Various nations "pulling a Meiji" - There were very specific conditions in place that allowed Japan to rapidly industrialize, and unfortunately not very many other nations had them. With the right POD, of course, it would be possible to put those conditions into place, but many people only seem to be interested in a POD in the 1800s, after it's too late for many areas.
It's probably not right to call all of the above outright ASB... but then I am very hesitant to call anything ASB short of divine or extraterrestrial intervention. It would just be a very uphill battle to properly explain and plausibly justify them in any TL.
Especially without British or French intervention; there's no way the Confederacy on its own will survive the Union onslaught.
In all fairness any direct European Intervention in the US Civil War.
It would have required someone (ie. the Union Government) to do something extraordinarily stupid!
(Although books have been published with exactly that, without overt provocation no other nation had any reason to get involved?).
With a few events going differently (specifically, one, which is if Lincoln had trusted his own judgement on Dec 26 1861) the Trent Affair might have had London sending ironclads to New York.It nearly happened just after the war started. With a few events going differently the Trent Affair might have had London and Paris sending emissaries to Richmond.
I checked on Indian coal mining history and apparently there is a large coalfield in Bengal exploited since 1774. Exploitation was slow due to lack of demand and interest from the British, but that might not be the case in an Indian India.Most "India industrializes" scenarios are quite implausible. India's large coal deposits are located in remote areas only accessible by technology beyond the industrial age. People also tend to turn a blind eye to the role of textile mills in the British Industrial Revolution - that's a plausible way India could have become a fairly industrial country.
I checked on Indian coal mining history and apparently there is a large coalfield in Bengal exploited since 1774. Exploitation was slow due to lack of demand and interest from the British, but that might not be the case in an Indian India.
Especially without British or French intervention; there's no way the Confederacy on its own will survive the Union onslaught.
Charles Martel losing the Battle of Tours, leading to the Umayyads taking all of France (not common here, but as a common AH assumption like "if the Germans won Sealion we'd be speaking German" it's comparable)
I can't quite agree here, because the Umayyads had already pulled off the improbable with their invasion of Spain (if not other invasions). If it had not actually happened, I don't think many of us would believe that they could cross the Mediterranean and conquer the peninsula.
It is hard for them to conquer France, to be sure, but I think it is in the realm of possibility, although probably would have occurred in stages, and not as quickly as the conquest of Spain.
Roman Empire industrialization timelines. In fact most non-Song Empire industrialization timelines.
Roman Empire industrialization timelines. In fact most non-Song Empire industrialization timelines.
I think it's not Charles Martel losing Tours alone that is the problem, but "We would all be Muslims speaking Arabic!" Or?
Yes, it's far more likely Christianity would've remained common, just like in al-Andalus
Charles Martel losing the Battle of Tours, leading to the Umayyads taking all of France (not common here, but as a common AH assumption like "if the Germans won Sealion we'd be speaking German" it's comparable)