Historians do not like the subjunctive mood. Why, in fact? Is everything in the world predetermined? If you look into the past, then historical forks are obvious when different paths opened. Refusing to imagine how events could have unfolded under different conditions, we abandon the very idea that life could have been better. It is necessary to think in the subjunctive mood, to study alternatives in order, taking into account the lessons of the past, to avoid mistakes in the future.