An Interesting Hypothetical Question

[andy_hunter]

Say if World War II never actually happened but someone wrote all the events of the war in a piece of fiction would it be a believable story?

There are a lot of things which would seem very far-fetched if it weren't for the fact they actually happened. Like I find it astonishing that someone as insane as Hitler could come into power, new technology invented during the war (atomic bombs, V-2 rockets) sound like science fiction, kamikaze pilots defied all human instincts and the remarkable comeback of the Allied Forces to win the war seems a little too good to be true. Obviously all these things happened for logical reasons but would an author be able to explain these reasons in a credible way? How would the book be received? And would it be too complex to follow?

I'd be interested to hear what other people think about these questions. Personally I think its too good a story to be believable as fiction. I don't know how I'd feel about the war if it only existed to me in a textbook, the fact that I've met people alive during the war and seen film footage, buildings and memorabilia from the war make it undeniable.
_________________
If you're reading this, that probably means that I had something to say.

Best Albums of 2014. Rate That Shiz, yo

[alelsupreme]

I reckon one of the most unbelievable things is that Hitler got away with some of the dumb shit that he did. That and all the appeasements the allies made before the war/

[andy_hunter]

[Guest]

I guess it depends on what you mean by "believable". I mean, World War II impacted American culture so greatly that it's impossible to imagine the world without it having happened. It's also hard to pin down exactly what is meant by "World War II". If we hypothetically assume the war did not happen, then we would have to hypothetically deny several of the contributing factors to the conflict, which could get really arbitrary.

Maybe I'm being too literal. Either way, I imagine the technological developments you mentioned would have been created sooner or later whether WWII had occurred or not. As for Hitler coming to power, I personally have a hard time imagining Hitler as a real person. He just has this mythic aura surrounding his entire being (not in a good way, obviously). However, I can't say that I'm surprised he came to power. He was incredibly intelligent, and Hindenburg was incredibly old. I imagine that Hindenburg, in his old age, felt powerless to resist the constant pressuring and ultimately felt he had no choice but to instate Hitler as Chancellor. The rest is history.

No, if any aspect of WWII is unbelievable, it's the fact that a man like Hitler existed in the first place.

[Puncture Repair]

I thought this thread was easing into holocaust denial for a moment.

You have a good point though - I think it's one of those "you can't make this shit up" kind of scenarios. It seems absurd that one figure could affect nearly an entire nation's psyche, but it's helped teach the world that democracy isn't always safe. There's so much deep analysis that can be made as to why the events of WW2 unfolded the way they did that simply wouldn't be found in normal fiction.

[nutso42]

[Kool Keith Sweat]

I'd like to know what seems 'not possible' about WWII.

[andy_hunter]

[JMan]

Hitler didn't just get powerful by screaming a bunch of gibberish. He had to appear as a nice guy first. He did a whole lot of stuff for the German community like building school playgrounds and such, while slowly putting hat of Jews into the minds of Germans. At least that's what I was taught. I wouldn't doubt that, either. Not beause Mom told it to me, but because it indeed is farfetched to think Hitler could just get up and scream a bunch of stuff and expect a huge following.

Anybody ever seen the movie Defiance starring Daniel Craig? Great movie.

[junodog4]

The sad thing about Hitler and The Nazis was that it is quite believable. That level of ultranationalism has arisen time and time again throughout human history. What made Germany unique was the level of efficiency, industrialization and infrastrucutre in a modern and educated society. Given the right circumstances, the rise of Hitler and the subsequent events could have occured just as easily in other nations, and if we aren't aware, could happen again. Viewing WWII as a unique event leads us to believe it couldn't happen again, and breeds complacency.
_________________
Finnegan was super bad-ass.