Back To The Past: The Alternate History Podcast

The Christmas truce (German: Weihnachtsfrieden; French: Trêve de Noël) was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of the First World War around Christmas 1914. The truce occurred five months after hostilities had begun. Lulls occurred in the fighting as armies ran out of men and munitions and commanders reconsidered their strategies following the stalemate of the Race to the Sea and the indecisive result of the First Battle of Ypres. In the week leading up to 25 December, French, German and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk. In some areas, men from both sides ventured into no man's land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to mingle and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football with one another, creating one of the most memorable images of the truce. Hostilities continued in some sectors, while in others the sides settled on little more than arrangements to recover bodies. This truce would be the really only time a major ceasefire like this occurred. The following year, there were some, but not to the same scale. World War One would become the brutal war it was known for. However, what if, in this scenario, the Christmas Truce brought the participants of the war to the table, in order to negotiate a truce? In this episode, we discuss what would happen if this were to have been the case. From Europe not experiencing a devastating war, to the United States not having their Industrial boom that would result in the Roaring 20's. Want to discuss this further, or just want to contact us? Reach us on our socials, or join the community on Kloka! Twitter: @BackToThePastP1 https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: @backtothepastp1 https://bit.ly/34lcwBD Rate this podcast! https://ratethispodcast.com/althistory Check out our website! https://kloka.org/backtothepast Email us if you have any questions or comments! [email protected] Check out Kloka, an organization dedicated to providing quality podcasts and other media to you! Come and take a look, and make an account to engage with us and the community! https://kloka.org Podcast Transcript: https://kloka.org/go/althistranscripts --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

Russia had established a presence in North America during the first half of the 18th century, but few Russians ever settled in Alaska. In the aftermath of the Crimean War, Russian Tsar Alexander II began exploring the possibility of selling Alaska, which would be difficult to defend in any future war from being conquered by Russia's archrival, the United Kingdom. Following the end of the American Civil War, U.S. Secretary of State William Seward entered into negotiations with Russian minister Eduard de Stoeckl for the purchase of Alaska. Seward and Stoeckl agreed to a treaty on March 30, 1867, and the treaty was ratified by the United States Senate by a wide margin. Despite not having a large population, Alaska has had an enormous impact on the United States. Alaska contains plentiful natural resources, and is also near Russia (important during the cold war).  What if Russia had decided to keep Alaska, however? In this episode, we will discuss the effects, from relations with Britain and the US, to what would happen during the Bolshevik Revolution.  Want to discuss this further, or just want to contact us? Reach us on our socials, or join the community on Kloka! Twitter: @BackToThePastP1 https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: @backtothepastp1 https://bit.ly/34lcwBD Rate this podcast! https://ratethispodcast.com/althistory Check out our website! https://kloka.org/backtothepast Email us if you have any questions or comments! [email protected] Check out Kloka, an organization dedicated to providing quality podcasts and other media to you! Come and take a look, and make an account to engage with us and the community! https://kloka.org Podcast Transcript: (Read the full transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FFqPuEGyId0MSVyOqEKQeSL8X4pfQRIc/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114090551523042044290&rtpof=true&sd=true) Hey guys and welcome back to Back To the Past. The alternative podcast I'm Nick and my other co host is Ron. After two month long hiatus were finally practicing, the more what if of history. But before we get into our newest episode, I must first apologize on behalf of the Back to the Past crew for the untimely ending of season three. And this was due to our chaotic schedules at the time and we just couldn't get together to put out another episode. Nonetheless, today's episode is what if Russia never sold Alaska? So here's some background. Alright, so around the 1730s Russian Hunter started arriving in Alaska to Hunt for fur like for example, sea orders, because during the time they are plentiful through Alaska, no colony was necessarily established, but missionaries were sent. And overall at the end of the day around 700 Russians enforced sovereignty new territory that was twice the size of Texas. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

This is now the third iteration of Flash Alternate History! In this iteration, we discuss topics from What if Lincoln Survived his assassination attempt to what if Operation Downfall (the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands in the Secord World War) occurred.  So what is Flash Alternate History? Essentially, it is the analysis and explanation of a potential Alternate History scenario in a few minutes without any preliminary research or anything. It's on the spot. Twitter: @BackToThePastP1 https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: @backtothepastp1 https://bit.ly/34lcwBD Rate this podcast! https://ratethispodcast.com/althistory Check out our website! https://kloka.org/backtothepast Email us if you have any questions or comments! [email protected] Check out Kloka, an organization dedicated to providing quality podcasts and other media to you! Come and take a look, and make an account to engage with us and the community! https://kloka.org --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

