1924: Davis defeats Coolidge

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I find it interesting to see what the pro-Civil Rights Republicans will do, such as Everett Dirksen. I guess they'd be like the "half-breeders" in your Commonwealth TL: Agree with Dems on economics, agree with Progs on Civil Rights. They'd either end up as PINO's or Northern Dems in this.

I admit this is a difficult issue to settle. I need some more thinking, but your suggestion is greatly appreciated

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The Presidency of Joseph B. Ely

Joseph B. Ely (D-MA), 36th President of the United States
January 20, 1941 - ...

January 3, 1941: The new, 77th, Congress convenes with a Democratic majority.

Senate:

Democrats: 54
Progressives: 40
Republicans: 2

House of Representatives:

Democrats: 271
Progressives: 157
Republicans: 5
Independents: 2

Leadership:

Senate:

President of the Senate: Vice President Millard E. Tydings (D-MD) (elect)
President pro tempore: Pat Harrison (D-MS)
Majority Leader: Alben W. Barkley (D-KY)
Majority Whip: Carl T. Hayden (D-AZ)
Minority Leader: Burton K. Wheeler (P-MT)
Minority Whip: Usher L. Burdick (P-ND)

House of Representatives:

Speaker of the House: William B. Bankhead (D-AL)
Majority Leader: Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
Majority Whip: John W. McCormack (D-MA)
Minority Leader: Knud Wefald (P-MN)
Minority Whip: Jennings Randolph (P-WV)

January 6, 1941: In his last State of the Union, President Green, much to a schadenfreude of the Democrats and dismay of a fellow Progressives, talked mostly about international issues, issuing a famous warming: The storm is coming. We know that and we must be prepared for this.

January 20, 1941: Joseph B. Ely of Massachusetts and Millard E. Tydings of Maryland are inaugurated in Washington. President Ely, who few months ago was just a former Governor, before becoming a dark-horse candidate, proclaimed in his first address that "it's a time to break a chains and liberate American spirit". We are going to bring American common sense back. A common sense that means respect for our federal institutions, personal responsibility and a respect for what made America great: our American business. Foreign affairs were not an important subject in the President's speech.

January 21, 1941: The fascist Iron Guard coup succeeds in Romania, bringing the country into an Italian fascist alliance.

January 24, 1941: President Ely completed his cabinet.

Vice President: Millard E. Tydings (D-MD)
Secretary of State: Cordell Hull (D-TN)
Secretary of the Treasury: Alfred P. Sloan (D-MI)
Secretary of War: James F. Byrnes (D-SC)
Attorney General: Robert H. Jackson (D-NY)
Postmaster General: John J. Raskob (D-NY)
Secretary of the Navy: Carl Vinson (D-GA)
Secretary of the Interior: William H. Murray (D-OK)
Secretary of Agriculture: Hugh L. White (D-MS)
Secretary of Commerce: Prescott S. Bush (D-CT)
Secretary of Labor: Thomas H. Eliot (D-MA)

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Are the Bushes Democrats in this? Also: Holy f#ck, we got Alfalfa Bill in the cabinet.

1. Naturally. Considering that they wouldn't have a future as Republicans and I don't want to eliminate Bush family from U.S. history for future developments
2. Hehe, everyone loves that one

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I'll take a little break from updating this TL, but I'd gladly answer all questions in meanwhile

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Rockefeller held some mid-level positions in State Department during Progressive administrations indeed, being especially active in relations with Latin America.

Lindberg's dead indeed.

Didn't really though of Henry Ford but I shall follow this idea and make him a Senator from Michigan.

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What's Cactus Jack up to?

Cactus Jack is old, two time presidential loser (1932 and 1936), no longer regarder of powerful among fellow Democrats.

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(...) during the first, hooveresque, phase of the "Recovery and Reform" program, despite later urban legend, a large number of Democrats was in fact highly supportive for the anti-crisis measures. The bipartisan support collapsed under La Follette and the Democrats firmly established themselves as a conservative party in the United States.

And indeed, a coalition of the Southern Base and loyalist, conservative machines from the North, which Ely-Tydings team symbolized best, enjoyed a control over party's policies and ideology. It it widely assumed that remaining party liberals, called McNutt's faction, or later "Democrats in the Name Only" (DINOs), were the only dissending force inside.

