| Author |
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar, 1851-1935 |
| Title |
The Ifs of History
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| Note |
Reading ease score: 57.4 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.
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| Credits |
E-text prepared by Malcolm Farmer, Julia12000, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries (http://www.archive.org/details/toronto)
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| Summary |
"The Ifs of History" by Joseph Edgar Chamberlin is a historical analysis written in the early 20th century. This work explores significant historical events and the critical turning points that shaped the course of civilization, positing alternative outcomes had these events taken different paths. The book delves into various "what if" scenarios, imagining how different decisions or outcomes could have transformed the world dramatically. The opening of the book discusses the pivotal Athenian election where Themistocles defeated Aristides. Chamberlin argues that this election and its outcome allowed Themistocles to push for a strong naval fleet, which ultimately played a crucial role in the defeat of the Persian fleet at Salamis, preserving Greek independence. The author suggests that without this victory, the Persia might have dominated Greece and, by extension, the course of Western civilization, leading to a cultural landscape dominated by Mithraism rather than Christianity. This sets the stage for the book's exploration of historical contingencies and the complexities of human affairs influenced by chance. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
D: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere
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| Subject |
History
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
34086 |
| Release Date |
Oct 16, 2010 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
68 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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