Social Question

Christian95's avatar

How would the world(and history) look if USA never existed?

Asked by Christian95 (3260points) December 2nd, 2009

What if the colonies would have lost the Independence War with England and now England or some other country would have those colonies and the rest of today’s USA would be a country where native american are the majority.How you’d the world look like.Do you think that all those great people which made major discoveries(Einstein,Tesla,Edison etc) would have still gone to America? and would our progress be the same?How you’d democracy look if USA Constitution never existed?

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

41 Answers

proXXi's avatar

The world would have fewer options when it comes to assigning blame for it’s problems.

erichw1504's avatar

The world would have fewer options when it comes to fast food.

AstroChuck's avatar

World Hitory. There is no U or A so not that different.

CMaz's avatar

The same. Just replace USA with another world power.

There is always balance.

ragingloli's avatar

North America would have remained a part of the great and marvelous British Empire, Slavery would have been abolished much sooner, when Hitler declared war on the Empire, the British could have brought all the ressources of the colonies into the war, bringing the war to a sooner closure, before Hitler could have gotten a chance or the opportunity to open the Eastern Front, preventing the Soviet Union from getting the opportunity to expand westwards, and Britain could have prevented the Holocaust. Because of that, there would have been no theft of Palaestinian territory, no establishment of an Israel state, which would have largely prevented the problems in the Middle east that we face today, preventing terrorism, preventing 9/11, preventing the criminal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and probably also preventing Vietnam and Korea.
And the Natives would have been treated more fairly as well I think.
All in all, the world would be better.

CMaz's avatar

If you are going to put it that way. Speculation is a wonderful thing.

We finally get visitors from space. That help and develop a utopian society and we all end up living in peace.

That is as long as we give up some of the population for them to eat.

ru2bz46's avatar

@ragingloli ROFL! Thank you; I needed that laugh. You are such a great caricature. :-)

Sabotage82's avatar

@ragingloli Wow! Now that you put it that way. Fuck this country. lol.

Fyrius's avatar

@ragingloli
And you’d probably be anti-British instead of anti-American. :P

drClaw's avatar

I don’ like dis queshun. Its unpatriatic and if the world didn’ have AMERICA then we would have never had a chance to put our boot up Saddam’s ass an if that didn’ happen them Iraqis wouldn’ be enjoy’n their first Christmas as a free people. It warms my heart tah think a them huddeled around their Christmas trees.

davidk's avatar

@ragingloli re: “when Hitler declared war on the (British) Empire”
Hell, I hate to have to do this…but, the fact is that the British and French declared war on Germany, not the other way around.

davidk's avatar

@ragingloli re: “there would have been no theft of Palaestinian territory, no establishment of an Israel state”
Again, I’m sorry about this…but, the “Palestinian territory” as you call it was a British mandate before WWII. It was acquired as a spoil of war (WWI) by Britain from the Turkish Empire—who had been a Central Power during WWI.
That means that Palestine would likely have become a Jewish state, even in the absence of WWII. Proof? Please, look into the history of the Zionist movement and look up the Balfour Declaration.

proXXi's avatar

I can’t wait till the Bash America fad ends.

I felt the same way about parachute pants

Word @Fyrius GA

Typical baseless hate America fare from @ragingloli. I suppose ‘empires’ are acceptable as long as theyre not American….

RedPowerLady's avatar

I’m not sure exactly as I’m not great at these hypotheticals. But I would say that one couldn’t rightly argue that progress wouldn’t happen because tribal people already had advanced systems of science, medicine, education, morality, etc…

Fyrius's avatar

@proXXi
“Typical baseless hate America fare from @ragingloli.”
Hate, quite possibly. Unjustified hate, also quite possibly. Baseless, I would hesitate to believe, knowing him.
And he did just give an intricate summary of exactly the kind of bases you believe him not to have.

sweetteaindahouse's avatar

@Christian95 Please stop using “you’d” in place of would. It just makes no sense.
By the way, I am a grammar Nazi.

tyrantxseries's avatar

Canada would have been “the” worlds biggest superpower we would have built a Tim Horton’s on the moon by now

davidk's avatar

People…seriously. How the hell does an ‘answer’ predicated upon nothing but factual errors constitute a “Great Answer”? 7 Great Answers for this…really?

“North America would have remained a part of the great and marvelous British Empire, Slavery would have been abolished much sooner, when Hitler declared war on the Empire, the British could have brought all the ressources of the colonies into the war, bringing the war to a sooner closure, before Hitler could have gotten a chance or the opportunity to open the Eastern Front, preventing the Soviet Union from getting the opportunity to expand westwards, and Britain could have prevented the Holocaust. Because of that, there would have been no theft of Palaestinian territory, no establishment of an Israel state, which would have largely prevented the problems in the Middle east that we face today, preventing terrorism, preventing 9/11, preventing the criminal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and probably also preventing Vietnam and Korea.”

Bovine Scatology

majorrich's avatar

All te bizarreness that is California I was born there so feel I can say this, would not have happened. :-D

aprilsimnel's avatar

Frankly, if the US had lost in 1783, I feel they would have tried again a few years later. For whatever reason, the colonists really, really, really didn’t want to pay for their share of the French & Indian War or send any monies back to London. The societies were growing too far apart, anyway. 1812, they would’ve tried again.