That's somewhat true. McNutt's faction continued to be a reduced, defiant but quite powerless opposition for years. But we have to make a distinction between those "rebels" and some part of the core Democratic establishment, who naturally opposed post-Hoover futher reforms by Progressives, but were highly sceptical toward rolling back of the Progressive Reforms, many Democrats vowed to. Arguably the most prominent of them was newly-elected Speaker of the House William B. Bankhead of Alabama.

 
Speaker of the House William B. Bankhead (D-AL)

Like fellow "mavericks", as they were called, Bankhead believed that initial reforms benefited his constituents (yes, mavericks were mostly a Southern Democrats, and the South was particularly affected by the Depression), and removing them would make a horrendous effect (...)

And so, at the very start of Ely's administration and Democratic-controlled Congress, there were strong disagreements within party's establishment (...)


From The Rise of the Fifth Party System, 1924-1944 by Fred R. Harris, 1971.

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February 14, 1941: Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura begins his duties as Japanese Ambassador to the United States.

March 11, 1941: President Ely signs the Arms Lend Act into a law, empowering the President to lend arms and other war material to any country deemed vital to American interests. Despite loud protest from the isolationists, the bill was passed comfortably by Congress controlled by an internationalist-minded Democrats and several maverick Progressives, mostly from "Blueblood" factions.

In order to reduce an opposition from those, who feared U.S. involvement in an Second Great War, reining already all across the Europe, the bill specifically prohibited aiding any European fighting nation. That cost administration an initial support from Neotammanist Progressive faction, that demanded aiding Irish against British occupation. Fighting for freedom in Europe is not only our moral duty, but also a national interest!, angry Senator Smith proclaimed at the Senate floor. And this administration is turning their back off the reality!

Smith and everyone else knew, of course, that the bill was aimed to help the Soviets, struggling with a new Japanese offensive in Siberia. As much as a despise the communism, President Ely was explaining his decision to the cabinet, We simply cannot just watch with our hands down as Japan Empire is growing, and growing, and growing, all the way to California.

March 22, 1941: Washington's Grand Coulee Dam begins to generate electricity.

March 30, 1941: British launch a ful-scale offensive on French mandates of Syria and Lebanon.

June 22, 1941: Senate President pro tempore Pat Harrison of Mississippi died.

June 26, 1941: For the first time in Senate history, the majority selected their most senior member for President pro tempore: a hardcore conservative Dean of the Senate and Agriculture Committee Chairman Ellison D. "Cotton Ed" Smith of South Carolina. A 74-year old Smith was one of the most prominent supporters of rolling back all Progressive reforms.

August 2, 1941: John W. Davis Presidential Library is opened in former President's hometown, Clarksburg, West Virginia. Since his retirement, Davis worked to establish such institution, the first of it's kind in U.S. history, believing, in his own words, that "Presidential papers were an important part of the national heritage and should be accessible to the public". While privately founded by wealthy Davis, he asked the National Archives to take custody of his papers and other historical materials and to administer his library.

Opening was a rare bipartisan event, attended by a fellow Democratic President Ely as well as two living former Presidents, Progressives Grew and Green.

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August 4, 1941: As the French offensive did not move much beyond Rhine, government of Prime Minister Edouard Daladier resigns, after surviving motion of no confidence by just two votes, which were politically just as damaging, as passing the motion.

August 7, 1941: A new, wartime government of national unity is appointed by President Lebrun in Paris, composing members of all major parties, excluding the communists. Daladier's longtime political nemesis and fellow Radical Party member, Paul Reynaud, became Prime Minister.

August 11, 1941: Meanwhile, as the most of German Army was focused on defeating an indrustial Rhine area, in less developed East Polish army seized control over left bank of Elba river.

August 12, 1941: A combined French and Polish armies could have easily defeat a weak Reichswehr, that had only 200,000 troops and almost no heavy armament before the war, TIME concludes. Even despite an energetic British aid in the last months. However, for a years French military doctrine was strictly defensive, focusing on building and maintaining strongholds. Thus, that's why we have another positional war with no possibility to predict an end anytime soon.

August 13, 1941: Meanwhile, the British were in far more comfortable situation. Although unable to threat French and Polish military dominance in Europe, they were firmly controlling Mediterranean sea, severing a ties between Metropoly and French Colonies in Maghreb and Middle East.

August 27, 1941: Meanwhile, in the Far East, Japanese offensive is stuck in Irkutsk region.

