own way.

It wasn't the description of the pivotal points of history. They were clearly and engagingly explained.

What disappointed was the clearly partisan perspective of some of the contributors. Although I expect historians to have an ideological basis for their analyses, it is unacceptable to allow their bias to colour their descriptions. Saying that Lenin brought "political pestilence" to Russia, or writing about "rogue ideologies" in the modern world belongs echoes the school books of Franco's Spain or Hitler's Germany; there is no place for this in history books in a modern democracy.

What If?: Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been

Robert Cowley

Editorial Review: