As I was reading Year of the Hangman, one quote stood out to me. “The course of history often hinges of very small events”. This is because I often realize this while watching a documentary or reading a book. If some small event in history had happened differently, then everything would be different.
For example, the plot in Year of the Hangman is is based on the idea that the Americans lost the Revolutionary war. If this had happened, then most of the more modern world history would change. If we lost the war, many other countries would not have tried to gain their own independence. In reality, other countries saw that we could win our freedom, and were convinced to fight for theirs. If we had lost the Revolutionary war, the exact opposite would have happened: countries that had any ideas of becoming free would have abandoned them.
If America was not free, it is likely that our Civil War would have never taken place. The fight for freedom and racial equality would have progressed much slower, if at all. America would never have become the superpower that it is today, and the outcomes of both of the World Wars would have been different.
If the Axis had won the Second World War, then they would certainly have continued conquering Europe. The shapes and borders of many European countries would have been different today.
In conclusion, if America had not won its freedom from England, the history of the world would have been very different. This is proof that the statement made in Year of the Hangman, “The course of history often hinges on very small events”, is true in the real world as well as in fiction.
Great explanation of the domino effect of events in history. What other events did Year of the Hangman allude to being part of American history? (I.e. Washington's death, printing of secret information) Think about Code Name Verity, it hinges on the same concept that one event makes a large difference in history (especially if that event is fabricated!) Grade: 47/50
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