If you could change a single part of pre 18th century history what would you change?
If you could change a single part of pre 18th century history what would you change?
I'm looking for specific and non obvious answers. Give me something visceral, rid the world of a figure or nation you hate. Preserve a culture you adore. It doesn't have to make sense either, you are basically god here.
What I mean is don't just say you'd get rid of imperialism or colonialism bc no shit
Personally I would make it so that the Americas are never discovered by the old world and every would be conquistador (especially cortez and pizarro) explodes.
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Like 1000-ish years before Columbus, I'd give the native Americans all the Eurasian/African domestic animals and knowledge of metallurgy. When sustained contact happens, it will be on a more equal footing, stopping European colonialism before it can really start.
I'd give the native Americans all the Eurasian/African domestic animals
If we had that happen... then we shall confirm this:
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If they don't die in a droves due to transported Old World disease, due to previous exposure to animals and to an extent, the Old World, they will make their bones as a majority-indigenous continent akin to the former, and at worst, end up more like the historically western-imperialized people of Asia and Africa that later fights back in large numbers rather than the near-genocided condition they are in, today, that make them a minority in most of the Americas.
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If despite the previous disease exposure and skills given, they die in similar amounts during the European conquest, we can more certainly conclude it was European imperialists and settlers, such as by their hunger-causing scorched earth tactics, and forced labor plantation overwork, whose policies more purposely seeked to eliminate them in the early 1500s-1600s, and indirectly caused the conditions for viruses and bacteria to kill them
Personally, as much as I want it to be the former, I feel its the latter...
Edited
If they don't die in a droves, supposedly due to transported disease from the Old World, they will make their bones as a majority-indigenous continent akin to the former, and at worst, end up more like the western-imperialized people of Asia and Africa that later fights back rather than the near-genocided state they are known as, today...
That's why I'd do it about 1000 years before, to give the American population time to bounce back.
If despite the previous disease exposure and skills given, they die in similar amounts during the European conquest, we can more certainly conclude it was European imperialists and settlers, such as by their scorched earth tactics, and forced labor plantations, whose policies more purposely seeked to eliminate them in the early 1500s-1600s
I figure if they have iron or steel weapons, along with cavalry and other various animals to serve as beasts of burden and food sources, they'd be able to defend themselves from the Europeans pretty adequately no matter what.
That's why I'd do it about 1000 years before, to give the American population time to bounce back.
I don't argue against that, I kinda agree with yer point; with such exposure, they should be able to be like Asia, Africa, and Europe, in that their populations are majority native to the region and acclimated to global zoonotic and human-spread diseases.
I figure if they have iron or steel weapons, along with cavalry and other various animals to serve as beasts of burden and food sources, they'd be able to defend themselves from the Europeans pretty adequately no matter what.
Good!
That's why I'd do it about 1000 years before, to give the American population time to bounce back.
If we're dreaming let's give all the Native Americans vaccines and more diverse immune system genes. Or maybe teach the Europeans germ theory and basic hygiene before 1492.
Unfortunately they would probably just use that knowledge to better exterminate people. Idk if we are ready for the consequences of knowledgeable biological warfare in the 1500s
Or maybe teach the Europeans germ theory and basic hygiene before 1492.
The British were giving out smallpox blankets well before germ theory. I don't think a more precise understanding of the mechanism of contagious disease transmission would have helped.
“Out of our regard to them … we gave them two Blankets and an Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect.” —An eyewitness, quoted in Elizabeth A. Fenn, Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775–81, 2001
Preventing genocide by teaching British people to bathe
You're right, that's unrealistic. It makes more sense to travel back in time 600 years and vaccinate 100 million people.
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I was thinking more along the lines of two giant walls splitting the pacific and atlantic down the middle. The walls reach the stratosphere and if european touches them they explode.
Your solution is good too but my goal is to see how they would develop in isolation. Its also worth mentioning that the new worlders had a severe disadvantage not just in knowledge but in resources. They did not have large pack animals so much of their labor power was tied up in manual tasks. They also had significantly less time to domesticate their plants making them more nutrient rich. Peas were already domesticated by the time they had even began farming iirc. Although the Inca's and pre Incan societies were very proficient at selective plant breeding. So while a thousand years of metallurgy would help I'm not sure it would be enough
I mean, I don't want to take your joke too seriously or anything, but that's kind of anti-Marxist...
The exploding people part?
Preventing contact between Eurasia and the Americas would significantly hamper human development, leading to a world without socialism or communism. Also, assuming that you'd do the wall to prevent the genocide of native Americans, there's the underlying assumption that any kind of contact would necessarily lead to genocide, which is an inherently right wing assumption (genocide and conquest = human nature).
I know I'm overthinking a joke answer, but it's what it is.
I know I'm overthinking a joke answer, but it's what it is.
This is fair lol, I do it all the time no worries. Obviously I wouldn't actually do this if I had the power to but I am really mad about the spanish rn. Regardless, while I don't believe conquest is inherent to human nature, I find it hard to believe any other outcome was likely given the difference in power and systems in place. However despite that my biggest issue is disease. I don't want them meeting because it would be devastating for one group or the other no matter what. I am also very curious to see how society would have developed in the isolated Americas. I wonder how different and how similar they would have been to us.
Also I am not sure how this would prevent communism long term. Sure it would slow things down but its shouldn't be impossible no?
Fair enough I guesss
Also I am not sure how this would prevent communism long term. Sure it would slow things down but its shouldn't be impossible no?
You need a global economy, interconnected with lots of people spreading technology and ways of organizing and capital, et cetera.
In fact, at a bare minimum, you probably need the potato to spread throughout the world. I don't think the economic and technological development for capitalism, and later to socialism, is possible without potatoes.