The Alphabet of Alternate History: A

Guest post by Dale Cozort.

I did a panel at Capricon with a theme of alternate history outside of World War II a few years ago. I decided to do a brainstorming session where I came up with as many alternate history mini-scenarios for a given letters of the alphabet as I could, emphasizing non-western venues as much as possible. When I finished with one letter I planned go on to the next. I ran out of time before I got done with the ‘B’ but there are still some good scenarios seeds and a few saplings in here. I'll try to get at least as far as C before we're done.

 And we’re off, starting with the “A’s”

Argentina without Evita. Eva Peron never reaches national prominence or dies before she is able to gain significant power. What changes in Argentina? A more competent fascist-influenced regime in Argentina? Argentina remains a wealthy first world country? Who takes power in Argentina, and what do they do with it?

Angola captured by the Dutch or Spanish or Brits in the 1600s. Holland munched most of the Portuguese overseas empire and made an attempt to add Angola to its list of trophies, starting in 1641. The Dutch held parts of Angola until 1648, when a large Portuguese fleet from Brazil drove them out. What would have happened if the Dutch had succeeded in holding part or all of Angola? Would Britain have eventually taken the Dutch areas like they did South Africa? Would we have seen Dutch settlers moving inland from Angola like they did in South Africa? Or maybe we would have seen Portuguese settlers playing the role of the Boers, moving inland to escape Dutch domination and setting up an independent state or states. If the Dutch maintained control of part or all of Angola, that would probably cause enough ripples to abort the rise of Napoleon and both of the World Wars, at least in their our-timeline form, so there isn’t much point in speculating on how a Dutch-held Angola would influence World War II.

Angola caught up in the scramble for Africa. In the 1880s, the European powers engaged in a scramble to grab as much of Africa as they could. Boundaries were established as lines on maps in conference rooms in Europe, with little reference to the geography, ethnicity and power on the ground. Those lines got modified somewhat by power on the ground, but generally power or influence in Europe was more important than historical ties or power on the ground in Africa. There were some exceptions to that. By the 1880s Portugal was no longer a great power in Europe, but the Portuguese had held colonies in Africa since the 1500s and had a considerable population there. They ended up with slices of Africa out of proportion to their remaining power in Europe. That didn’t have to be the case. The Portuguese expanded their control in Angola and Mozambique considerably as the scramble for Africa ramped up. The Great Powers tolerated that, but they could have forced Portugal to limit their control to the areas they already settled, or even taken parts of historical Portuguese control away from Portugal and given the land to colony-hungry Europeans. An Italian colony in part of what is now Angola? Not out of the question.

Ashanti grab their coast. The Ashanti were a powerful West African empire centered in what is now Ghana. They were a minor group until the 1700s, when they became early adopters and effective users of firearms. They conquered a wide area and at some points had a centralized army bigger than that of the better know Zulus. What they didn't have, though they tried very hard to get it, was control of the coast of their empire. The British allied with various coastal groups to keep the Ashanti from gaining control of a strip of coast, over which the British established a protectorate.

The Brits and Ashantis fought a number of wars, with the earlier ones pretty much stalemates, but repeating rifles and machine guns tipped the balance in favor of the British and they beat the Ashanti decisively in 1873-74 and again in 1895, when they exiled most of the Ashanti royal family and annexed the territory. The Ashanti revolted in 1900, but unsuccessfully.

So if the Ashanti were able to extend their control to the coast before Britain could project power there, does that change much? Probably not. The neighboring kingdom of Dahomey held their coast, but France had little trouble taking them over. The key factor here was that the Europeans had a near monopoly on repeating rifles and machine guns for the crucial period when they took over most of Africa. Muskets and spears versus repeating rifles and machine guns wasn't a winnable fight. If the Ashanti had been able to control their coast AND find someone to supply them with modern rifles, that would have been another story, but with few exceptions the Europeans had a common interest in not supplying Africans with modern rifles--most European countries had designs on pieces of Africa, so there was generally common interest in not doing a trade that might bring retaliation in areas that they coveted.

There were exceptions to this, and one exception to the general refusal of Europeans to supply weapons to African powers is significant: The Russians supplied both arms and advisors to Ethiopia, where they played some role in allowing the Ethiopians to defeat the Italians in their first attempt to conquer Ethiopia in the late 1890s. In the key battle of that war, the Ethiopians armed 70,000 men with modern rifles from various sources.