August 29, 1941: Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Massachusetts, a 15-year old Robert F. Kennedy hit his 9-year old brother, Edward, known for family, as "Teddy". What annoyed Bobby so much? His little brother's words of praise toward Progressive. Daddy always hated those bastards!, Robert screamed. How dare you to insult his memory?! He was a great man! Teddy was stunned, but determined: Go to hell. I'll never be like you. You're not a real Kennedy!, Robert angrily reacted.

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Already a split in the Kennedys. How long was Joe Governor for?

1931-his death (mentioned, I too lazy to check back)

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July 4, 1935: On the day of national holiday the tragedy struck one of the most powerful families in Massachusetts. Democratic Governor Joseph P. Kennedy (elected in 1931) and his two sons, Joseph Jr. and John, are killed when private aircraft crashed onto a sea near Martha's Vineyard. The remains are never found and the three are legally declared dead in September.

1931-his death (mentioned, I too lazy to check back)

So, basically January 8th, 1931-July 4th, 1935. It would go together nicely, except in RL, Joseph B Ely was Governor of Massachusetts at around the same time period January 8th, 1931-January 3rd, 1935. So, basically, I'd suggest as a way to work around this would be to have Ely be Kennedy's Lieutenant Governor, and serve from July 4th, 1935 to January 5th, 1939 or something like that. By then, he'd have around three and a half years of experience, just under the four he would've had.

Oh, I forgot it's efectivelly nullified Ely's RL tenure. Thanks for reminding me.

Frankly speaking, I didn't come up with idea of Ely as dark horse nominee before shortly until I wrote 1940 developments.

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(So, in order to clarify this)

Joseph B. Ely
From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Political positions

District Attorney for Massachusetts' Western District (1915-1920)
Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1924 and 1928
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (January 8, 1931 - January 7, 1937)
Acting Governor of Massachusetts (July 4, 1935 - January 7, 1937)
53rd Governor of Massachusetts (January 7, 1937 - January 5, 1939)
36th President of the United States (January 20, 1941 - ...

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Anyway, trust me, with Bobby-Teddy developments, you won't miss Jack or Joe.

The only minus is, you'll have to wait, because of their young age.

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September 1, 1941: President Ely is the best representative of what become the Democratic Party, after rise of the Progressives, TIME wrote. Mr. Ely was a trusted Lieutenant and protege of the late Massachusetts Governor Joseph Kennedy, one of the most powerful Northern Democratic bosses, and took his place as a key New England Democrat. Currently, the Democratic Party is dominated by an alliance of two forces: an usual Southern establishment and those Northern machines, that successfully resisted attempts of the Neotammanists and Bluebloods alike to lure them on Progressive side.

September 3, 1941: President Ely signs fiscal conservatives pet project, the Revenue Act of 1941, into a law. The Act provides the largest tax cut in recent history.

September 5, 1941: Via an executive order, President Ely withdraws funds for a government-owned companies established under a Progressive rule, most notably the Tennessee Valley Authority, thus effectively shutting them down. Business must be free, the President said. It's not up to the Government to make business.

September 10, 1941: Naturally, President Ely never was a big fan of radical Progressive reforms and he also need to govern according to his base wishes, TIME concludes. However, a lot of the people seems to forget that, along with many Democrats, including his patron Joe Kennedy, now almost canonized by the base, he supported the first "Recovery and Reforms" phase and thus, despite wishes of a loud minority, that includes Dixie's "Cotton Twins", we can't expect him to roll back the Progressive legacy. He's rather more likely to try to roll back those most courageous projects, such as TVA. He'll vocally attack Progressive legacy, make some visible, but minor attacks, to please the base and according to his own views on more limited Government, but there's not going to be any revolution, or rather counterevolution. This doesn't mean, of course, we won't see a great confrontation between two major parties.

October 7, 1941: Labor's John Curtin becomes the 14th Prime Minister of Australia, replacing Liberal Robert Menzies.

October 10, 1941: Soviet Union receives, through Alaska-Siberia route, the first major shipment of the American aid.

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October 14, 1941: Ohio State Senator Robert A. Taft, who until now played a very minor role, as a head of a seven-members Republican caucus in that body, shocked his friends and family with officially switching to the Democratic Party. We, the Republicans, much choose or continue to be a joke, a son of a former Republican President said. We should join the Democratic Party, that is now a major force for fiscal responsibility, and gain an influence to fought for our causes.

