Events which occur differently from the known history can have far-reaching consequences in present times.
What if Gandhi was not assassinated?
What if Hitler had defeated the Allies?
What if Alexander had conquered Rome?
Description of these altered events and their influence on today’s world forms the setting for Alternate History novels. Although these books draw heavily on the culture and practices of the era described, the sequence of events (history) and their outcome is based on conjecture.
Alternate history is usually classified as a subgenre of Historical Fiction or Speculative Fiction/ Science Fiction.
The Sidewise Award for Alternate History was instituted in 1995 to recognize exceptional authors in this subgenre. Eric Swedin (2010 awardee) explores alternate scenarios about the Cuban missile crisis which almost led to war between USA and the Soviet Union, in his novel - When Angels Wept.
Philip K Dick in his famous novel (The Man in the High Castle) portrays an alternate world in which Germany and Japan are superpowers after having conquered parts of Europe, Asia and USA in World War II. An entertaining movie - Inglourious Basterds - shows the assassination of Hitler in a Paris movie theatre.
Just for fun: What is Allohistorical allusion?
~ A David Singh
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