A Deal That is Fair and Square

[GoTfan]

Prologue, Part 1

President Quentin Roosevelt (R-NY); one of the 'Men Who Saved America'

For many, the events of the 1936 United States Presidential Election represented the dawn of a new hope in America. Indeed, what transpired that year would be uniquely remarkable in the history of not just American, but global politics, as America put aside its troubled past and stepped forward into the world as the new superpower.

Of course, such a history would not be complete without a background in the world; particularly as it led to the troubles America experienced.

In 1917, the German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, decided against unrestricted submarine warfare. Why, he argued, would Germany proceed with such a policy when it posed the risk of the United States intervening?

A portrait of Kaiser Wilhlem II. His reputation soared after Germany's victory in the First World War.

As it happened, 1917 proved to be an excellent year for the German war effort. The French soldiers were angry at their generals; whom they saw as needlessly throwing away the lives of the soldiers for little reason. Ironically, the resulting mutiny allowed Germany enough time to recover from the Brusilov Offensive. 1917 also saw the collapse of Russia into anarchy with the abdication of Tsar Nicholass II and the forming of the Russian Provisonal Government led by Aleksandr Kerensky, which would be challenged by Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik Party.

President Aleksandr Kerensky. Even in death, he would be blamed for dooming Russian democracy.

The last, and perhaps most significant event in 1917 was a British submarine mistakenly torpedoeing an American freighter . . . that was carrying Christmas gifts to Germany. This led to outrage at home, as President Woodrow Wilson demanded that the naval blockade of Germany be lifted. The diplomatic threats from the US ultimately force the British to loosen the blockade.

In 1918, the First French Mutiny had passed, and the Allies launched an attempt to try and break through the German lines. Known as the Spring Offensive, the plan was, effectively, to hurl millions of men against the Germans, while making some attempt at modern tactics by supporting the infantry with tanks and aircraft. The offensive was to end in failure however, as the Imperial German Army was now recovered.

The two most significant events of that year however were still to come. Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, is assassinated by Fanny Kaplan. Despite an attempt to rally the Red Army by Lev Kamenev, the morale of the Communists was broken.

Kaplan assassinating Lenin. It is believed her motives were due to the Bolsheviks' suppression of the Left SRs

Finally, a desperate assault by the German High Seas Fleet at the Second Battle of Jutland forced the British to lift the blockade fully. Germany was now open for full-sclae war and the next year, their Kaiserschlacht began. The Allied lines were smashed open, as the British and Fench were forced into full retreat. This was coupled with the Second French Mutiny in reaction to the defeats, as well as the fact that the working classes were now being influenced by the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) led by Emile Pouget.

Emile Pouget, the anarcho-syndicalist leader of the CGT and father of the Commune of France

Allied resistance eventually collapsed as the BEF planned to withdraw. The communist radicals, known as the Jacobins, began to execute a series of attacks on the French Provisional Government despite Pouget's pleas for them not to. Despite this, Pouget was forced by circumstance to follow the Jacobins into armed rebellion. After many mutinous soldiers joined the rebels, the Provisonal Government was forced to flee to French North Africe, and the Commune of France was proclaimed. Shortly after, it negotiated a peace with the Germans.

Yes, this has been adopted from the Hearts of Iron 4 mod known as Kaiserreich. I've been wanting to do it for some time.

Anyway, this is the first of three prologues designed to set up the main TL.

[KaiserDave]

KAISERREICH! Yes! No tell me, did the Romanov family still get murdered? And what about China?

[MABA 2020]

Interesting...

[Huey Long is a Republican]

Interesting, I'm curious how this will go forward.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This is a concept I was thinking about last night - I’m stoked to see what is to come!

[YPestis25]

I'll be following this! I'm interested to see the direction you take on the European side of things.

[GoTfan]

KAISERREICH! Yes! No tell me, did the Romanov family still get murdered? And what about China?

China will likely get more of a focus later on in the story. I need to brush up on the lore in China before I feel qualified to write extensively about it.

And yes, according to the lore, the Romanovs were still executed just prior to Lenin's assassination. The most prominent survivor is Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich.

I'll be following this! I'm interested to see the direction you take on the European side of things.

I'll definitely be throwing up a few surprises as far as Europe is concerned. Though you can probably guess the direction that Russia will ultimately head in from the caption under Kerensky.

[GoTfan]

Prologue, Part 2

John Maclean, the Scottish socialist credited as the creator of the Union of Britain

The 1919 ceasefire would actually hold, with no country desiring to reignite the war. Britain had suffered badly; the Royal Navy, which had dominated the seas since the time of Napoleon, was now shattered. Yet at the same time, the German Empire likewise had suffered havily, and every high ranking commander and politician in Germany knew that any attempt to invade Britain would either result in a bloody victory or a dismal failure. German General Erich Ludendorff was quoted as saying "You can't invade Britain; you'll lose 100 men for each yard you advance."