Mussolini belatedly avenged that defeat in 1935-36, which set the Italians on a course toward becoming an Axis junior partner.

So, back to the Ashanti: If they controlled their coast, they would also need to find some source of modern weapons. They did have gold to pay for those weapons, but historically could only trade directly through British-controlled territory. The neighboring kingdom of Dahomey, which did control its coast, was able to buy four to six thousand reasonably modern carbines from German merchants, along with some machine guns and even some Krupp cannon, neither of which the Dahomey kingdom was able to use effectively when the French invaded and took over the Dahomey kingdom in 1894.

So it wouldn't have been impossible for the Ashanti to buy modern rifles and even machine guns and cannons. Keeping them supplied with ammunition in the event of a war wouldn't have been easy though, and evolving modern tactics can't be assumed. The Ashanti were pretty good at using their muskets and had reasonably good tactics, but were vulnerable to British bayonet charges historically. Even a few modern rifles would have made bayonet charges a very bad idea.

So let's say the Brits try to take over the Ashanti empire as part of the scramble for Africa, but the Ashantis have used their gold to buy a stockpile of modern rifles, etc, with some ammunition. They prove that the Ashanti empire can't be conquered on the cheap, like most of the African conquests were. Does Britain go to the expense of fighting a real war over the area? Probably not, though they could, in an era of battleships, probably take the Ashanti coast, cutting the Ashanti off from resupply and eventually making their investment in modern weapons useless unless the Ashanti could make their own ammunition. All of this would take a while though and could easily run into other conflicts that would distract Britain, like the Boer Wars, the last of which historically was fought at about the same time as the British annexation of the Ashanti.

 So maybe Britain tries an on-the-cheap war in the 1890s, discovers that the Ashanti will take more force to beat than they want to invest for the time being. They grab areas of the coast under cover of their navy and wait. Then, before they can do the coup de grace, World War I comes along and makes the Ashanti a very low priority. By the end of World War I, Britain no longer has much imperialist steam left, so by default the Ashanti remain independent, at least for a while. What impact, if any, does that have on the inter-war years and on World War II?

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Dale Cozort is a novelist, editor of Point of Divergence, the alternate history APA, and a long-term Chicago area fan and writer. Check out his website, blog, Facebook and Twitter profiles.

Flag Friday: Tri-Color Flag of Argentina by CelticSky17

Today's flag is one I liked, hence why I shared it on social media earlier this week. It turned out you guys liked it as well if the analytics Facebook and Twitter provided me are correct. Yet when I realized that I would probably have to write a post on this flag, I was stumped about what to write about. So there is going to be less alternate history and more traditional history in today's Flag Friday.

Above is the "Tri-Color Flag of Argentina" by CelticSky17, which features a tri-color design based on the French flag, the blue and sun from our timeline's flag of Argentina and the yellow from the flag of Spain. Simple, but effective way of showing an alternate history. But what exactly could the point of divergence be?

I'm not going to lie, I don't know much about the history of Argentina. To be fair, not many alternate historians do either, hence why you don't see many alternate histories featuring it or another nation in South America. Nevertheless, that is not an excuse to learn and I can say at the very least that I did learn something while writing today's post.

For example, did you know that French Argentines make up 17% of the total population of Argentina? Or that France's invasion of Spain during the Napoleonic Wars indirectly caused the Argentine War of Independence? Of course, relations between Argentina and France have not always been good. Twice France blockaded Buenos Aries to naval commerce (in 1838 and again in 1845).

Perhaps if France intervened more directly in the Argentine Civil Wars, one of the victorious factions may have adopted such a tri-color design as the one CelticSky17 made as a show of gratitude. Then again I am not knowledgeable enough to make such a guess, but if you know something of Argentinian history, please share your scenario for how such a flag could come about in the comments.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger for Amazing Stories, a volunteer interviewer for SFFWorld and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judge. When not exploring alternate timelines he enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the day when travel between parallel universes becomes a reality. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

The Boy Who Dribbled by Dimas Aditya Hanandito

The way he flicks the ball would make us forget that frictional nanoparticles exist in the air. Never before there was somebody of his age dribbled in such degree of adroitness. There is an incipient potential inside him to become the only player to run faster with the ball then he does without it. He slipped through the defense with utmost fluidity, trapping and controlling the ball as if he had written an entirely new version of the Laws of the Game which abrogated the rights of center backs to gain possession of that spherical object. And once he had set his sights to the goal, the goalie better ready himself to pick the ball from the back of the net.

