History, as they say, is written by the victor.
I am currently reading the History of the Peloponnesian war. (as you do). Possibly because Athens was a sea power (like Britain), possibly because she was a democracy, possibly because she left lots of elegant ruins, the conventional schoolboy view in the UK was generally in favour of Athens and against Sparta. Or it was at my school anyway.
Alas, history does not share our prejudices, and oligarchic and oppressive Sparta won that war convincingly. Poor Athens never recovered her glory. (I did actually know that before starting on Thucydides never fear)
Which got me thinking. Realising its not a very serious historical question, what other examples are there of wars where the "wrong" side won? Ideally they should involve a clear dichotomy between two very different cultures, one of which (the loser) should seem very much preferable to modern eyes? Ie notwithstanding history being written by the victor, which wars would you like to have seen go the other way, and why?
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