May 29, 2011: Cathcon wet his pants due to Taft's appearance TTL. After changing his clothes, he immediately asked about Goldwater's whereabouts

October 17, 1941: Prime Minister Reynaud approves plan of his protege, newly-promoted Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle, to organize armoured divisions, instead of keeping tanks divided among various infantry units.

October 18, 1941: General Hideki Tojo became Prime Minister of Japan.

October 31, 1941: Last day of carving on Mount Rushmore.

December 12, 1941: French Air Force break, for the first time, British line of defense and bombed London.

December 18, 1941: British retaliation air strike on Paris.

December 22, 1941: Czechoslovak forces entered a direct war with Germany, along with France and Poland.

December 24, 1941: Unknowingly to the general public, the new Japanese Government decided to cease an offensive in Siberia, which stucks anyway, for an unspecified period of time and to direct a main focus to the Pacific area.

December 27, 1941: British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain dies from a colorectal cancer, which was totally concealed from the public opinion. At the evening, he was succeeded by Lord Halifax. Although Halifax could not, by a convention, address the House of Commons due to his peerage and, thus, seat in the Lords, he was granted this right via special act within a days.

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For now on, Goldy is busy with managing family business. He'll make important appearances TTL, be sure. I'm just not sure yet about specific developments.

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Ok. You updated. Its just...I wonder what the world map looks like and what side the US will take.

Yes, instead of, we can say, confrontation with a total evil, Axis power were OTL, we have two imperial blocs, fighting for dominance in Europe, much like in WWII, and separate war in Asia.

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January 2, 1942: It was just one day after New Year eve, but there were little reasons celebrate for a small group that meet, without much publicity, in Springfield, Illinois. There was a sad agreement between members of the Republican National Committee and key (and, as we already know, very few) elected officials, that summoned here: their party had no future. Gentlemen, we have to face it, the party of Lincoln is no more, said Senator Styles Bridges of New Hampshire with his eyes full of tears. We're political fiction. There were, however, disagreements between them about which path to choose now. Finally, instead of joining one of the two major parties, it was decided to leave each member a free choice. By evening, a resolution of the Republican Party dissolution was passed.

January 1942: In the first month, most of the former GOP members already decided about their future. Some, like Senator Bridges choose to retire from the politics altogether, once their current terms in office expires. Some, like Congressman Joe Martin of Massachusetts, decided to align with the Democratic Party, due to their conservative profile, while remaining GOP Liberals, like Senator George Aiken of Vermont, choose more appropriate for themselves Progressive Party.

January 13, 1942: Prague Conference at Hradčany Castle, featuring the "Big Three" of New Entente: Prime Minister Paul Reynaud of France, President Kazimierz Sosnkowski of Poland and the host, President Edvard Beneš of Czechoslovakia, with attendance of President-Regent of Estonia, Konstantin Päts.

January 15, 1942: We have no conflict of interests with Japan in the East, Mr. Ambassador, a new British Prime Minister, Lord Halifax, told Japanese Ambassador, who paid him a visit at 10 Downing Street. We have absolutely no problem whatsoever with Japanese aspirations in Red Russian's Siberia, China or Manchuria. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, the Ambassador replied. The Emperor is very pleased with a great relationships, out two great empires, enjoys for so long.

February 7, 1942: Maritime Commission fleet operations transferred to Emergency Shipping Administration.

February 10, 1942: President Ely and Secretary of the Navy Carl Vinson orders partial mobilization of the reserve units, as there were more and more shipments to the Siberia.

February 14, 1942: Soviet Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, arrives to Washington, after long and diffcult travel, to discuss futher U.S. aid with President Ely and Secretary Hull.

February 20, 1943: Secretary Hull meets with Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in Ontario. We're a part of the Commonwealth, Mr. Secretary, King told Hull. And, yes, we have certain obligations, but Canada is no longer a colony. Hopefully, in next years, we'll be able to conduct fully independent foreign policy, according to our own interests.

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Im wondering if the Democrats should simply rename themselves "Conservatives".

