Future AH Scenarios II

Depends on what the catalyst is and how its results play out. But if something along the lines of a North American Union forms within the next few centuries, I can imagine 'Earlier Integration of Canada and/or Mexico?' being a popular PoD.

(Assuming the former US is either the central or most prominent member, anyway, as Britain once was with regards to its empire.)

Given its sordid reputation and central importance in shaping twentieth-century politics, I suppose ‘No Large-Scale Totalitarianism’ is another big one they’d discuss. Particularly if the twenty-first builds on it or sees a new, even more vicious batch of despots seize power, the groundwork for which is probably being laid, as we speak.

Yeah, but that’s only the leadership of the early 21st century, whereas I’m more concerned about who’s in charge by mid to late century — especially with things becoming more and more extreme everywhere, on all sides.

I won’t delve into specifics here, but current trends — more specifically, the future they’re building up to — have a history of creating power-hungry strongmen who don’t play nice. The twentieth century has shown us what they’re like, but considering how the horrors associated with them fade as people forget and a new generation take the reins, I’ve a feeling that once Gen Z is in power, everything will be back on the table.

Actually, I suppose you could include Millennials, too, seeing as they and Gen Z should be in charge by mid-century.

Timetable-wise, that’s a couple of decades after the last of the Greatest and Silent Generations will have dropped off, meaning the horrors brought about by the last crisis period — and therefore, many of the restraints and taboos they had, because they understood how catastrophic worldwide war could be — wonky be in living memory anymore. Because frankly, Millennials and Gen Z have no experience with a serious war that threatens to destabilize the whole world, though the way things are going, they’ll probably acquire it at some point. After all, if the Napoleonic Wars were followed by World War I a century later, and World War I followed by World War II just twenty-one years later, then I hardly think it’s a stretch to imagine another global conflict breaking out… sometime between the 2040s and 2060s, let’s say.