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German Alternate History: Part 1 - Older German AH

Fascinating stuff @Max Sinister. The Amery story about the brothers war seems interesting in its politics. The idea of the remnants of the CSA defeating Prussian militarism and spreading libertarianism in its wake seems to come from a very specific world view.
 
works as a radiesthesist, i.e. he uses a kind of plumb bob/siderian pendulum to test whether apartments are "polluted by earth rays"

?!?!?!?! This wasn't a real belief from the 30s, was it?!
 
What is it with historians generally being so dismissive of alternate history as a genre?

Like, you don't see physicists and computer scientists being dismissive of science fiction as a genre. Sure, they love to knitpick and complain about, "well, this is wrong, this is very wrong" about specific plot points and technobabble. But the genre they are quite enthusiastic about. Hell, even when it scientifically is completely and utterly wrong, they like to watch it, feeling smugly clever about noting the scientific troubles with the set-up.
 
What is it with historians generally being so dismissive of alternate history as a genre?

Like, you don't see physicists and computer scientists being dismissive of science fiction as a genre. Sure, they love to knitpick and complain about, "well, this is wrong, this is very wrong" about specific plot points and technobabble. But the genre they are quite enthusiastic about. Hell, even when it scientifically is completely and utterly wrong, they like to watch it, feeling smugly clever about noting the scientific troubles with the set-up.
I'd argue this isn't entirely true, and where it is true it represents a relatively recent shift in attitudes. Have you never heard the phrase 'Sci Fi Ghetto'? The whole modern thing of scientists desperately trying to relate their work to pop culture so the media will actually cover it is pretty recent.
 
I'd argue this isn't entirely true, and where it is true it represents a relatively recent shift in attitudes. Have you never heard the phrase 'Sci Fi Ghetto'? The whole modern thing of scientists desperately trying to relate their work to pop culture so the media will actually cover it is pretty recent.
I think because there is a per eption that AH is about indulging one's political fantasies. Because history is more obviously political than, say, nuclear physics.
 
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