Opus 2026-054: On the Other Hand…

How would the world be different if certain people had died sooner?

The first one that comes to my mind is George Washington.  During the French and Indian war when he was rescuing the remnants of Braddock’s army, what would  have happened if one of those many musket balls that went through his coat had been just a little bit different and had taken his life.  Would the American Revolution have started without Washington’s uniting presence?  I can guarantee you that we would have never won the war because he was the one who was totally indispensable.  He’s the one that held them together.  He’s the one that deserved their trust.  So definitely the world will be different today.

What if Hitler died earlier?  I think we can say that things would’ve definitely been different.  Millions of people would’ve lived that died.  Of course we don’t know what direction European politics would have taken.  There could’ve been many more wars.  In fact, if the history of Europe was anything to go by, there would have been more wars.  It’s very possible that the Soviet Union would have been able to continue to expand without anything to stop it.  Would that matter?   What if Stalin had died as a young man?  The Communist revolution would’ve still proceeded.  But what would’ve happened after that?  I don’t know what role he played but it’s possible that Trosky would not have been murdered.  It’s possible that Lenin would never have emerged as a leader.  They’re all kinds of possibilities.

How would the world be different if Napoleon had never lived?  Again we don’t know how the politics of Europe would’ve worked out, it could’ve been just as bloody only with different leaders.  The concept of a national army in total war would have not come so early.  The Napoleonic codes would never have been written.

What if Octavian, commonly also known as Caesar Augustus, had lost the wars against his rivals.  Would any of them have had the focus and the priorities to make Rome an empire that would endure?  If the Roman empire had fallen apart earlier, how would history be different?

If Mohammed had never lived, would someone else have been raised up to replace him?  Of course, if you were a devout Muslim, you would think, yes, Allah would have raised somebody else up.  If you are just about anyone else, you would think it would be almost impossible for anyone to be so delusional.  The development around the Mediterranean would have certainly changed as the different Christian groups would be in constant conflict, and the schisms within the church would become very pronounced.  Would Rome have dominated the way it did?

Speculate.  I am glad you are still with us to make a difference.

homo unius libri