Erich Ludendorff, the architect of the Peace with Honor

Verious proxy wars would continue however, the most notable of these being in Ireland. Michael Collins had been leading a guerrilla war against Britain since 1919, and was beginning to get results. With the collapse of France, Collins and the Irish Republican Army found their hand strengthened. By 1921, the wind was indeed shaking the barley as Collins took a negotiating team to London. The original idea of keeping the northern counties loyal to Britain was flatly refused by Collins, who subtly implied that keeping Ulster as part of Britain would result in a resumption of hostilities with Germany. The result was the Peace with Honour in late 1921; an acceptance of the current status quo in the world. The Irish Free State was formed with Collins as Chairman of the Provisional Government, despite his expulsion from Sinn Fein, and Germany was now ascendant.

Michael Collins, Chairman of the Irsh Free State Provisional Government and later 1st President of Ireland. A reluctant dictator, he is nonetheless credited with preventing Ireland from falling to syndicalism

Things would soon get even worse for Britain however. In 1923, a strike of the Victorian Police led to a syndicalist uprising in Australia known as the Melbourne Commune. George V was forced to appoint William Birdwood as Governor-General and immediately, Birdwood issued orders to Brigadier-General Thomas Blamey to crush the Commune. After 3 weeks of bloody street-to-street and house-to-house fighting (mostly as a result of the socialist fanatics known as the 'Diehards')the uprising was suppressed. Australia and New Zealand would eventually be formed into the Australasian Confederation under the Consolidation of Resources Act and martial law imposed

Syndicalist militiamen of the St Kilda Battalion. The St Kilda Battalion was largely made up of 'Diehards' who resisted Blamey's crackdown to the end

The worst was yet to come however. In 1925, the Conservative-National coaltion government of Prime Minister George Curzon imposed tariffs on all German goods. For a time, British manufacturing seemed to see a revival . . . only for German Chancellor Von Tirpitz to not just impose tariffs on British goods, but also used other countries within the nascent bloc known as Mitteleuropa to get around the tariffs.

The price of goods soared in Britain, but it was the coal industry that was hit the hardest. British coal was effectively priced off the market, with imports from Germany and the United States being rendered cheaper. Against this backdrop, the Trades Union Congress pulled the trigger on a massive nationwide strike. Determining the Welsh coal mines to be the hotbed of the strike, Home Secretary Winston Churchill responded in a decidedly heavy handed manner, sending in the troops. Ramsay MacDonald's Labour Party however, issued a vague statement hoping a compromise could be reached.

What happened at Tarenni Colliery that began the British Revolution is not clear. To this day, the royalist line has been that the soldiers fired in self-defence. The unionist line is that the soldiers fired without provocation. What is known is that shots were fired, and the revolution was on.

It was at this point that John Maclean, the Scottish socialist, made a fateful speech in George Square. He called on the workers of Britain to take up arms in the vein of the Commune of France. He called on them to remember the sacrifice of the workers gone before. It was this speech that caused much of the Territorial Army to side with the TUC.

As the tide of revolution swept the country, one holdout became apparent: Birmingham. The staunchly Conservative city was the home of the Chamberlain dynasty, and had elected Conservative mayors and MPs for some time. Yet, the people now found themselves wayed by the story of a man who had entered parliament as a Conservative, but had been converted to socialism through the stories of the struggles of the working class.

That man was Labour MP Oswald Mosley

Oswald Mosley speaking in Birmingham. In time, he would become one of the fathers of totalism, a deeply authoritarian, centralistic and nationalistic socialist ideology

As the revolution swept the country, Curzon died, leaving Stanley Baldwin in charge. There was no time for Baldwin to actually be declared Prime Minister though, as shortly after, he was forced to admit defeat. He took the unprecedented measure of ordering the evacuation of the government to Canada, where the Royal Family had already been evacuated the week before. The remaining royalists made use of the loyal elements of the Royal Navy evacuated as many people as they could.

The Union of Britain was proclaimed on June 3 1925. The few remaining Labour Party members voted to abolish both houses of parliament, though it was noted that Clement Attlee and his followers did so with great reluctance. Membership of the TUC was expanded to all of Britain's adult population, and at the first Conference of Trade Unions, John Maclean was elected as the Union's first Chairman, with Tom Mann elected as the TUC General Secretary.

Maclean however would pass in 1929. General Secretary Mann served as Acting Chairman until the 1931 Conference, at which point the moderate Philip Snowden was elected. Snowden had largely avoided the increasingly factional politics of the TUC, and thus was able to present himself as the nonpartisan unity candidate. Arthur Horner, leader of the dominant Federationist faction was elected General Secretary, with the growing Congregationalist faction succeeding in electing Clifford Allen as Commissary of Foreign Affairs.

This news was tempered however, as Oswald Mosley declared he would be standing for Commissary of the Exchequer. Mosley had spent the last 6 years in political wilderness, exiled to the fringes of the TUC following an ill-advised speech at the 1925 Conference. However, Mosley's speaking talents were to be envied, and he made an eloquent appeal for more radical change. It was announced on the last day of the Conference that Mosley had defeated the moderate Snowdenite Arthur Greenwood. Clement Attlee was heard to mutter to his friend Anuerin Bevan on hearing the result that "The man will destroy the Constitution."