Despite of his immense flair, he is in no way covetous with the ball. He has the least amount of hesitation to pass the round leather to the wing, the center  the forward, the back, or to any other side of the pitch which had an obvious advantage than his position. Certainly he still had a lot to learn, but he was getting there very quickly. His two senior, more centrally-positioned teammates proved to be excellent dribbling partner-mentors to him. Everybody would expect a mesmerizing companionship between them in years to come.

The luminous path stretching ahead of him was all but devastated when the election results were published. When the riots broke out, presumably of those dissatisfied with the results, everything seemed to be lost. It was one of the most dreadful examples how determinism and mass identity obsession ruined a boy’s future. The stadium and academy were largely unharmed, but a frenzied crowd of thousands screeching what could be interpreted as “independence!” marched to the direction of the city square and encountered an unexpectedly large police force. Unavoidably vicious fighting ensued. It was unimaginable how many people fell, and the last thing happened was the insurgents tearing the city hall flag apart, raising on its place a yellow-and-red stripes flag, its left side having a white star emblazoned on a triangular blue shape. The city was no longer a hospitable place and all games were to be suspended. Everything went worse when the central government authorized the military to intervene. For his own sake, the management flew him north someplace where they said they played great football there. It was painful, as the team had just bagged a unique double of the national league and continental championship a month prior.

He was still under recovery after having his right thigh muscle torn in that rough game two months ago when we left the chaotic city. One could see regiments of soldiers and battle vehicles trying to enter the region from various directions to no avail. The resistance was stiff, and it would turn to be that way in months to come. Conspiracy theorists would begin asserting that the insurgent militia received foreign funding to withhold their stand. It was entirely none of the boy’s concern, though. At that time the only thing filling his mind was recovery and preparation for his debut in the World Cup.

The most prestigious international cup tournament and his first to that date started in high note, with the national team beating two teams and drawing one, advancing past the group stage on top of the table on goal difference. Miraculous it was as his injuries seemed to hardly impede his performances. They were, however, halted by the hosts in the quarterfinals after a dramatic play ending with a penalty kick defeat despite of them taking the lead and the hosts leveled 10 minutes shy of time. The thrilling exit was a good start. At an age not even 20 years old, his contribution was still minimal, but within him there was a fiery spirit which will perform a key role in the future of the Albicelestes.

As soon as the Azzurri brought home their fourth world title, he was back to the league again. In August he was introduced to a friendly Scotsman named Moyes. Apparently he had this heavy patronage from a Middle Eastern industrialist who had a strong interest in football and desired to invest on a team. By the end of the transfer window, the boy signed a long-term deal with Moyes and the team, with an undisclosed fee worth £12 million. The amount appeared ridiculous for someone of his age. Sometimes, numbers speak louder than words. And one would not wait for long to see the adage came to fruition, as history would remember the day he signed the contract as the day which forever transformed English football.

With the number 20 shirt, his season with Moyes and the squad went quite well. By January they held firm grip on fourth place, drawing thrice and losing just four games, three of which are away. The boy exemplified growing consistency in scoring and creating goals, and was included in Moyes’ starting eleven more and more often. His goal tally recorded 9 goals when the mid-season window opened, only 2 goals short of the leading goalscorer Johnson.

Sadly, the team still ended the season trophyless. They reached the cup finals but ended getting beaten three goals without reply by Arsenal. His sublime attempt to lob over the German goalkeeper was ruled offside. A heartening fact was that the team qualified for Champions League playoff, signaling their return to the continent after two seasons.

And they did, unlike two years ago. The following season’s transfer window saw a number high-profile signings, with Moyes’ bringing in the boy’s compatriot; an agile striker named Agüero, a comical Belgian sweeper Kompany, and a veteran England international Jagielka, all under the auspices of the Sheikh. The squad’s entrance to Europe’s most anticipated cup competition was affirmed when they ripped apart the French team Toulouse’s goal five times, thrice at home and twice away. An excellent strike partnership blossomed with his compatriot, possibly due to their communicative understanding. Each of them scored a brace, also assisting each other, in the opening game of the season against Wigan.

