SM Stirling's Black Chamber references 1984 as does his Draka History. For the latter, see here.
It is generally thought that the British made a mistake by executing the leaders of the 1916 Dublin Rising. (For where the Rising happened, see image.) Stirling's Theodore Roosevelt persuades them not to.
A few diverse historical references over breakfast.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And I agree with Stirling's Theodore Roosevelt, it was a mistake for the British in our time line to have executed the leaders of the 1916 Easter Uprising. However angry the British were at what they considered treason and rebellion, sometimes it is better to refrain from imposing the full penalties for treason. After all, the Easter Rising was not even popular or widely supported in Ireland! So, it would have been better to show clemency in this case.
Sean
Yes, it was ‘worse than a crime, a blunder’. Though given the desperate circumstances, an understandable one. The British, who were no longer willing/able to treat rebellion as Cromwell had done, should have remembered the maxim that ‘repression works — but not in moderation’. They needed a more subtle policy.
It was also a classic case of nationalist ‘sacro egoismo’ on the rebels’ part. A German victory would have been a disaster for the whole world; the Kaiserreich wasn’t as bad as the Third Reich, but that’s a very low bar. It had much in common with it, and as the war went on the resemblance grew stronger; victory would have put its worst elements on top.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
Agree, what you said about the British needing to control their emotions and be SUBTLE in handling the aftermath of the Easter Rising.
And I still wonder what might have happened if the Central Allies had won WW I, which they might have if the US had not entered the war. I really can't imagine a Germany led by Queen Victoria's grandson being anywhere as nasty as the Third Reich.
Also, what of Austria-Hungary? Both Francis Joseph and his successor Blessed Charles I were even less likely to approve of the drastic measures the Germans advocated. And, in your own story
"A Slip in Time" we see the Dual Monarchy becoming, somehow, the dominant partner in the alliance of the Central Powers. So I can imagine Austria-Hungary acting as a disapproving restraint on German excesses.
Sean
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