Or else we’d be like Australia is now. Australia, for example, became what it was because the UK lost its penal colony, which is now the US state of Georgia.

proXXi's avatar

Europe would be thanking the British American colony from saving it from Hitler.

Fyrius's avatar

@proXXi
Just like Europe is now forever indebted to America for single-handedly saving our helpless butts from the big bad wolf, right?

Well, no. There was a group of nations called “the allies” who worked together to defeat Germany. America was only one of these.
Two others were the UK and the USSR. And then there was Poland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Greece, Czechoslovakia, China, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippine Commonwealth, the Union of South Africa and Yugoslavia.

Yes, I copy-pasted that list off Wikipedia. Sue me.

So, on behalf of Europe, I hereby say: thanks for your contribution, America. Now get over yourself.

ragingloli's avatar

Yes, I am thankful for the Soviet Union defeating the majority of Germany’s forces and winning the war. Remember whose flag waved on top of the Reichstag at the end. Hail to the Hammer and Sickle!

proXXi's avatar

Um, I didn’t say exclusively @Fyrius

BTW what’s worse, my failure to get over myself, or @ragingloli ‘s attempts to shock with such blatent anit- Americanism?

Would he shit eggrolls if it was revealed that the Gumpert Apollo was an American product? ; )

Fyrius's avatar

Hm…
I’d say, both are about as bad. Both are common flame war fuel.

Which is cool with me. But I suspect there are those who would prefer this thread to remain serious.

proXXi's avatar

Loli won’t get in a flamewar with me. He loves me.

Don’t tell Sean…

Sabotage82's avatar

There would not be as many fat people that is for sure. No offense to any fattys in the room.

mattbrowne's avatar

Well, I think WWII is just one aspect. I think the British American colonies would not have invented the assembly line, national parks, baseball, potato chips, wall street, chewing gum, electric chair, remote control, fast food, cruise control, apollo space rockets, barcode, silicon valley, google and amazon. Or if they did, it would have occurred later. Pioneering and risk taking are wonderful american traits being an independent nation.

Fyrius's avatar

@mattbrowne
I’m just wondering what the American Brits would have invented instead of all those things. The assembly line and barcodes do seem to have been substantial improvements, but who knows what we’re missing out on now?

And how do you know they would otherwise have been invented later, and not earlier?

proXXi's avatar

@Sabotage82, I would not be offended as a fatty, I’d be offended as an American

I’m only the latter.

mattbrowne's avatar

@Fyrius – Well, although it’s speculation, of course American Brits would have invented a lot of things too. But there’s a difference between being a colony having to listen to its master across the ocean or being independent explorers and pioneers. It’s speculation, it’s gut feeling, nothing more really. We can’t know what happens in alternate histories.

But speculation also has to do with some reasoning. Although this might be a taboo, I actually see human-induced selective evolutionary pressure being a major force here. Who left Europe to begin a new life in an independent country with its own set of rules and who stayed in Europe? There was risk with potential above average rewards, but also failure (without a local safety net of family for example). In both worlds there were advantages. In America there was perhaps less peer pressure when tinkering with new stuff. Trying out new things was essential in this vast continent. In Europe smart people could use their networks and get valuable feedback before they proceeded with their tinkering. In America everyone could rise to the top. In post-feudal Europe social class still mattered a lot more, especially in the UK.

I don’t want to say one is better than the other, but conditions were different. For humanity as a whole it was an advantage to have both Europe and America. They complemented each other very well (and still do to a certain extend today). When you look at the period from 1700 to 1960 almost all major discoveries and inventions happened in either North America or Europe. Before 1700 this was different for example if you look at the Islamic Golden Age, China and India. In more recent times Asia is catching up, even Africa is now ready to enter a new age.

Fyrius's avatar

I agree, we can’t really know what might have been if. All we can do is guess.

But I believe the first Europeans who moved to “the New World” were mostly people who had nothing to lose. The poor and the unsuccessful. Farmers, tramps, petty criminals. People who hoped they could finally get their hands on some prosperity on the other side of the ocean. Not people who risked everything they had in a fit of adventuresome boldness.
Historically speaking, America is founded not nearly as much on the brave as on the desperate.

I’m sorry.

ru2bz46's avatar

@Fyrius As Plato said, “Necessity, who is the mother of invention.” Who better to take on the new world than the desperate?

mattbrowne's avatar

@Fyrius – Well, the good and successful people might have come later having heard about the opportunities and trying to be even more successful in an undiscovered land. Some like the Quakers came because of religious reasons, good people who opposed slavery.

baileysmom12's avatar

I’m not real sure but I bet the Native American Indians would be much happier.

proXXi's avatar

So one can’t be desperate and brave?

Fyrius's avatar

@proXXi
Not really. It’s hardly bravery to risk everything you have when you don’t have anything to lose anyway.

proXXi's avatar

So one that has nothing does not still have ones life to lose?

Fyrius's avatar

If you’re truly desperate, losing that would be an improvement.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.
Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther