Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals [Paperback]

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.

'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.

Revolutionary book challenging history's inevitability
What if Britain had stayed out of the First World War? What if Germany had won the Second? Historians have traditionally refused to ask questions of the past, preferring to assume that whatever happened was inevitable. But Virtual History challenges this complacency as leading historians apply 'counterfactual' arguments to decisive moments in modern history. "Ferguson...constructs an entire scenario starting with Charles I's defeat of the Covenanters, running through three revolutions 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" Bryan 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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Edited by Niall Ferguson, Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Jesus College, Oxford, and a well published and highly respected historical writer. Other contributors are John Adamson, J.C.D. Clark, Alvin Jackson, Andrew Roberts, Michael Burleigh, Jonathan Haslam, Diane Kunz and Mark Almond. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.