Worst 19th Century Alternate History Cliches

Status
Not open for further replies.
Kaiser Chris

Kaiser Chris

So recently we have had the Worst American Civil War cliches along with the Worst 20th century cliches. I figured it would be interesting to start up the conversation again and focus on the 19th century as a whole. However do try and limit the American Civil War ones for the thread and the Napoleonic Wars may deserve to belong on its own thread. Here are some of mine (I am guilty of some):
  • Quebec becomes an independent nation in the early half of the 1800's and becomes America's best friend on the continent.
  • Mexico balkanizes either immediately after the Revolution or a few decades into its existence, 9 time out of 10 America has something to do with it.
  • Nothing happens in South America except for the Brazilian Empire surviving.
  • China gets screwed in every other universe with a huge partition among the colonial powers, especially Britain and Russia.
  • As long as Napoleon does not invade Russia then the Empire will live for the rest of the century.
  • Spain will always lose Cuba and the Philippines.
  • Half of each timeline involves an American Canada by 1900
  • Otto von Bismarck is a flawless political genius that will become the Father of the Deutschland in every multiverse.
  • Austria/Austria-Hungary will be on the road to stagnation by the end of the century.
  • There will never be peace in the Balkans.
 
Last edited:

AcaciaSgt

Manifest Destiny on steroids?

Alternatively, Mexico always losing its north (even if the US isn't even a factor), sometimes even beyond the OTL borders.
 
GauchoBadger

GauchoBadger

Britain always gets northwestern India.
Japan always pulls a Meiji, preferrably in the same way as OTL.
Africa is always partitioned.
And, as said, nothing ever happens in South America.
 

cmakk1012

Ottomans modernize and hold onto all of the Balkans except Greece

Texas is always more significant as an independent nation than OTL, even if it doesn't last
 

Emperor-of-New-Zealand

I don't know about timelines, but as far as maps go (and I'm guilty for a lot of these):

- British Patagonia.
- Italian Ethiopia.
- Russian Alaska.
- Germany-wank.
- French Australia.
- Divided Italy.
- Ottoman-screw.
 

Jared

galveston bay said:
I would enjoy an interesting Latin American centric alternate history
Click to expand...
I've considered this a few times, but unfortunately finding decent sources in English is not easy. Most of the English-language sources basically say "Latin America broke away from Spain, Brazil got rid of their Emperor, a few American fruit companies interfered in politics, Cuba went communist, Perón died." I don't want to write a Latin American timeline which is full of misconceptions, so that unfortunately means not writing one at all.
 

galveston bay

Jared said:
I've considered this a few times, but unfortunately finding decent sources in English is not easy. Most of the English-language sources basically say "Latin America broke away from Spain, Brazil got rid of their Emperor, a few American fruit companies interfered in politics, Cuba went communist, Perón died." I don't want to write a Latin American timeline which is full of misconceptions, so that unfortunately means not writing one at all.
Click to expand...

I too admit to a serious lack of knowledge of the details of Latin American history aside from you said above and a fair knowledge of the War of the Triple Alliance

Which is all the more reason I would enjoy a good well researched timeline
 
Umbric Man

Umbric Man

-If America breaks up, then it's 1) New England splitting off in the War of 1812 or 2) a Trent Affair causing an independent CSA, Pacific States of America (including Idaho and Nevada), Deseret, and sometimes Texas (including New Mexico) to form.
-Mexico's new spinoffs are always Rio Grande (somehow annexing the would-be Republic of Sonora), Yucatan, and sometimes a re-unified Central America nibbling a piece off.
-Germany always annexes Austria and Czechia, conversely, this means Hungary always successfully rebelled in 1848.

I kept mine simple and truly cliche and that common, not just 'popular' what-ifs that may or may not actually happen depending on the writer's mood.
 
Zhou Yu

Zhou Yu

Korea is either doomed to be Russian or Japanese, China gets ripped to shreds by every colonial power with a navy, Japan is always successful and Meji-ing, SE Asia is quiet, except for when the odd failed revolt occurs, or something gets colonized.
 

Lalli

- In Latin America never happens anything.
- In Australia never happens anything.
- Mexico always breaks up totally or partially.
- United States has always civil war.
- If CSA is succesful, it always is re-annexed to United States.
- If Napoleon wins his dynasty last to 20th century and Europe is paradise.
- USA always ends to be bigger on 1900 than in OTL on 1900.
- Japan, Siam or Ethipia makes Meiji.
- If Third Republic is not founded on 1870/1871 Second Empire survives to next century.
- Qing Dynasty is always doomed.
 

Jared

Lalli said:
- In Latin America never happens anything.
- In Australia never happens anything.
- Mexico always breaks up totally or partially.
- United States has always civil war.
- If CSA is succesful, it always is re-annexed to United States.
- If Napoleon wins his dynasty last to 20th century and Europe is paradise.
- USA always ends to be bigger on 1900 than in OTL on 1900.
- Japan, Siam or Ethipia makes Meiji.
- If Third Republic is not founded on 1870/1871 Second Empire survives to next century.
- Qing Dynasty is always doomed.
Click to expand...
In fairness, that's because in any timeline, the human population of Oz is too busy trying to survive the wildlife to get up to much else.
 

Arkenfolm

Here's just Latin America alone:

Britain conquering parts of Latin America always results in a wealthy paradise of a nation
Gran Colombia always survives, which means it industrialises to become a great power
The Brazilian Empire must always survive
The Brazilian Empire's surviving means Brazil ends up a wealthy superpower which can challenge the US
OTL Brazil give or take a few thousand km2 of rainforest is about the best the Brazilian Republic can hope for
Brazil annexing a Pacific port, since jungles are nothing to a Brazilian and mountains aren't much of an obstacle
Paraguay is always doomed and can never succeed in any way, shape, or form
Bolivia's only ever strong when it's Peru-Bolivia
Mexico keeping it's pre-1848 borders always results in a superpower
I'd post more, but nothing happens in Latin America anyway, so who cares?
 
Top
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top