Perhaps the final words on the election of Mosley are best left with Snowden himself: "We are staring into an abyss, and he wants to push us over it."

Phillip Snowden, 2nd Chairman of the Union of Britain. Snowden's election would be one of the last gasps of moderate syndicalism in Europe.

And thus, the prologue is now two-thirds done! The next update will be just what the hell has been happening in America all this time.

Spoiler alert: nothing good.

[GoTfan]

Prologue, Part 3

Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States. In time, he would become known as "The Most Hated Man in America"

When the Kaiser refused to open unrestricted submarine warfare on the US, and after the torpedoing of an American ship by a British submarine in 1917, propaganda efforts began reaching the US of the starvation and privations of the German home front as a reuslt of the Entente blockade. Desperate to shore up the German vote to improve his chances of getting a Democratic successor, President Woodrow Wilson demanded the British compromise on the blockade. With no alternative, the blockade was loosenedand foodstuffs began making arriving in Germany, saving the Central Powers from a potentially war-ending famine.

The next few years would see the rise of two men who would prove to critical in 1936. One would prove crucial to preventing a civil war, the other would drive the country to the brink of ruin. The latter was Huey P. Long, who in 1918, was elected to the Louisiana Railroad Commission, and quckly made a name for himself by taking on the Standard Oil Company, cementing his reputation as a brilliant campaigner and orator, but also a brash populist.

A pamphlet distibuted during Long's bid for the Railroad Commission. This was where Longs' volatile career began.

The very next year, John 'Jack' Reed published Ten Days That Shook The World about the early stages of the October Revolution in Russia. Reed was suddenly on the radar of many American leftists, and was elected to the National Executive Commitee of the Socialist Party of America. The SPA had been emboldened as a result of the syndicalist revolution in France.However, a crisis had emerged in the party, and it came to a head at the party's 1920 Congress. On one side was the syndicalist faction led by Benjamin Gitlow, and on the the other was the communist faction led by C. E. Ruthenberg. Both sides were using the Congress to try and win the support of the SPA's right wing, led by Debs' unofficial successor Norman Thomas

It was Reed however, who brought peace between the factions. He pointed to the cooperations of socialists, anarchists, syndicalists and communists in France. He called for the SPA to rescing its 1911 expulsions of Bill Haywood and IWW supporters. Actively supported by Eugene Debs, Reed had set the stage for a reconciliation of the American left. In 1921, Reed formed a coalition of trade unions called the Combined Syndicates of America in conjunction with the IWW, boosting his status in the American left immeasurably

Reed just before his 1928 Senate campaign. The scion of the American Left and founder of the CSA, he was nonetheless viewed as a traitor by the far-left in later life.

In 1920, Wilson's efforts in shoring up the German vote paid off, and the Democratic ticket of Treasury Secretary William Gibbs and Attorney-General Alexander Palmer was elected. This however, would only exacerbate the situation, as the very next year saw Palmer lead a campaign of left-wing suppression. However, this would backfire, and in fact drove many leftists into the SPA.

As a side note, 1921 would see the death of Franklin D Roosevelt, who succumbed to polio.

The next few years saw a few key events in the further solidifying of the reputations of Long and Reed. Long, who by 1922 was chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, took on the Cumberland Telephone & Telegraph Company for unfair rate increases. After winning $440,000 in refunds for 80,000 customers, Long defeated appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, in Seattle, a General Strike had been called, and the union leaders in the city formed the General Stike Committee for the "Seattle Commune", hoping to replicate the Melbourne Commune. However, word reaches that the army will be deployed, and the workers, not inclined to die gloriosuly in a hail of gunfire, return to work. Reed's role here elevated him even further, and he began exploring the possibility of running for office.

MacAdoo and Palmer we re-elected in 1924 . . . and this only drove the Left closer.

In 1925 however, disaster struck. The British Revolution brought down America's largest trading partner and panic began to form in the stock markets. On April 20th, 1925, the American stock market crashed.

The day of the Wall Street Crash.  Unemployment would spike to over 20%

America was suddenly scrambling to restor eits reputation. It recovered some measure of respect when in 1926, it played a key role in the Legation Cities Agreement. Of note was the fact that the Agreement began the career of Quentin Roosevelt, who won his fame as a diplomat and ace pilot. This did little to alleviate problems at home, and as a consequence, the Republican ticket of Herber Hoover and Charles Curtis won the 1928 election, promising to revive America. However, Norman Thomas and Earl Browder, running as the SPA ticket, took several Midwestern states in what would become known as the "Red Belt". This election also marked Reed's ascension, as he was elected to the US Senate in New York.

1930 saw the election of Floyd Olson as Governor of Minnesota. One of the unofficial leaders of the left-wing yet anti-socialist Progressive Party, Olson was a moderate Progressive who favoured negotiations with the CSA to end the threat posed to American democracy. While his election was seen as having little consequence at the time, Olson would become a very important figure in 1936

Olson at his desk after being sworn in as governor. He was the one who convinced then-Under Secretary Quentin Roosevelt to run for Governor of New York.

