Alternate History - I require some ideas

[Joey Lock]

For my Photography course, we were allowed to choose our own subject for the entire project, So I had the idea of mixing my interest in Historical Re-enactment but also make it original. Eventually, after visiting the MCM expo in London with my brother and seeing the Steampunk cosplayers, It got my thinking, the idea of Alternate History could leave me open to hundreds of different styles of shoots. But after a while I began to realise, it would also cost quite a bit if I had to keep buying props and costumes for a acadamic course rather than something that will re-pay me in the end etc So I started planning on smaller scale things than the ideas I had popping up in my head of re-enacting Napoleonic battles with futuristic weapons etc For example, here was a shoot I did with LEGO, but my teacher told me that if I wanted to carry on with seriousness, I shouldn't use LEGO. But then again, the rest of the class told me that its a good idea because the Art Technician even helped me set up the shoot and she said she had fun with it, she was facinated by all the new parts that had been made since she used to use it as a child.

Basically my ideas I have at the moment with help from my girlfriend, include:

• If America was invaded by the Soviet Union
  
• If gangsters of the 1920's-1930's like Baby Face Nelson and Al Capone, didn't have the firepower of Tommy Guns and BAR's
  
• If Britain lost the Battle of Britain and Germany invaded Britain
  
• If the past had our present technology, not only just weapondry but also general everyday technology, for example, mobile phones etc
  
• Re-enact paintings but change weapons
  
• Re-enact things and change the outcome, as in, dont make it on sided
  
• We act like we won the war, but in real life a metorite did
  
• Cavemen with todays technology, for example, a laptop and tv
  

But can you think of any other ideas? Have you ever wanted to try any ideas of Alternate Histories? Thanks!

[brickmack]

Japan never attacks America at Pearl Harbor, so America is never involved in World War 2, causing Germany to win the war. Germany fights the soviets, and Russia falls in weeks. Eventually America becomes involved, and helps defeat the Germans, but at the cost of nearly a billion people as several nuclear weapons are used against Germany and eventually Japan. Much of Europe remains uninhabitable to this day, and the world population is much lower.

[Fallenangel]

The obvious choice would be:

"O brave new world,/ That has such people in't!"

Also, the WWI-era Soviet Union if Trotsky hadn't been ousted or what would have happened if the Bay of Pigs invasion had been successful. For topics with less political gravitas and more lending to re-enactment, there's always the French Revolution with aliens on the rebelling side, Alexander the Great with WWI-era cavalry at his disposal, or the Garden of Eden in the 21st century. (I'm trying to pick things that would be easily recognizable as visuals.)

@brickmack: I highly doubt it would have been that simple... but that's a discussion for a different kind of forum.

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

What if Napoleon had had success in his Russian campaign? What if the Soviet Union didn't fall in 1991? What if they won the Cold war? What if Hitler had succesfuly taken over the Soviet Union? What if the confederates won the US Civil War? What if all American colonies were still under European control? What if the Ottomans never blocked the route to the East, eliminating the need for Europeans to seek new ways there?

Oh, I'm just such a big fan of History, and so much of alternate history.

[Sokratesz]

What if..

Hitler didn't piss of Stalin, and instead united as Germany+USSR+Japan against the rest

This means GB would've been dead by 1942, US probably wouldn't have intervened because of their appeasement policy and lack of a direct attack

Then, they could stage an attack on mainland US (conquering Hawaii and Iceland first as staging points) from two sides, Japan from one and Germany from the other assisted by the USSR

However, this would prove to be extremely difficult being a drain on even the resources of a united Eurasia, thus at the homefront things slowly start falling apart with rebellion being incited in France and GB by the lack of occupational forces (all being sent to NA). This forces desperate measures to try and end the war in the US and the US, Germany and the USSR are all three racing towards nuclear weaponry.

However, Mexico and the nations in South America who have been bullied into passiveness by the attackers so far start to rally, Brazil holds a massive draft and gathers an enormous army and they take control of the isthmus of Panama from the USSR.

While they march north to attack the Eurasian forces laying siege on Las Vegas and the other major desert cities in the flank, they receive experimental nuclear weaponry from China

As the first nukes fall from the south on the forces attacking Salt Lake City, the USSR forces retreat from two major cities on the east coast and threaten to nuke them if attacks continue

South American forces ignore pleads by the US government to halt their attack, and they seize control of California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah, forcing the Japanese and USSR forces to retreat north along the coast

The USSR meanwhile finds their supply lines in Europe sabotaged by rebels and thus is unable to carry out its threat of nuking New York and Philadelphia. The US government, who counted these two cities as lost as soon as SA forces moved north, now feels confident enough to use its newly developed nuclear weaponry

First target is Kéflavik airport on Iceland, an important staging point for Germany and the USSR

Second target is Hawaii itself which by now has been completely taken over by the Japanese and is used as both a Naval and Air staging ground.

The nukes fall leaving supply lines on both sides for the attackers severely crippled

Meanwhile US ground forces are losing the ground battle in the northern US as Japanese forces move towards Glasgow AFB where much of the remaining US forces are stationed

At this point Hitler and Stalin fall in disagreement over whether the war can still be won. The US army is decimated but with supply lines broken and unrest in Europe mounting Hitler wants to retreat and strike peace, leaving the USA to be taken over by South American forces.

With huge concentrations of both hostile and friendly ground forces assembling around Glasgow AFB neither side dares to employ nukes, and secretly emperor Hirohito strikes a deal with the United States: The Japanese forces will retreat, destroy what's left of the USSR forces on the mainland and accept Alaska as compensation

With nuclear aid of the United States, Japan destroys the main Soviet harbours north of them, and their ground forces capture hundreds of thousand unsuspecting Soviet POW's on the US mainland

Stalin, on visit in Berlin throws a mighty fit, accuses Hitler of conspiring against him and attempts to kill him

Hitler is wounded but his SS bodyguards kill Stalin

Albert Speer, the great architect, convinces the Reichstag that the war should end and brokers peace with the South American forces, and Germany vacates the eastern US and Iceland

With Stalin dead, local nationalists all over the USSR celebrate and a civil war breaks out that the scattered USSR forces are unable to contain

Speer, concerned about the rebellions, allows their conquered European countries limited self-governance, restoring order in most of Europe

Scandinavia seizes this opportunity to rise against the German oppression and Speer, completely out of resources with great financial trouble mounting at home, sees no other option than to allow their independence

Hardliners within the NSDAP disagree, and Speer is ousted in a Coup

cannot be arsed to continue but this is a nice start I think

[Tanma]

The ones I immediately think of are from Harry Turtledove's many books. For instance, what if the colonies and England managed to negotiate, and the colonies remained a part of the British empire. A more unique idea, what if the alliance between Japan and Britain held, and the British fought in WWII as an axis power. Or what if Hero of Alexandra's steam engine became mass produce, allowing an early steam age.

[CMP]

The American Revolution, but with WWII vehicles/technology?

[Stauder]

Gold is worthless, and the most valued material on earth is lint.

Go.

Stauder

(Or, just so the mods don't eat me; The AK-47 is never invented. Go.)