The election of 1968 was a big one. Richard Nixon (R), Hubert Humphrey (D), and George Wallace who ran for a 3rd party. Nixon and Humphrey wanted to reach that 270 electoral votes. However, Wallace had a different plan. He wanted to make sure that none of the candidates reached 270 in order to create a stalemate. Using this stalemate, he could push for his radical ideology: the end of desegregation. This, of course didn't really make him very popular in much of the country except for in the South. And it was these states he was hoping to win in order to block the 270 from happening. However, what would happen if Wallace was able to block the 270? Would the country be in chaos? How would the Nixon presidency look like?  Twitter: @BackToThePastP1 https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: @backtothepastp1 https://bit.ly/34lcwBD Rate this podcast! https://ratethispodcast.com/althistory Check out our website! https://kloka.org/backtothepast Email us if you have any questions or comments! [email protected] Check out Kloka, an organization dedicated to providing quality podcasts and other media to you! Come and take a look, and make an account to engage with us and the community! https://kloka.org More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_United_States_presidential_election#American_Independent_Party_nomination_of_George_Wallace --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

The Chinese Civil War (1945-1949) was a military conflict between the Chinese Nationalists (Kuomintang) and the Chinese Communists. Although the Nationalists had the numbers advantage and the resource advantage, the communists were able to defeat them due to the widespread corruption of the Nationalists. Military funds and equipment were inadequately used and the people mistrusted them. Mao Zedong and the communist faction were able to defat the Nationalists resulting in them fleeing to Taiwan. However, what if the Nationalists were able to win the Civil War? How would China look and how would their society look? How would the Cold War look now that China was not communist. Would Korea and Vietnam change? A unified Korea under American South Korean would drastically change the Cold War.  Check out Historical Hysteria's Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5BCW5WCALeKMkE6xaG32?si=4268afcd5e3d49cb Twitter: @BackToThePastP1 https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: @backtothepastp1 https://bit.ly/34lcwBD Rate this podcast! https://ratethispodcast.com/althistory Check out our website! https://kloka.org/backtothepast Email us if you have any questions or comments! [email protected] Check out Kloka, an organization dedicated to providing quality podcasts and other media to you! Come and take a look, and make an account to engage with us and the community! https://kloka.org More information on the Chinese Civil War: britannica.com/event/Chinese-Civil-War --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

Around the 1960's, computers started to pick up steam. Programs were being made to increase the productivity of different industries and fields. And one fundamental decision was made. The year would be encoded with two digits instead of four. For example, instead of 1965, it would be 65.  Around the late 90's, computer scientists started to realize that the computers might interpret the year 2000 as the year 1900. This might not seem like much, but it would result in a massive interruption in the financial system for example. Luckily, governments around the world realized the massive threat this posed and spent billions of dollars fixing all their computers with new software to make sure that no large interruption occurred.  However, what would happen if governments didn't spend the money to fix this? Listen now and find out! Socials Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/BackTothePastP1 Instagram: https://instagram.com/backtothepastp1 Website: https://kloka.org/back-to-the-past-the-alternate-history-podcast/ Check out Kloka, an organization dedicated to providing quality podcasts and other media to you! Come and take a look, and make an account to engage with us and the community! https://kloka.org If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review and help others find our podcast! https://ratethispodcast.com/althistory More background info on the topic: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/Y2K-bug/ The Y2K bug was a computer flaw, or bug, that may have caused problems when dealing with dates beyond December 31, 1999. The flaw, faced by computer programmers and users all over the world on January 1, 2000, is also known as the "millennium bug." (The letter K, which stands for kilo (a unit of 1000), is commonly used to represent the number 1,000. So, Y2K stands for Year 2000.) Many skeptics believe it was barely a problem at all. When complicated computer programs were being written during the 1960s through the 1980s, computer engineers used a two-digit code for the year. The "19" was left out. Instead of a date reading 1970, it read 70. Engineers shortened the date because data storage in computers was costly and took up a lot of space. As the year 2000 approached, computer programmers realized that computers might not interpret 00 as 2000, but as 1900. Activities that were programmed on a daily or yearly basis would be damaged or flawed. As December 31, 1999, turned into January 1, 2000, computers might interpret December 31, 1999, turning into January 1, 1900. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

