Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

External_Zipper t1_j7lhir1 wrote

Perhaps humanity is lucky that Hitler was uncompromising and deluded by his belief in the so called "force of will". Had he been more strategic and connected to facts rather than believing his own propaganda, he may have found a way to some sort of compromise to pause the war in the west while he retooled Germany for a world war before Barbarossa. The outcome be may have been different, a stronger Germany, perhaps a more developed nuclear program. I'm sure that this has been the subject of numerous dime store novels.

118

FreeNoahface t1_j7mkh88 wrote

At the end of the day basically every alt history scenario where the Germans are more successful in WWII boils down to "if only the Nazis weren't Nazis, then they could have won."

67

Reynbuckets t1_j7mmhfd wrote

Yeah. You would need an entire philosophical retooling in order to have them take different actions. Otherwise they wouldn’t be the Nazis as we know them.

28

SgathTriallair t1_j7ms5e5 wrote

This is the core problem with authoritarians. They rule by giving everyone to say that they are the smartest person in the world. This leaves them insane to gather new facts or challenge their assumptions. This eventually they hit the wall of reality and fail.

12

VegaIV t1_j7mfkvu wrote

I don't think you got this right. Hitler actually wanted to make peace with england, after france was defeated. Thankfully enlgand was smart enough to not make Peace.

44

WhenceYeCame t1_j7mipsm wrote

You'd have to go further back to the point before Hitler broke so many treaties that his word became worthless. At which point... he's probably too constrained by treaties to do what he did. I wouldn't discount things going different if he'd done everything slower though.

25

Swamp_Dweller t1_j7mlkav wrote

Well, it would be harsh to leave Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland fighting alone. Though they would have the commonwealth to help.

7

TyroneLeinster t1_j7mthfh wrote

If I’m not mistaken, Hitler wanted Britain to make concessions in said peace, not just cease fire and maintain the status quo. Though I could be wrong

2

Wonckay t1_j7mhr76 wrote

No, there was basically no way Germany could do what it did without its control of Europe being unacceptable to Britain. People need to remember that Britain in 1940 was not just another European power like it is today, it was an international superpower and the largest and most populous country on earth.

41

PM_ME_UR_THONG_N_ASS t1_j7mjzqj wrote

Somehow I picture today’s Britain being on Shark Tank:

“And for that reason, I’m out”

/Brexit

6

UnscarredVoice t1_j7mug5f wrote

The British version of Shark Tank is called The Dragon's Den if I remember correctly.

1

MazzyStarsBiggestFan t1_j7mtjx7 wrote

Wow Britain at one time controlled 23% of the worlds population, or more than 412 million people. Thats insane!

6

PartyLikeAByzantine t1_j7mkyln wrote

Germany's nuclear program was a disorganized shit show. It wasn't even a program, so much as a funding source for various unconnected (and competitive) research groups.

The only way you get a German bomb before the Allies glass Alamogordo is by going a lot further back than the battle of France. Even then, I don't see how the Nazis don't chase out all of their best scientists, kneecapping themselves from the get go.

20

skylinenick t1_j7mqpny wrote

We’re definitely ‘lucky’ that his ego overshadowed his advisors, virtually all of whom were more competent than him.

A Nazi Germany led in spirit by Hitler but actually commanded by the generals would have been… very very bad for everyone else

5

moxiejohnny t1_j7mf1g8 wrote

All the meth probably didn't help him. That and peer pressure are amazing at showing a person's true colors.

3

shalol t1_j7mru56 wrote

Germany got to the point it did in the war *because* Hitler was ruthless. But they couldn’t turn back and just make peace, because of it.

2

TyroneLeinster t1_j7mtyu2 wrote

I have wondered if Hitler had been able to anticipate the power of atomic weapons, if he would have waged the war differently. The German bomb program was missing resources but had plenty of brain power. There’s easily an alt history where they prioritize maintaining just enough peace to work on that unencumbered, and then the Cold War takes place with Germany rather than USSR as the main nemesis to the west

2