Time flies, and the squad suddenly found themselves near the end of the season. In the FA Cup finals against Chelsea, the boy clenched a last gasp winner and took home their first silverware under Moyes, and their first after thirteen years. They have been trailing by two goals to nil half-time and nearly forced an extra time with the boy setting up two counterattacks for Arteta and Pienaar. He won the man of the match award by overwhelming vote, and the top scorer too packing 11 goals.

The Champions League still proved to be an arduous undertaking for the squad, as they narrowly fell in the quarterfinals against the same team who beat them in last year’s FA Cup. A morale-boosting 3-1 victory at home, with the boy grabbing a brace and his compatriot added a third, was avenged with three unanswered goals at the Emirates.

The final fixture of the season, dubbed by many as The Merseyside Showdown, was contested with their cordial rivals. They had gone through this far and the ultimate prize they wanted to grab is the double. Their neighbor topped the table, bagging 86 points from 37 games, with them themselves tailing dangerously closely in the second with 84 points. It was a sweet moment for vengeance and redemption, as their neighbor beat them 1-0 away at Anfield.

Nobody at Goodison Park expected the match would start sluggishly. Persistent defense of both teams created tough opportunities for the attackers to launch a breakthrough. It was Arteta, Cahill and Pienaar who battled Mascherano, Alonso and Gerrard for their rights to play most often for the first half an hour. On one occasion the boy sent a perfect through-ball, only for his compatriot Agüero to lose his footing and shot wide. After the half-hour mark passed, the visitors suddenly became more inspired. Howard sent Torres’ low drive to the wrong way only for Gerrard to net the rebound, but the home side breathed a relief when it was correctly ruled offside.

Then the goals started to come.

Howard kicked a long pass to the opponent’s half, where the ball met Arteta, who sent it through to Pienaar, who shot beyond Reina’s reach... Just to hit the bar. The home crowd rose in jubilation when Aguëro, who was onside, calmly flick the ball home. It was the 38th minute, 1-0.

Within the final minutes of the stoppage time there was a dispute in the opposition’s 18-yard box as the boy, controlling the ball, seemed to receive outbound tackle from Arbeloa. The referee dismissed the penalty appeal, but indeed conceded a corner. Arteta swerved the ball into the box, and Lescott nodded it in. 2-0.

The referee whistled, signaling half-time, with the home side comfortably retaining their two goals cushion. Nobody expected for a chaotic second half.

An offensive scheme by Gerrard was clinically finished by Torres in the 59th minute, credits to a defensive error. The home side looked increasingly anxious when the referee awarded a penalty after Kuyt was dubiously brought down inches within the box. Howard guessed the right direction, blocking Gerrard’s shot, only for the ball to bounce perfectly to Torres, who drove home for his brace. With 20 minutes left, Goodison Park blue-shirted crowds fell into silence as Kuyt, receiving a superb Gerrard pass, sent a lob over Howard and sealed the visitors’ comeback. The clock seemed to tick more rapidly as the home side put heavy fight to regain their lead and clench the throne.

It was in the final 10 minutes when the boy finally cemented his legacy to the club forever.

He skillfully dribbled past Alonso and Carragher and Hyppia in a sudden outburst of decisive counterattack. Reina moved forward only for the boy to fire a high drive home over him. The time was 87’ and the score was once again level.

The home crowd once again roared in elation when Cahill brilliantly sent a through ball to the boy, which he converted to his brace. His night, and the team’s, had an ecstatic denouement as he grabbed his forever-remembered hat-trick deep into the stoppage time thanks to an inspired pass by Agüero, condemning the visitors into oblivion, and snatching their first league title in 21 years. When the final whistle blew, it was Everton five, Liverpool three.

As exultant Toffees inundated the pitch, one could hear them chanting the twenty one-year old’s name. “Leo! Leo! Leo!”

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Dimas Aditya Hanandito is s junior ucroniador from the Far East currently in his final years of college who sometimes delves into the alternate past out of boredom of the present reality.