Zheng He was a Chinese explorer who lead seven great voyages on behalf of the Chinese emperor. These voyages traveled through the South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and along the east coast of Africa. His seven total voyages were diplomatic, military, and trading ventures, and lasted from 1405 – 1433. He gave gifts to many of the natives along the way and traded with them, bringing new items and cultures back to China. However, when the emperor of the time had died around 1422, the new emperor suspended all voyages and expeditions. Now what if, this new emperor did not suspend these voyages. And instead, continued to promoting them and even encouraged exploring east across the pacific. The Chinese would land in North America. What would they do and how would the New World look now with a potential Chinese presence? Some background knowledge on the topic: https://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/zheng-he/ Our website: https://kloka.org/backtothepast/ Email: [email protected] Rate our podcast and help people like yourself find us! https://ratethispodcast.com/althistory Come and chat with us on our socials and let us know how we are doing! Twitter: @BackTothePastP1 https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: @backtothepastp1 https://bit.ly/34lcwBD Check out Kloka, an organization dedicated to providing quality podcasts and other media to you! Come and take a look, and make an account to engage with us and the community! https://kloka.org And until next time, enjoy the rest of your week! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

First of all, we at Back To The Past wanted to wish you all a safe and happy Fourth of July! During the Age of Imperialism, the United States did engage in some imperialistic actions such as the seizure of Hawaii or the occupation of Haiti for 20 years. However, the United States was as imperialistic as most other European nations and a major reason for this was citizens not supporting it. However, what if the United States embraced imperialism to the extent that other European nations had? How would Africa be split? Would the United States engage in the influence splitting of China and other Asian powers? Or would the United States play an even larger role in Latin America? Have a listen and find out! Some background knowledge on the topic: https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Imperialism Our website: https://kloka.org/backtothepast/ Come and chat with us on our socials and let us know how we are doing! Email: [email protected] Twitter: @BackTothePastP1 https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: @backtothepastp1 https://bit.ly/34lcwBD And until next time, enjoy the rest of your week! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

At one point in history, Poland had actually occupied Russia. The Russian people were even contempt with this Polish rule had it not been for their attempted forced conversion to Catholicism. Russia was able to drive back their Polish rulers and reorganize their nation as they would eventually become Modern Day Russia. However, what if the Polish instead decided NOT to convert the Russian people? How would Europe look with a Polish Russia? How would this affect the world with Russia's tremendous impact in recent history. Have a listen and find out! And if you want to discuss this with us, reach us on our socials! (Links in the description) More information on the Polish conquest of Russia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Muscovite_War_(1605%E2%80%931618) Our Website: https://kloka.org/backtothepast/ Twitter: @BackTothePastP1 https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: @BackTothePastP1 https://bit.ly/34lcwBD If you enjoyed, make sure to leave a review because it helps others find our podcast! And if have any feedback, comments, suggestions, or anything else, DM/contact us on our social media or our email [email protected] And until next time, have a good one! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message

What if the South were somehow able to win this war though? How would that change the United States and the globe? Would the South remain a plantation state. Or would it end up industrializing like the North? How long would the Confederacy even survive? How would the world look at the Union and how would the Union look at itself?  Some Background:  The Civil War is the central event in America's historical consciousness. While the Revolution of 1776-1783 created the United States, the Civil War of 1861-1865 determined what kind of nation it would be. The war resolved two fundamental questions left unresolved by the revolution: whether the United States was to be a dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign national government; and whether this nation, born of a declaration that all men were created with an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slaveholding country in the world. The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the territories that had not yet become states. When Abraham Lincoln won election in 1860 as the first Republican president on a platform pledging to keep slavery out of the territories, seven slave states in the deep South seceded and formed a new nation, the Confederate States of America. The incoming Lincoln administration and most of the Northern people refused to recognize the legitimacy of secession. They feared that it would discredit democracy and create a fatal precedent that would eventually fragment the no-longer United States into several small, squabbling countries. The event that triggered war came at Fort Sumter in Charleston Bay on April 12, 1861. Claiming this United States fort as their own, the Confederate army on that day opened fire on the federal garrison and forced it to lower the American flag in surrender. Lincoln called out the militia to suppress this "insurrection." After bloody battles at places with names like The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, Grant finally brought Lee to bay at Appomattox in April 1865. Twitter: https://bit.ly/39ts3CG Instagram: https://bit.ly/34lcwBD Email: [email protected] Website: https://kloka.org/backtothepast/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rohan-parikh7/message