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This timeline is what I consider to be a plausible scenario, but also one that is something of a best-case outcome for the Mughal Empire.
What could have happened in a less than best-case situation? In this world, cross-fertilisation of ideas between India and Europe speeds the development of science and industry, as well as providing solutions to many of the problems of the Mughal Empire, such as those with its economy. Without these solutions, but also without Aurangzeb draining its coffers on decades of war, the Mughal Empire would definitely be strong for longer than in the real world, but eventually the problems it had would catch up with it.
- In this case it might suffer a similar fate to the real world, breaking up into competing princedoms to fight among themselves and be snapped up in turn by the European powers, just later than was the case in the real world. But that is not very interesting!
- Instead it might suffer a similar fate to China, remaining intact, but exploited by the European powers until it is able to regain its strength.
- Or if its disintegration is delayed for long enough it might have industrialised sufficiently for some fragments to maintain their independence from the European powers, in much the same way as Japan and Ayutthaya did in the real world, so India might end up similar to south-east Asia of the real world, as a number of nations, some of which were colonised by European nations and some of which were not. A Sikh state would be a serious possibility in this situation.
The only thing I have against the above scenarios (apart from a lack of time to flesh them out!) is that they do not change the world away from the paradigm of European dominance that also applied in the real world. For that reason alone I find them less interesting then Gurkani Âlam as it is presented here.
In addition to all of the above, one of my readers has pointed out the points of departure for this world and Puritan World are in the same time period, and what might happen if sets of changes arising from them were combined in one world. There could be a number of interesting alterations:
- European colonisation would be restricted in both Asia and in North America. This would probably lead to there being even more of a European focus on Africa and South America. Or perhaps the European powers would try to reclaim North America from the New Commonwealth, leading perhaps to a European domination east coast of North America and the New Commonwealth controlling real world California, West Canada, Siberia and Japan with colonies, puppets or clients in Manchuria and parts of Australia.
- Technological development might be retarded at first, but then quickly catch up due to synergy between Europe and India.
- Industrialisation occurring in Europe (France, and perhaps some German states as well) and India (under the Mughals) and America (the New Commonwealth) at relatively the same time, perhaps somewhat later than in the real world.
- A Britain that was weak, more authoritarian and Scotland-less, with a negligible colonial empire, but which was still independent, unlike the case in Puritan World.
- A strong France forming the leading colonial power in this world, and perhaps a strong Sweden.
- Perhaps the Enlightenment passing Europe by but taking root in a strong Mughal India. This could lead to Europe and the Americas remaining underdeveloped while India drove the industrial revolution with the rest of the world riding on its coat-tails. By the present day this might lead to a world at about the same level of technology, but with the world centred on India (and perhaps elsewhere in Asia) rather than Europe and America...
The World in 2000 | Africa | Central America And The Caribbean | North America | South America | Antarctica
Central Asia | Eastern And South-Eastern Asia | South Asia | Europe | The Middle East | Oceania
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