DBWI: European Civilization Industrialized

[Zor]

As we all know, the Monotheistic Civilizations of Europe never managed to develop beyond a fairly primitive level, remaining as a few stangnat empires such as Byzantium, waring islamic states divided over the most petty diferences in theology and the western fuedal kingdoms, never getting beyond simple matchlocks. The only noteworth expansion they had were the polytheistic Northerner's push across the lesser ocean to settle Vinland, and even then they never got any further than the iron age. The only nation to benefit from the Industrial Revolution until very reacently was the Dansk, and even then it required a Chosen Warfleet threatening to bombard Copenhagen to ashes and rubble to force their leaders to openess that led to the Reformation of Christian III.

Now i was wondering, what if for some reason, the primitive kingdoms of the West became industrial powers that developed a scientific and industrial revolution. What if, instead of The Middle Kingdom, Nihon and Chosen, the lands of (throwing names out here) France, Espania, Britain and the Dansk managed to develop steam power, factories, advance black powder weapons and eventually discovered the power of electricity, thinking engines and the Atom?

Zor

 

[The Vulture]

Those foolish Celts and Gauls? I seriously doubt those barbarians would be able to industrialize a village, much less an entire civilization.

But, for the sake of argument, they did. I don't think they'd amount to much of anything- too much coastline to protect, not a whole lot of arable land, religions that tend to self-destruct. It's doubtful they would carve out anything more than a regional niche.

 

[Frige]

It's an interesting proposal but it is way out there, you know? Europe is too split up to be governed effectively. It's stuck in a permanent warring states period.

and of course (I expect Tian may ban me for this ) Europeans, let's face it, are just predisposed to having lower intelligence. The rates of breeding between Europids and neanderthals are WELL ATTESTED. That admixture is a major cause of their deficiency in abstract thought, which made them reify/deify their own petty states in opposition to one another.

 

[Admiral Brown]

Europe just doesn't have enought population. They never attained the efficency of Han or Hindu agricultrue. Low population means there's no need to industrialize, as they can produce enough with existing methods. It was huge population density which made us industrialize in order to fed the growing numbers of people we had, by trading manufactured goods for food with other states in cases of droughts, floods or other disasters.

And, on the other hand, Europe was a backwards peninsula at the end of the civilised world, too far from the Far Eastern Continent (1). The Muslims states were hostile to them, and surrounded them from the South and the East. Due to geography, Muslim nations were destinated to benefit from our inventions (paper, gunpowdewr, the compass) first, and employ them against them.

The only way to change things, maybe, is if the Europeans had achieved to conquer Egypt 900 years ago, as that would have given a direct access toi the worlds more transited sea routes. It probably won't be enough, but we might see a less backwards Europe. IOTL, it was the failure of their "cruzade" (I believe thet's the term they used) which sealed Europe's fate, isolating them till the arrival of the Chosen ships.

(1) North America

 

[Zor]

It's an interesting proposal but it is way out there, you know? Europe is too split up to be governed effectively. It's stuck in a permanent warring states period.

and of course (I expect Tian may ban me for this ) Europeans, let's face it, are just predisposed to having lower intelligence. The rates of breeding between Europids and neanderthals are WELL ATTESTED. That admixture is a major cause of their deficiency in abstract thought, which made them reify/deify their own petty states in opposition to one another.

Baka, these so-called "Racial Attributes" did not stop the Dansk from becoming the second largest Naval Power in the Atlantic or building up a sugnifigantly powerful industrial base. It also did not stop the recent economic boom in the Byzantine Empire.

Zor