The Hoover administration, despite the urgings of Vice President Curtis, took a largely hands-off approach to the Great Depression. The Socialists capitalised, and won big in 1929 and 1930, the former of which saw Norman Thomas being elected Mayor of New York City. Long meanwhile, was growing increasingly dictatorial in his methods as Governor of Louisiana. In 1932, his attempt to capture the Democratic nomination failed, and he took the unexpected step of forming his own party, the America First Union Party.

The 1932 election resulted in no one winning the elecotral votes required, and the House of Representatives re-elected Hoover and the Senate re-elected Curtis. This resulted in mass outrage from the left, but there was also a bright sport: Quentin Roosevelt, who had been serving as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affiars, defeated New York City Mayor Thomas to become Governor of New York, following in his father's footsteps.

Roosevelt's official gubernatorial portrait. Roosevelt had run as a progressive Republican and had friendly relations with the Progressive Party

In 1934, Long's AFUP now had formed into a curious alliance of left-wing egalitarians, the far-right under the leadership of William Dudley Perrey (whom Long kept at a distance but never disavowed), Father Charles Coughlin's National union for Social Justice, and, funnily enough, a cadre of businessmen led by Henry Ford. Despite the supposedly united front, it was apparent that the AFUP was nothing more than a loose coaltion of copeting interest held together only through Long's personal charisma. in 1935 however, Long received a boost when aviator Charles Lindbergh (who had completed the first solo transatlantic flight) announced that he was registering as an AFUP member.

As 1936 dawned, many at the time realised that America was entering its darkest hour.

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-Wheeling and Dealing, published 1960.

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-Talking the Monster to Death, published 1941.
Prologue complete! The 1936 election begins in the next chapter!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

A minor detail overall, but could we see the map of 1920/1924 and who were the other candidates? I'd hate to trouble you, I'm just curious.

[GoTfan]

A minor detail overall, but could we see the map of 1920/1924 and who were the other candidates? I'd hate to trouble you, I'm just curious.

I'll look at writing up a map, but the official sources I could find didn't name the Republican and Socialist tickets.

[GoTfan]

Part 1: A Unifying Idea

Senator William Borah (Progressive-Idaho), the driving force behind the establishment's response to radicalism in 1936.

As 1936 dawned, it was plain that America was facing a dangerous situation. In one corner, Long was running for President on the AFUP line with Charles Lindbergh. In the other, Senator Jack Reed was finally taking the plunge as the SPA candidate, and immediately scored a coup when he was able to convince the war hero General Smedley Butler come on as his running mate.

Of course, this was not lost on General Douglas MacArthur, Chief of Staff of the US Army, and professional egotist. MacArthur had gotten it into his head that the only way to protect America was for the Army to take over until the crisis had been resolved. He wanted to crack down hard on Long and Reed, something Hoover was reluctant to do.

It is not known what happened in the January 9th meeting in the Oval Office between Hoover and MacArthur, and indeed it may never known. What is known is that MacArthur from then on was shut out of any decision making in the Hoover White House.

General MacArthur. While his actions in early 1937 would gain some respect, his career met an ignoble end just a few years later.

While this was happening, Senator William Borah, a Progressive from Idaho, was getting worried at the strength of Reed and Long. He, like every other politician from Progressive, Republican or Democratic Parties wanted to keep them both out of the White House. Borah agitated for a compromise between the three, and found allies in Kansas Governor Alf Landon, Vice President Curtis and Senators Alben Barkley and Cordell Hull. The 'Gang of Five', as they became known, agitated for a coalition ticket, arguing that their combined strength was needed to defeat the radicals.

Speaker of the House John Nance Garner, the Democrats' presumptive nominee in 1936, was initially opposed to the idea intensely. He was convinced that he could defeat the radicals even with the Republicans and Progressives running. He was so vehemently against the idea that an attempt by Senator Hull to bring him onboard resulted in a shouting match and Hull threatening to defect to the Republicans.

Speaker Garner was irown-willed and uncompromising, which would become inconvenient later on. Nonetheless, he is considered to be one of the people who would help solidify the Demcrats as the conservative party in the US.

The idea of a coalition slowly began to gain steam in the elected ranks of both parties, but on the 3rd of February, disaster struck.

Black Monday.

The Berlin Stock Market crashed, and the whole world (apart from the Syndicalist nations) felt the impact. Millions lost their jobs and millions more lost their savings. The US Dollar, already hit hard by the 1929 crash, crumbled in value even more as the German papiermark also fell. This gave more ammunition to the eloquent Reed, who made a series of radio addresses decrying the capitalist system and its 'robbery-based system'.

Long meanwhile took this as the chance to peddle his own program, 'Share Our Wealth'. On the campaign trail, he was famous for his signature line "Every man a king, but no one wears the crown!", often shortened on election materials to "Every Man A King!"

