Challenge: West-wank?

[mikegold]

Is it possible for the Euro-Western family of civilizations to become, in key ways, absolutely predominant with a POD no earlier than 1000 CE?

That is, to the extent possible:
European languages dominant in every nation/region.
Christianity dominant in every region.
Persons of European descent dominant in the widest possible territory.

Granted, OTL is already pretty strong in this direction; but the Islamic and East-Asian worlds represent wholly separate civilizations in all of these categories; the Subcontinent in at least two (religion and descent, even though English is pretty dominant), and most of Africa and some of Ibero-America in the descent category.

Still, North America, the South American cone, Australia, and Siberia fulfill all qualifications. Ibero-America is partially Euro-descended and fulfill the other qualifications; much of Africa fulfills the language and religion clauses; and the Subcontinent and much of Central Asia arguable fit the language clause.

How far can it reasonably be pushed?

 

[Redbeard]

Is it possible for the Euro-Western family of civilizations to become, in key ways, absolutely predominant with a POD no earlier than 1000 CE?

That is, to the extent possible:
European languages dominant in every nation/region.
Christianity dominant in every region.
Persons of European descent dominant in the widest possible territory.

Granted, OTL is already pretty strong in this direction; but the Islamic and East-Asian worlds represent wholly separate civilizations in all of these categories; the Subcontinent in at least two (religion and descent, even though English is pretty dominant), and most of Africa and some of Ibero-America in the descent category.

Still, North America, the South American cone, Australia, and Siberia fulfill all qualifications. Ibero-America is partially Euro-descended and fulfill the other qualifications; much of Africa fulfills the language and religion clauses; and the Subcontinent and much of Central Asia arguable fit the language clause.

How far can it reasonably be pushed?

I'll say it is very close to OTL. No present culture is outside heavy western influence, and the current Islamic "rebellion" is the best example of that. It is the desperate defence of the last empty rampart against the long term crushing advance of western civilisation which again is heavily founded in Christianity.

The Chinese probably are much closer to having maintained their own civilisation, and although that may produce some stunning alternatives in government and economics (democracy is in for another challenge) the global end result will by far be more rooted in the west than the east.

Regards

Steffen Redbeard

 

[Hendryk]

I'll say it is very close to OTL.

I'll second the position that it can't reasonably be pushed much further than OTL.

 

[Advernt]

No Islam . The next barrier to the spread of Christanity will be Buddism in that case.

 

[Philip]

No Islam .

With a POD after 1000, no Islam is a difficult proposition.

 

[carlton_bach]

Even if we posit the crushiong defeat or complete destruction of Islam, that wouldn't mean the Christian churches that would replace it in the Middle East would be in any way we can recognise 'Western' or 'European'.

 

[President Ledyard]

I think that European immigration to the Americas could be ramped up somewhat without stretching credulity overmuch which then might have some interesting butterfly effects on the rest of the world.

E.g. Larger scale European immigration to the Spanish holdings in the 1500's.

 

[Grey Wolf]

What do you mean by no earlier than 1000 AD given that this is the pre-1900 forum and you don't give an end date ?

Oh I don't know...

Grey Wolf

 

[Wendell]

How about a Napoleonic era POD?