Anybody who has even a meager Interest in history or the past has at one point thought about how the world would be changed today if an event had gone differently Alternate history is a pretty simple formula Its history that is altered change *blank* event back in *blank* time And you good sir, have a potentially fun story scenario and/or video. The topic range is limitless No really, it is. The issue is how many people are going to care. Some history topics will always be more popular than others Everybody knows what a World War Two or Civil War is... even Becky That's why History Channel had so many shows about Hoder in the early 2000s Everybody knows who Hoder was so it got big ratings but sometimes I don't want to just talk about Hoder. I want to theorize about less known parts of history. Throughout 2017, I had so many ideas I wanted to do But either they were too specific for general audiences or the scenario was just pretty shallow Much like that week old pizza in your fridge I don't want these scenarios to go to waste either. This video is frankly a collection of the topics I had no idea what to do with... Because we both know you wouldn't have clicked on this, otherwise Becky So I'm sharing them all on this one Each scenario will be different from the last, so think of them like small little videos Though here we go... I don't really know how to s e g w a y this Man has always dared to sail the seas; find new land for our own devices in the modern 20th century However new land is hard to come by. Now, with the miracle of modern Engineering we can bring more land to us For 10 years, this has been the dream of the Atlantropa project. A modern mythical marvel for Europe's future by placing a few dams, Man can drain the sea, and bring out hundreds of square miles of coastline along with it. The Atlantropa project: Reclaiming our future! There once was a dream by a single man An architect named Herman Sorgel. In the 1920s, he imagined a gargantuan project If successful, It transformed the very face of Europe What he thought up was an audacious But ludicrous plan, that he believed could bring peace and stability to a continent Which had recently lost millions in war How this would be achieved was by building the largest dams ever devised at both ends of the sea Controlling the water flowing into the Mediterranean. From there the process would begin Over a period of a hundred and fifty years, the sea slowly would evaporate and coastline replace it. A new continent would be born; Atlantropa A new land consisting of thousands of square miles, once underwater All this coastline was then to be settled and farmed by Europeans. The dams that kept the ocean at bay
would be hydroelectric, generating enough power to sustain the entire continent with free, renewable energy Of course, none of that actually happened It was just too large of a project with too many unknowns. However, It's just such a fascinating and odd idea, so let's imagine a timeline where Atlantropa is actually created. Atlantropa was an idea crafted for a utopian world A world that existed only in Sorgel's mind and didn't reflect reality Sorgel thought in terms of grand architecture, big projects Realistically, Atlantropa could never exist. Utopias are not the real world. They're impossible fantasies, and so it'd be an impossible project if Atlantropa was to exist, we need to imagine an alternate, yet impossible utopian world Everyone comes together for Sorgel's vision, ignoring the politics and flaws of that time in history. All the issues engineering and scientific that faced Atlantropa are Magically solved. All that matters is the reality after his project is created What world exists afterwards? It is an alternate 1930s. The Depression is in full swing Unemployment has skyrocketed For some, inexplicable reason public interest in Sorgel's idea is Unnaturally through the roof. The idea of Atlantropa captures the Western imagination Free energy, millions employed, and new land to settle! In a dark time it's the light at the end of the tunnel It's oddly peaceful?! after ten years of building, there isn't another global war. If there was, the cooperation of Europe would end, and Atlantropa would never be built. For the plan to work Germany's ambitions had to be elsewhere, and the war couldn't happen I'm not saying that's possible. I'm just saying Utopia... Utopia is a strange concept What is the definition of a perfect world is subjective; it can change? Atlantropa was Herman Sorgel's utopia. It was a society of culture, technology, and politics. Its existence required peace in Europe. Free energy for all. However it also required a world with continuous imperialism. Entire populations would need to be destroyed. In Central Africa three new seas are created, using the Mediterranean waters. The climate in Africa was meant to be changed Allowing for future colonization. For Atlantropa to survive, the mindset it was made in, 19th century Imperialism, needs to survive as well. This is Herman Sorgel's utopia. His perfect world when at last, sometime in the late 20th century, the dams are finished. The water begins to shrink away as the sea evaporates There is a major problem. The new land isn't as valuable as hoped. It's not fertile. It's entirely useless Instead of land to settle and fertilize, the sea has left one large salt flat Simply explained, it's all barren Sorgel's Atlantropa isn't the savior of Europe like he hoped. Instead, he doomed it. The climate is only becoming hotter without the water to regulate it. Any colonization into North Africa Never really happens. All has done is brought the Sahara closer to Europe, as tribes people hug the shrinking coast Eventually, the sea disappears entirely What replaces it isn't a fertile continent, but a salt covered desert. It's entirely inhospitable Over the 21st century, places like Italy, the Balkans, Greece, and Spain Begin to break down. The dry climate changes the land beyond recognition Centuries following the Atlantropa project most of the region is abandoned Millions fled in a mass exodus up north or to the Americas. It'd be a humanitarian Disaster. if the situation was desperate enough, many would even cross into Africa. If the lake project was actually successful Then a southern Europe becomes less hospitable, more Europeans call central Africa home Back in the 20s, Venice was prized as a cultural hallmark. It needed the sea to exist So to preserve it, Sorgel constructed a giant dam 30 miles away, to keep the sea Always with Venice. It would be the only water left in the basin It'd be an interesting idea with the city in the middle of a desert wasteland. Is this the end of the world? No. It is however, the end of Europe At least how we know it. If Europe survived, it would be cramped, dry, and facing