Suddenly, Garner's opposition to a coalition ticket disappeared and other conservatives began to fall in line. By the end of February, the leaders of the Democratic, Republican and Progressive Parties we holding near daily meetings in Washington DC, and as March dawned, so did the reborn National Union Party.
Short one, I know, but I plan on lengthier updates in the future.

[GoTfan]

So, question: When I get to covering the Second Weltkrieg, should it be done blow-by-blow or through a series of stories? I have the means to do either, but personally I'm leaning towards giving detailed accounts of the important battles and then summarising the rest.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

So, question: When I get to covering the Second Weltkrieg, should it be done blow-by-blow or through a series of stories? I have the means to do either, but personally I'm leaning towards giving detailed accounts of the important battles and then summarising the rest.

That sounds like a good format to me!

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

So, question: When I get to covering the Second Weltkrieg, should it be done blow-by-blow or through a series of stories? I have the means to do either, but personally I'm leaning towards giving detailed accounts of the important battles and then summarising the rest.

That sounds like a good format to me!

I'd say do more society and politics stuff and less military stuff but that's just my preference and it's your TL. I'll read both gladly of course.

[Flyersfan232]

Prologue, Part 1

President Quentin Roosevelt (R-NY); one of the 'Men Who Saved America'

For many, the events of the 1936 United States Presidential Election represented the dawn of a new hope in America. Indeed, what transpired that year would be uniquely remarkable in the history of not just American, but global politics, as America put aside its troubled past and stepped forward into the world as the new superpower.

Of course, such a history would not be complete without a background in the world; particularly as it led to the troubles America experienced.

In 1917, the German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, decided against unrestricted submarine warfare. Why, he argued, would Germany proceed with such a policy when it posed the risk of the United States intervening?

A portrait of Kaiser Wilhlem II. His reputation soared after Germany's victory in the First World War.

As it happened, 1917 proved to be an excellent year for the German war effort. The French soldiers were angry at their generals; whom they saw as needlessly throwing away the lives of the soldiers for little reason. Ironically, the resulting mutiny allowed Germany enough time to recover from the Brusilov Offensive. 1917 also saw the collapse of Russia into anarchy with the abdication of Tsar Nicholass II and the forming of the Russian Provisonal Government led by Aleksandr Kerensky, which would be challenged by Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik Party.

President Aleksandr Kerensky. Even in death, he would be blamed for dooming Russian democracy.

The last, and perhaps most significant event in 1917 was a British submarine mistakenly torpedoeing an American freighter . . . that was carrying Christmas gifts to Germany. This led to outrage at home, as President Woodrow Wilson demanded that the naval blockade of Germany be lifted. The diplomatic threats from the US ultimately force the British to loosen the blockade.

In 1918, the First French Mutiny had passed, and the Allies launched an attempt to try and break through the German lines. Known as the Spring Offensive, the plan was, effectively, to hurl millions of men against the Germans, while making some attempt at modern tactics by supporting the infantry with tanks and aircraft. The offensive was to end in failure however, as the Imperial German Army was now recovered.

The two most significant events of that year however were still to come. Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, is assassinated by Fanny Kaplan. Despite an attempt to rally the Red Army by Lev Kamenev, the morale of the Communists was broken.

Kaplan assassinating Lenin. It is believed her motives were due to the Bolsheviks' suppression of the Left SRs

Finally, a desperate assault by the German High Seas Fleet at the Second Battle of Jutland forced the British to lift the blockade fully. Germany was now open for full-sclae war and the next year, their Kaiserschlacht began. The Allied lines were smashed open, as the British and Fench were forced into full retreat. This was coupled with the Second French Mutiny in reaction to the defeats, as well as the fact that the working classes were now being influenced by the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) led by Emile Pouget.

Emile Pouget, the anarcho-syndicalist leader of the CGT and father of the Commune of France

Allied resistance eventually collapsed as the BEF planned to withdraw. The communist radicals, known as the Jacobins, began to execute a series of attacks on the French Provisional Government despite Pouget's pleas for them not to. Despite this, Pouget was forced by circumstance to follow the Jacobins into armed rebellion. After many mutinous soldiers joined the rebels, the Provisonal Government was forced to flee to French North Africe, and the Commune of France was proclaimed. Shortly after, it negotiated a peace with the Germans.

Yes, this has been adopted from the Hearts of Iron 4 mod known as Kaiserreich. I've been wanting to do it for some time.

Anyway, this is the first of three prologues designed to set up the main TL.

A central power victory in ww1 I love this timeline Kaiserriech time!

[YPestis25]

Keep up the good work! Down with the traitors and up with the stars!

[GoTfan]

Part 2: Lincoln Reborn?

Gov. Henry Wallace (P-IA) arriving at the National Union Convention in New York. A key figure in the Progressive Party, Wallace was also part of the "Governors' Triumvirate" with Olson and Roosevelt.

