this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2024
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[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

If Poland defeats Germany at the beginning of the war, then America never joins the fight. The country doesn't get swept up in a patriotic Nazi killing phase, and therefore public sentiment never views Nazis as cartoon baddies. The Klan is never stopped, the space race doesn't happen, man never lands on the moon, and Nixon converts America into a fascist dictatorship in the 1970s. Also, Star Trek is never made.

[–] TheBat 7 points 7 hours ago

If Poland defeats Germany at the beginning of the war, then America never joins the fight. The country doesn't get swept up in a patriotic Nazi killing phase

It also doesn't become an industrial and military powerhouse, tries to instigate a war with Canada, gets their ass kicked (again).

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (4 children)

Discussions like this makes me wonder if the reason why time travelers can never kill Hitler...is because Hitler himself was a time traveler, and somehow the future determined he was a necessary evil at a particular point in time. Like...the original timeline was worse than Hitler.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya 2 points 1 hour ago

In no way I am minimising and justifying the innumerable deaths, but Hitler wreaking havoc weakened European powers which forced them to give up their colonies. It was an opportunity for independence movements across the world. Granted European powers still tried to retain their colonies, but they could never re-establish their moral authority without being called hypocrites after rallying the world to fight for independence against fascism. European in-fighting was a boon for colonies.

It would leave a bad taste in one's mouth for saying this, but colonialism is arguably the bigger evil due to its longer legacy because it had been happening far longer than Nazis had been in existence, and long before the group came into existence. One may also argue that fascism is an evolution from colonialism. One of Hitler's motivation after all to conquer land was the fact that Western powers have their colonies. Germany did request for their ex-colonies in the Pacific to be returned from Australian administration but was of course rebuffed. And everyone knows Hitler openly admit drawing inspiration for genocide and euthanasia from the United States.

Additionally, without the Allied values of liberal democracy, there would not have been inspiration for the American civil rights movement to forward social justice and equality.

This is why I think it is such a Western-centric meme to try to kill baby Hitler. Without the war, it would not have opened the eyes of the West from hypocrisy and many of the things we take for granted today would not have been possible.

[–] beejboytyson 1 points 58 minutes ago

Tbh Dan carlin does something similar. He points out how Germany homogeneity allowed it for fellow citizens to pass real meaningful work reforms. All thr technology and medical advances would've never happened.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

You sound like someone who would enjoy reading Dune (and the sequels).

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Also Tolkien doesn't put his experiences of the horrors of war into Lord of the Rings, which means Dungeons and Dragons never gets popular.

[–] nilaus 7 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Well, his horrors were from the first WW. That still happens without Hitler.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

I assume not, but are you Nilaus the YouTuber?