massive continuous conflict The groups that once worked together, now are competing Over what's left. I never made this video because there are so many assumptions that have to be made. It relies on so much being changed and Isn't really like a normal scenario. It's almost like fiction. It's not entirely a hundred percent based on reality, because in Atlantropa isn't based on reality So I never made it because of that. I do think it makes a very good story of a society that just like Icarus flew too close to the Sun Mormons... They exist. And today the general consensus on Mormons is... They exist. And that's okay! However back in the 1850s, the consensus was far different Mormons were despised for their views, and the feeling was mutual The best solution was to move out west. Away from the public who wasn't too happy about the whole polygamy thing. That journey was led by the nicknamed "American Moses", Brigham Young to what is today (I didn't understand what he said!?!??) Utah. it was there he imagined Deseret, a massive state that he imagined would encompass much of the West This never happened of course. The US didn't want the Mormons holding so much valuable land But the idea of this Mormon super state has remained a popular concept in alternate history circles It's often imagined as this Mormon theocracy in the desert a State where Mormons forced their religion onto a vast border and operate entirely independent of the United States So what if the state of Deseret actually did exist in an alternate timeline? Say, it's an alternate 1850. The proposal for the state of Deseret passes in Congress How? Don't ask me. All that matters is Deseret exists It's so large, San Diego and Denver are in the same state. Since I read a lot of alternate history fiction I'm often influenced by these concepts When I first imagined the scenario I thought of a vast religious state ruled by the Latter day Saints. It be a theocracy With laws made to enforce Mormon doctrine and its very nature clashing with the United States. After reading the proposal for the U.S. State of Deseret That's right. Deseret wanted to be a US state, not independent. The alternate scenario is far far different. Right in the text, the Deseret Constitution declares that there must be a separation of church and state and people should worship in any way they want. Huh.... Well that doesn't really sound like a Mormon theocracy. In fact, in reality, Deseret couldn't be that vast, interesting theocratic state at all, if it wanted to be an actual state. And those alternate timeline It simply be a big state in the Union, slightly influenced by Mormonism. We already have something like that It's called, Utah! If this alternate scenario occurred, all of Deseret would be is just one very big Utah. That doesn't mean nothing changes of course. If a state owns everything from San Diego to Denver They're going to be influential. Deseret would be one of the wealthiest states in the Union. With access to Nevada, Utah, and Colorado minerals, a lot of land, and most trails and railroads that have to go west. There wouldn't be a Las Vegas since, Utah outlaws gambling. Any other weird law Utah has, you can kind of just imagine as Deseret as well. I think you can see why this wasn't a full video. To me, this alternate reality is just simply too mundane It'd be a big State, but since it have to abide by Constitutional laws, That would be it! ...And be pretty boring Deseret would have some Mormon Flair, but much like their haircuts, it'd be kind of bland A few years ago I said casually, "I might do a scenario about the empire Ethiopia." Say, if it industrialized in the 19th century Much like Japan. You people never let me forget about it I have regretted it ever since... So what does industrialized even mean? it means that Ethiopia by the 1800s would modernize their society. they'd have things like trains and canals, electricity, and create a modern military with weapons to rival Europe. What even was the empire of Ethiopia? Ethiopia For thousands of years lived on the Horn of Africa as a lone kingdom. It adopted Christianity far before Rome, and was unique for its interaction with the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa It was one of only two African nations that stayed independent from European imperialism. And it was the only Kingdom to fend off an invasion from a European country If anyone in Africa had a shot to be an industrial power, it would be Ethiopia. The reason why I haven't talked about this idea for years... ...Is I have no idea how to approach the scenario An industrial Ethiopia is like a lion in a cage No matter how strong the beast is, the force that surrounds it will always keep it contained If Ethiopia had a big army, the Empire Surrounding them could muster a bigger one. If Ethiopia had an Air Force, the British or Italians could muster a bigger one Japan is the best example for the scenario Japan went from an isolated state to a modern naval power in a century. It's really impressive However, in a conflict with the United States It immediately lost that Navy and resorted to suicidal guerrilla tactics To no avail. In the end, a head start, a larger economy, and better technology always wins the day. So growing the Empire through force wouldn't be an option An industrial Ethiopia would have to be a defensive nation. The only conflict It would ever fight is one of defense, and if that ever happened Ethiopia would still lose. Now the reason I never wanted to do the scenario, is that's just depressing Nobody wants to hear Ethiopia lose So, what about Ethiopian society once it industrializes? An industrial revolution in a country changes the country from the ground up. We can see society shift when machines are Introduced, because it changes everything from jobs, transportation, education, and standards of living. To see how Ethiopia as a society would change if it industrialized leads to so many questions and possibilities. How can you even predict a societal shift like that? Would it lead to conflict or peace? what new jobs would Ethiopians have? Would industrialized Ethiopia change like Japan, or would it have unintended consequences Overall, this topic is just confusing Ethiopia itself is a diverse and complicated nation. If it somehow industrialized It'd be surrounded by neighbors who did as well and society changes so drastically, it leads to more questions than answers But hey! At least I talked about it!! In an alternate timeline where I was actually an efficient person who had videos out on time My name wouldn't be Cody. I'd be an entirely different man Maybe my name would be Kevin Yes. In a world where I didn't have late videos My name would be Kevin. But since we're in this timeline. I guess this is Cody of Alternate History Hub sub to cody