The reborn NUP had no time to organise a primary schedule, and couldn't work out a system for it without at least one party threatening to abandon the coalition. Eventually, the three parties decided to host the convention for their coalition at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Governor Roosevelt had been repeatedly suggesting it as a location, and the parties had agreed. On the surface, it seemed like Roosevelt was offering up New York City for the good of the country. However, as with most things in 1936, there was a more political reason: Roosevelt wanted the nomination.

Several candidates put their names forward for the coalition's nomination. They were Speaker Garner, Governor Roosevelt, Governor Landon, Senator Borah, Senator Barkley and Senator Hull. Roosevelt had the advantage of being able to pack the hall with his supporters, but there were hefty divisions in the coalition. The Democrats were split between Garner and Barkley, the Republicans between Roosevelt and Landon. Borah was able to win a lot of Progressives, but this was tempered by Cordell's strength among internationalists.

Delegates in the convention hall. There were more than a few disagreements between them. Some got physical.

After the eighth ballot, Reed took to the radio while campaigning in Chicago. Even when united, the capitalists couldn't decide on who to lead them, he said. Likewise, Long was making hay with the issue as he campaigned in Florida.

As a sense of doom and gloom descended on the convention, there was an attempt at a compromise. Vice President Curtis had spoken on the first day of the convention about the need for the government to get involved in solving the crisis, and had even said that Hoover needed to do more than the miniscule federal jobs being offered. Alameda County District Attorney Earl Warren tried to convince him to put his name forward, but Curtis, stating a desire to get out of politics, refused.

In desperation, Iowa Governor Henry Wallace turned to his close friend and ally, Floyd Olson. Olson, Wallace argued, had the best chance of uniting the coalition. He was a moderate Progressive who was friendly with both the Republican and Democratic Parties and his stomach cancer was in remission.

Olson agreed, and the two formed the "Governors' Triumvirate" with Roosevelt. Roosevelt would step aside and convince Landon to do the same, while Wallace worked on convincing Borah, Barkely and Hull. After some cajoling, they all agreed to withdraw and Governor Floyd Olson of Minnesota was nominated as the National Union Party's candidate for President.

Olson accepting the NUP nomination. Despite being a compromise candidate, Olson declared that he would only serve one term, which unified the coalition behind him

With Olson finally nominated on the ninth ballot, he announced that  in the interests of unity, he was leaving the Vice Presidential nomination open to the floor. Garner was the first to declare himself a candidate, and was soon followed by Roosevelt. Interestingly, no one else ran and Roosevelt was easily nominated on the first ballot.

The tickets were prepared and the stage was set for the most important election in United States history.
Next part will be the early stages of the campaign.

[Elcaspar]

This timeline is looking good so far, can't wait for the campaigning to start in earnest. Go Floyd!

[GoTfan]

Part 4: The Strategies

Alben Barkley in Tennesee. The Senator was critical in rallying the liberal Democrats to Olson's side.

The campaigns kicked off, and all three tickets were making their own appeals. Long was focused on winning the votes of the southern populists; Reed on the workers of the midwest and Olson on holding his coalition together until November 5th. it was said that Reed laughed when he heard Olson was nominated, and Long was heard to have remarked "Well that's the whole ballgame for them."

What neither of them banked on was Quentin Roosevelt.

Roosevelt had proven twice over that he was, like his father, a ferocious campaigner. Ruthelessly pragmatic yet remarkably idealistic, Roosevelt hit the trail for the coalition. He campaigned hard in both his home state and throughout the northeast, refusing to surrender the industrial states to Reed, which would prove critical in the election to come.

Really, the only person who could compete with Roosevelt's campaign talents was Long, and he was focused on the south. He campaigned hard to win over the southern Democrats, particularly hitting thr 'Share Our Wealth' talking points a lot. He was accused by men like Garner and Hull of being a closet syndicalist, but countered by declaring that the 'Share Our Wealth' programs were the only defence the counry had against syndicalism.

A typically animated Huey Long speaking at a town hall in Florida. Unlike the eloquence of Reed, Long was a fiery campaigner to rival Roosevelt

Olson meanwhile, formally kicked off his campaign in his home state before heading through the plains states and west coast to shore up support from there. Aware that he could not compete with the eloquence of Reed or the fiery nature of Long, Olson made the wise decision to leave the ruthless campaigning in the northeast to Roosevelt, while he focused on presenting himself as the voice of reason and sanity. He became renowned throughout the west for the calm nature he projected.

Reed meanwhile, was focused on expanding the Socialist vote from the midwest, but he knew he was up against it. His running mate, General Butler, while being an accomplished soldier and dedicated socialist, was unaccustomed to political campaigning, and added little to the ticket. Reed had to do much campaigning himself, despite the fact his own health was beginning to fail.

Reed's official campaign photograph. Senator Reed was forced to do most of the campaigning due to Butler's inexperience, and it's believed this exacerbated his health issues.

As the campaign headed forward, it also got uglier. Long accused Olson and Roosevelt of being "Goddamn syndies that are just dressed up nice.". Olson responded at a campaign stop in Las Vegas by sardonically remarking "Governor Long clearly hasn't seen his own platform lately.". When Reed tried to label them both tools of the capitalist system pretending to side with the workers, they both accused Reed of wanting to destroy the Constitution (ironic for Long, considering his dictatorial tendencies in Louisiana).

