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What if there had been no American War of Independence? What if Hitler had invaded Britain? What if Kennedy had lived? What if Russia had won the Cold War? Niall Ferguson, author of the highly acclaimed The Pity of War, leads the charge in this historically rigorous series of separate voyages into imaginary time and provides far-reaching answers to these intriguing questions. Fergusons brilliant 90-page introduction doubles as a manifesto on the methodology of counter-factual history. His equally masterful afterword traces the likely historical ripples that would have proceeded from the maintenance of Stuart rule in England. This breathtaking narrative gives us a convincing, detailed alternative history of the Westfrom the accession of James III in 1701, to a Nazi-occupied England, to a U. S. Prime Minister Kennedy who lives to complete his term.
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'Fluent and entertaining.' The Times 'Ferguson . . . constructs an entire scenario starting with Charles I's defeat of the Covenanters, running through three revolutions, the American, the French and the Russian - that did not happen and climaxing with the collapse of the West, ruled by an Anglo American empire, in the face of a mighty transcontinental, tsarist Russian imperium . . . A welcome, optimistic assault on an intellectual heresy that has done much, much more harm than good.' Brian Appleyard, Sunday Times 'Quite brilliant, inspiring for the layman and an enviable tour de force for the informed reader . . . A wonderful book . . . lucid, exciting and easy to read.' Claus von Bulow, Literary Review 'Sizzling essays hot from the academic griddle.' Piers Brendon, Mail on Sunday 'The implications of Virtual History deserve to be meditated by every historian . . . a talented and imaginative team of historians who tackle with counterfactual verve a series of mostly twentieth century turning points.' Christopher Andrew, Daily Telegraph
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Between 1638 and 1640, when not distracted by fiscal crises and Scottish wars, Charles I turned his attention to a more congenial task: the plans for a new royal palace at Whitehall. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Between 1638 and 1640, when not distracted by fiscal crises and Scottish wars, Charles I turned his attention to a more congenial task: the plans for a new royal palace at Whitehall. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Informative and thought-provoking,
This review is from: Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals (Paperback)
"Virtual History" has a very modern slant - its earliest subject is Charles I and the Civil War and 7 of the 9 essays relate to 20th-century events. As a reader with an interest in ancient and medieval history I was a little disappointed that there was not a little more variety. That does not undermine the quality of the writing at all, but some prior knowledge of the subjects covered is definitely helpful. To be fair, however, care has been taken to ensure that the subjects chosen are all fairly well-known events - the (English) Civil War, the American War of Independence, World War Two, the assassination of JFK for example.
Ferguson's introductory chapter is perhaps the best section of the book, being both excellent and informative. In it he takes a careful look at the development of counterfactual history over the ages, making reference to the literary world and to the development of science too. Some might find this section too dry, especially if their interest is more in the actual 'what if' scenarios presented in the following chapters. To me, however, this was one of the most engaging parts of the book, with plenty to consider. One of the best essays is Andrew Roberts' "Hitler's England: What if Germany had invaded Britain in May 1940?" Here he explores plausible alternative courses based on contemporary attitudes, German strategies and British contingency plans. This is the kind of counterfactual history this book is really concerned with, rather than simply telling fictional stories. For this reason there seems to be little value in the last chapter, which attempts to tie together all the scenarios into a continuous narrative. It is also worthwhile pointing out that "Virtual History" has an extensive list of endnotes, which means it is possible to follow up on many of the interesting points raised. At the same time, though, it would have been nice to have a bibliography or 'recommended reading' list. However, this is a minor flaw in what is generally an excellent read for anyone interested in 'what if?' history or even just looking for a new and imaginative take on what are well-covered subjects.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating concept, good book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals (Paperback)
Ferguson is an extremely readable historian, and in Virtual History he certainly raises a host of thought-provoking questions. The book deals with what my history professor calls 'if history'--what would have happened if circumstances had been just a little different, or if individuals had made different choices. Ferguson's introduction deals with any reservations people may have about this idea--he discusses conventional historians' dislike of 'if history', the need to avoid the 'Cleopatra's nose' ideas, and the reasons why it is so important to think about what could have happened. The different chapters in the book discuss various scenarios--what would have happened if America had remained a British colony, what if Hitler had invaded Britain in 1940, and so on. Most are extremely readable. The essays discuss possibilities and detail why the choices which were made were actually made before considering what could have occurred. I found those dealing with WW2 to be the most interesting--perhaps this was because the Nazis left their plans for the Thousand Year Reich, allowing historians to reconstruct Hitler's Europe with reasonable certainty. Obviously the essays vary; I felt that the essay dealing with JFK was far from subjective. Certainly he was an extremely flawed man, and a continuation of Camelot might not have been in anyone's best interest, but it is more of an attack than a construction of Virtual History, and JFK's finest hour in the Cuban Missile Crisis is not even mentioned. Despite this, I recommend this to any history students or anyone with a general interest. It's a book to dip in to and to think about, and one which might just change the way you view the past.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun-time Ferguson,
By
This review is from: Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals (Paperback)
I found this an interesting book and I have huge respect for Ferguson's work. My only problem is the attempt to elevate the "what if" game to a branch of the philosophy of history. I found this introductory section creaky and unconvincing. "Counterfactuals" are better classified as imaginary conceits, more akin to sci-fi than history. They may be more entertaining than a lot of straight history but they are never likely to throw up genuinely original insights. Ferguson ironically demonstrates this later in the book. His essay on the causes of the First World War is fascinating and does indeed throw up ar least one original insight, namely that pre-war Britain repeatedly rejected the option of an Anglo-German alliance not from fear of a strong or resurgeant Germany, but precisely the opposite. A German alliance would jeopardise friendship with France and Russia; they were strong; Germany was not. The perception of German weakness was the main obstancle to Anglo-German detente. But the point is - it is an essay; Ferguson did not write it in the format of a counter-factual, but as a probing and speculative essay. Counter-factuals are fun; but they are no substitute for the reflective intelligence of the historian, compared to which they are a gimmick. Don't get me wrong - read this book - but for strictly for fun.
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