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Ravus
Not an EggshellWalker
Registered: 07/18/03
Posts: 7,991
Loc: Cave of the Patriarchs
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An Alternate Present
#4204829 - 05/21/05 09:05 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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What if the Axis had won World War II? Where would we be right now?
It's not very far out of the line of reason either; some better decisions on their part and America may be divided into two as Germany was once divided.
If the Axis had won and presumably taken over America, Europe, Russia, and possibly most of the rest of the world, what would life be like now? What would the people be like spiritually and philosophically? Would we be mostly the same with just different leaders? Would our technology be more developed because we'd be unified under one or two strong forces?
And most importantly: What drugs be legalized?
I think Philip K. Dick got some of the possibilities right in his book, "The Man in the High Castle", where the axis did win World War II due to FDR being assassinated and America never getting out of the Great Depression, taking an isolationist policy and losing the war. I imagine Japan would've taken the Pacific, the Nazis would've taken Europe and Russia, and between them they'd take the U.S., possibly dividing the Eastern half for the Nazis and the Western for the Japanese, similar to what we did with Germany between the Western powers and the Soviets. I'm not sure where Italy would fit in a future where the Axis won the World Wars, but I imagine they would have a hard time competing with Germany after Germany won.
In this respect, you'd have to address the possibility of this alternate present in the divisions of the Imperial and the Fascist. Both would have quite a few drawbacks, but I imagine it'd be a bit more tolerable for most normal people to live in the Imperial areas. The Nazis would, I imagine, have continued ethnic cleansing and the encouragement of a Nordic population throughout at least their regions of control, including New York City, so economically there would be massive shifts. Technology is unpredictable, but I imagine the Nazis wouldn't be that far beyond us today, if not even ahead of us.
As for drugs, the Nazis and Fascists would probably treat it very harshly, but the Imperial Japanese? Throughout their culture, they've had quite a few spiritual undertones of Shintoism, Buddhism, the I Ching, so it's a vague possibility they may be more liberal on simple herbs like marijuana, maybe even simply treating natural drugs like herbal remedies.
Spiritually, I imagine the Fascist areas of control would mostly apathetic to religion, with quite a percentage of atheists so as to break away from the Jewish-started Christianity, but Nordic Paganism may have made a revival as they looked to their white roots. The Imperial Japanese would probably continue on in their noble Japanese customs, spiritually spreading it to those under their control like has been done before.
Of course, it's impossible to make accurate predictions of this possible reality, but I imagine the world would be more similar than we'd think, and different in areas we'd never imagine it to be.
-------------------- So long as you are praised think only that you are not yet on your own path but on that of another.
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides
Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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Re: An Alternate Present [Re: Ravus]
#4204850 - 05/21/05 09:11 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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Fascinating stuff. I've read that story and think of things like this all time. One scenario I would see happening is Japan and Germany going to war, eventually.
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Ravus
Not an EggshellWalker
Registered: 07/18/03
Posts: 7,991
Loc: Cave of the Patriarchs
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Re: An Alternate Present [Re: Le_Canard]
#4204937 - 05/21/05 09:41 PM (18 years, 10 months ago) |
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It seems likely to me that Japan and Germany might have the same situation as the U.S. and Soviet Russia had after World War II, except since they're both a bit more militant and insane the war probably wouldn't have been cold. Imperial Japan and Fascist Germany, if maintained right, would possibly be much more stable than Soviet Russia, due to the obvious flaws of communism among other problems in Russia.
In our case, because the U.S. was more stable than Russia and was patient enough, Soviet Russia finally collapsed, and the tension was resolved. But between Imperial Japan and Fascist Germany what would happen? Would one collapse and the other take over? Would they be able to maintain a stable relationship, despite the tension? Or would they just have an all-out war eventually?
It seems hard for me to believe that Japan and Germany would've continued friendly relationships over decades, because both contain land and power, and both love to conquer and expand. Unless one of them collapsed, my guess is that they'd end up creating World War III, and the winner would've been determined by who discovered nuclear weapons first. My money would be on the Nazis.
-------------------- So long as you are praised think only that you are not yet on your own path but on that of another.
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