One major benefit the Olson/Roosevelt ticket had, aside from their shared experience in government and on the campaign trail and their friendship, was their ability to compromise. They knew of the divisions in the coalition, and got around it by promising cabinet positions. Hull was to become Secretary of State, Garner the Secretary of Commerce, Wallace would get Agriculture and California Senator Hiram Johnson would get Interior.

Senator Hiram Johnson. A progressive Republican, he was nonetheless an isoloationist and frequently at odds with Roosevelt, a fervent internationalist.

These promises had the effect of temporarily staving off disaster in the coalition. Nonetheless, with the benefit of hindsight, we can see that all the parties in 1936 were heavily divided, despite appearances of unity. The SPA was divided in four directions between the syndicalists, communists, socialists and the moderate Old Guard. Reed had been able to unite the separate factions, but the communists, led by William Z Foster and Earl Browder, were unhappy with Butler's nomination for Vice President. Long's AFUP meanwhile was divded between Long's own faction, the religious fundamentalists of Father Charles Coughlin, the racists of William Dudley Perrey and the businessmen of Henry Ford.

While this was happening, Long got in touch with his crafty side, and appointed the AFUP's first National Chairman: Archibald Roosevelt.

Archie Roosevelt in his military uniform. Unlike his brother, Archie was inclined to the radical right, which led him becoming the AFUP's first and only National Chairman

This selection completely threw Olson and Quentin. It was no secret to either of them that Archie had been sympathetic to the radical right, but neither thought he'd act on it. In a bid to steal back the front page of the newspapers, Olson, on Roosevelt's suggestion, challenged Reed and Long to a debate. Both men agreed.

Quentin and Archie Roosevelt would never speak again.

[GoTfan]

Part 5: The Debates

Gov. Olson at one of the debates. It is believed that this is where Olson's reputation as the voice of reason and sanity soared; indeed, post-debate polling seems to indicate this.

The decision to debate raised some eyebrows, as Presidential debates were not the norm at the time, and indeed, many believed such debates would not have an effect on the race. Nevertheless, the campaigns agreed to two Presidential debates and a Vice-Presidential debate. Some in the Reed campaign were nervous about letting Butler debate, but Reed himself remained confident that his running mate would make his case well.

As expected, the three Presidential nominees took vastly different tacks. Reed focused on delivering his message in an eloquent manner, Long was preapring to deliver a fiery debate performance, while Olson was going to present himself as the only reasonable man on stage. The three met in October at the University of Maryland for the first debate, and it went as expected.

Long at the first debate. He was perceived to have almost come across as unhinged, alienating the western voters he needed to win.

Long railed on about the failure of the status quo. He continued his labelling of Olson and Roosevelt as wolves in sheep's clothing, while mixing in some attacks against Reed, whom he implied to be an enemy of the state, and accused him of receiving foreign funding from the Commune of France and the Union of Britain. Despite his passion, Long came across as too aggressive to be President, and in particular, many thought his attacks on Olson were over-the-top.

Reed, while calmer than Long, spoke in just as inflammatory terms. He decried the capitalist system as one that openly abandoned its workers in oursuit of profit. He also took the opportunity to take a bold stand on civil rights, promising that a Reed administration would pass a civil rights bill in its first 100 days. Never one to waste an opportunity, he also attacked the other candidates on the same issue. Long for his association with Perrey and the KKK, while Olson was attacked for getting support from southern Democrats (the few that remained, anyway.)

Olson tried to avoid the fierce back and forth between Reed and Long, but nonetheless found himself making the occasional sarcastic remark. When Reed began talking about the corruption inherent in Washington, he replied "Senator Reed decries 'captialist corruption' in Washington, yet he himself is a two-term Senator who works in Washington.". When Long attacked him for being a syndicalist in disguise, Olson responded by sarcastically listing Long's 'Share Our Wealth' policies and comparing hem to Reed. Olson, by virtue of presenting himself as the voice of reason, won the debate.

Next came the Vice-Presidential debate, and this was seen as the big one for the Olson campaign. Roosevelt, who had been extensively preparing for the debate, saw an opportunity to expose his inexperienced opponents, and open up a line of attack on the judgement of both Reed and Long.

Butler before the VP debate. Despite showing up in his Marine Corps uniform, his performance was so poor that some Reed aides considered replacing him with Foster

The debate, held at the University of California's campus at Berkeley, was a total bloodbath, and at the end, it was Roosevelt holding the knife.

The 38 year old New York Governor came out swinging, hammering at the fact that neither of the other VP candidates had ever held public office, and raised concerns about their age. Lindbergh was far too young to be an effective Vice-President, and Butler was far too old. He on the other hand, while young, was experienced, being a two-term governor from a large state.