Like there weren't conservative Democrats... here's just almost entire party

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February 21, 1942: With Molotov still busy in Washington, there was also a guest in Moscow. On that date, Senator Claude D. Pepper of Florida arrived to the Kremlin, to meet with the Soviet leadership, including Joseph Stalin. A lone Progressive statewide elected official in the Deep South (if we wouldn't count caucused Louisiana's Huey Long, whose influence recently weakens, due to a loud corruption scandals), despite lack of a strong base, was reelected without much difficulty in 1938 for the first full term, thanks to his incredible ability to stay in a touch with his usually Democratic constituents, knowing their needs like anyone else. A strong supporter of the late President La Follette's agenda, Pepper did not have memorable achievements on domestic fields, especially now, with Democratic-controlled Congress, but became known as one of the leading advocated of the liberal forces in the national politics. However, despite those significant differences, he and the key Democrats, including President Ely, were in a total agreement regarding a need to aid the USSR against Japanese threat. Thus he was now in Moscow, officially as a head of the congressional trip, but unofficially, as the President's informal envoy to the very Soviet top.

February 22, 1942: President Ely orders General Douglas MacArthur to make sure, the Philippines will be prepared in a case of U.S. involvement in the Pacific War.

February 26, 1942: The worst coal dust explosion to date, in Honkeiko, China, claims 1549 lives.

March 1, 1942: By a controversial proclamation, President Ely orders all aliens in the United States to register with the federal government.

April 2, 1942: "Operation Tiger". After a months of a stealmate, France launched a major offensive on German defense positions along Rhine river. A newly organized armoured divisions, supported by a strategic bombings: a brainchild of General Charles de Gaulle, Prime Minister Reynaud's military right hand man, which strategy was latter called a "lighting war".

April 17, 1942: With French advance in the West and Polish reaching as far as Magdeburg, President Writh, from a temporary capital of Erfurt, decided to dismiss war government of Chancellor von Papen and send emissaries, asking for a ceasefire.

April 30, 1942: The Weimar Republic surrenders conditionally to the France, Poland and Czechoslovakia.

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What will happen to Germany in the peace settlement?

I don't know yet.

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May 2, 1942: With a celebrations erupting in Paris, Warsaw and Prague, terms of the German conditional surrender are released to the jubilant public: disarmament of the Reichswehr and detaining a significant part of the officers corps as POWs, as well as Entente military control over key elements of Germany's infrastructure. Weimar Republic government located in Erfurth, headed by President Writh (who already dismissed von Papen's cabinet) continues to operate, but it's power is curbed with a presence of the Entente commissioners.

May 8, 1942: Tragedy in the New York City, as car bomb claims a life of a recognized Irish Prime Minister in exile, Eamon de Valera. British agents are instantly blamed, with London rejecting any responsibility for the act.

May 10, 1942: We're not interested in any plans in breaking down Germany or partitioning it. It would have disastrous consequences in future, President Sosnkowski told French Ambassador, as the first post-victory "big three" conference is announced for May 30 in Warsaw. Our territorial demands are strictly limited to the East Prussia and, of course, Gdańsk. We need to think about making Germany an useful part of the Europe in future.

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The Stalemate

Second Entente


From left to right: Paul Reynaud, Kazimierz Sosnkowski and Edvard Benes

The second Entente was formed in results of the post-Great War breakup between two major powers of it's predecessor: France and the United Kingdom. France was primarily interested in ensuring that defeated Germany won't be powerful enough to start yet another was in future and endanger them, like in 1870. Those sentiments were, naturally, shared in newly-reestablished countries, most notably Poland and Czechoslovakia.

The Commonwealth


From left to right: Lord Halifax, Mackenzie King and John Curtin

After Germany capitulation, a camp of the Entente's enemies was basically reduced to the Commonwealth. Although Entente hold an unmatched military superiority in Europe, the Commonwealth, especially British, had the most powerful navy, numerous overseas territories and, thus, almost unlimited resources. Neither could the Commonwealth forces threat Entente's dominance in Europe, nor could Entente threat Commonwealth's possessions.

The Fascists

The second, and the smallest, bloc in Europe was consisting fascist Italy and their two allies: Austria and Romania. Fascists kept a neutrality, being afraid of both French dominance in the continental Europe, as well as British colonial interests, threatening Italian higher and higher ambition. The Fascists could become a highly valuable tool to break the stalemate if joined one of the two bitterly opposing camps.

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Do the Polish just want Danzig or do they want East Prussia and Silesia as well?  I am guessing that France wants the Saar land, the Rhine land and to basically reduce Germany to its modern size in OTL and perhaps minus the Rhur river valley.

I must say it would be very, very tempting, for butterflies sake, to impel some kind of Morthangeau plan and partion Germany into separate entities (Republic of Prussia, Republic of Bavaria...), but I really like Weimar survival.

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Ftr, "stalemate", not "stealmate".

Speelcheck sucks