Butler's attemtps to hit back by calling Roosevelt a tool of corporations was not only badly timed (it came during a question on infrastructure and public works) but also rang hollow, as Roosevelt had aggressiviely pursued pro-worker reforms in New York. Roosevelt did not let Butler forget this throughout the debate.

But while Butler was having a poor night, Hey Long was having a terrible one.

Lindbergh had specific instructions from Long himself to give nothing more than a few pat phrases if asked a question about race. When the question came, Butler aggressively supported a civil rights bill, and Roosevelt replied by pointing to his attempts at ending racial discrimination in New York. Lindbergh however went completely off the rocker, talking about the purity of the European race, and Roosevelt smelled blood. He hammered Lindbergh relentelessly, and even invoked Perrey by name in an attempt to associate the Long/Lindbergh ticket with the KKK.

Lindbergh's official campaign photograph. After his abysmal debate performance, Long was forced to veto attempts by his campaign staff to elevate Archie Roosevelt to the ticket.

After the fireworks of the first two debates, the third, to be held at Pennsylvania State University, was something of a damp squib. The three candidates played up to their respective bases and avoided making any controversial statements. Behind the scenes though, the attitudes could not have been different. The Olson/Roosevelt camapign celebrated the crushing victory the debates had delivered them. The Reed/Butler campaign had to engage in some well-coordinated damage control (depsite an attempt to remove Butler in favour of Foster), while the Long/Lindbergh campaign was in full crisis mode. Lindbergh disappeared from the campaign trail and only survived an attempt to elevate Archie Roosevelt to the ticket when Long personally intervened.

As the campaign went into its final stages, Americans, and indeed the world, collectively held their breath to see who would succeed Herbert Hoover as President of the United States.

[GoTfan]

Just wondering if there are any conservatives who feel that have to root for Olson by default.

[GoTfan]

Part 6: The Home Stretch

Senator Henrik Shipstead (P-MN) at a rally in Wisconsin for the Olson/Roosevelt ticket. Shipstead was one of the keys to the campaign in the midwest, and would hand another state to coalition.

As the campiang entered its final stages, the vitriol between Reed and Long only heightened. Socialist newspapers published cartoons of Long being in league with the KKK, couple with hit pieces accusing him of being a dictator-in-waiting and pointing to his record of nepotism in Louisiana. In response, Father Coughlin hit the radio waves with a series of increaingly volatile attacks, which culminated in an openly anti-Semitic broadcast on October 27th. Long was either unwilling (or unable) to distance himself from Coughlin, and Hoover, in one of his last acts as President, forced Coughlin off the air by the end of October.

As the campaigns headed into their final days, the focused on locking down states. In the east, Roosevelt was stopping almost daily in Pennsylvania. Olson was busy campaigning through the western and plains states, as well as making several stops in Wisconsin. Reed would make visits to states all through the midwest, hoping to carry them against a concerted coalition effort in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Long headed all through the southern states, ferociously declaring that he would stand up for the average American and root out syndicalism wherever he saw it.

Hoever, things began to get nasty. Soon, Reed and long were bringing their own guards with them. Reed's Red Guard was essentially a syndicalist militia, while Long surrounded himself with his own paramilitaries known as the Minutemen. Perrey too had his own militia called the Silvershirts. Olson, Roosevelt and Hoover began to fear violent clashes between the two would take place.

Perrey with his Silvershirts. While supportive of Long, many theorised that the alliance between the two was fragile. This was prven throgh records released in the 1970s.

MacArthur requested another meeting with Hoover to discuss the situation, but Hoover refused to even meet with him, sending an aide to inform the General that his request had been denied. Ever the egotist, MacArthur attempted to barge into the White House to demand an audience with the President. Needless to say, the Secret Service refused him entry. He later attempted to forcibly impart his wisdom on Roosevelt, but the New York Governor, who despised MacArthur, flatly informed in him that there was no place for him in the Olson administration. This is the point many consider to be the beginning of MacArthur's fall.

The fateful date of November 5th had nearly arrived when Olson, campaigining in Califorina, narrowly avoided being gunned down by a man named Giuseppe Zangara, who addaded that he was kotivated by anti-capitalist ideals. Immediately, Long (despite the fact that he had openly compared Olson and Roosevelt to benedict Arnold) called on Reed to accept responsibility for the 'violent syndicalist rhetoric that precipitated the action".

Zangara's mugshot. The gunman proclaimed himself an assassin of Presidents, kings and capitalists at his sentencing.

To no-one's surprise, Reed publicly condemned the attempt days later, but in an equally predictable fasion, used the whole situation to attack Long, Once again, the two got down into the mud while Olson focused on elevating himself as the voice of common sense.

As November 5th dawned, everyone was on edge.

[GoTfan]

So i'm thinking of reviving this, but writing it along the lines of a novel. Yes that means no pictures, but I believe i have some substitutes ready.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

So i'm thinking of reviving this, but writing it along the lines of a novel. Yes that means no pictures, but I believe i have some substitutes ready.

Check out Wikipedia Commons, I’m finding a lot of pictures there. One public domain image at the top of my timeline’s newest chapter is my strategy.