Nineteen Twenty-Four: The Rise of the Progressives

Fubart Solman

1: Nineteen Twenty-Four: The Rise of the Progressives

Introduction: This is my first timeline; comments, constructive criticism and questions are welcomed. The PoD allows for a certain candidate to campaign more vigorously, improving his party’s performance in the 1912 election and beyond...

I have a rough idea of where things are going to go through the early twenties.
I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this format or not. I might move to bullet points.

October 14th, 1912​
Former President Roosevelt shot in Milwaukee.​
While on the campaign trail, Former President Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest by John Flammang Schrank. The bullet was stopped by Roosevelt’s pocket watch, which was in his coat pocket at the time. Roosevelt went on to give his scheduled speech, noting that “it takes more than that to kill a bull moose.”

October 30th, 1912​
Vice President James S. Sherman Dies​
Vice President Sherman has died at the age of 57 from Bright’s disease at his home in New York. No announcements have been made regarding his replacement on the Republican ticket for next week’s election.

November 5th, 1912​
Wilson defeats Roosevelt and Taft; Roosevelt in second place​
Tonight, Woodrow Wilson was elected in a landslide vote in the Electoral College. Former President Theodore Roosevelt, who sought a third term, has the best third party vote in history, winning eleven states, for a total of 146 electoral votes. Former President William H. Taft was shut out of the Northeast and won only eleven electoral votes from three western states.


genusmap.php


Woodrow Wilson/Thomas Marshall 40.1% 374 EV
Theodore Roosevelt/Hiram Johnson 29.8% 146 EV
William Taft/[James Sherman] 24.1% 11 EV
Eugene Debs/Emil Seidel 5.0% 0 EV
Others: 0.9% 0 EV

Congressional Results
Senate
Democratic 49 (increase of 5)
Republican 41 (decrease of 7)
Progressive 4 (increase of 2)

(Due to 2 vacancies, the current number of senators is 94)

genusmap.php


House of Representatives
Democratic 275 (increase of 46)
Republican 135 (decrease of 29)
Progressive 25 (increase of 25)
Note: The House of Representatives increased by 41 seats, for a total of 435.
 
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Fubart Solman

2: 1913

Editor’s Notes: Note the small changes in dates for some events; more events will change in magnitude and date as the butterflies start to spread their wings. (Of course, many new events may pop up too) Pictures will likely be few and far between, excepting new presidents and electoral maps. I would also like to thank my readers for their support.


1913​

February 3rd, 1913​
Sixteenth Amendment Ratified​
The Sixteenth Amendment was ratified, giving the federal government the right to impose income taxes on residents.

March 4th, 1913​
Inauguration Day​
Despite calls for action from women’s suffrage activists, the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson and Thomas Marshall as President and Vice President occurred without issue shortly after noon.

507px-Thomas_Woodrow_Wilson%2C_Harris_%26_Ewing_bw_photo_portrait%2C_1919.jpg

Thomas Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, March 4th, 1913 - ?????

March 21st, 1913​
Dayton Flood​
The Great Dayton Flood, which killed nearly 400 people, lasted for almost a week and submerged most of Dayton, Ohio. Governor James Cox announced an aid plan to help those harmed by the flood.

April 8th, 1913​
Seventeenth Amendment Ratified​
The Seventeenth Amendment was ratified, giving the people the right to elect their state’s US Senators.

July 3rd, 1913​
50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg​
President Wilson travelled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Noting that he only received 40% of the popular vote, he told the audience which was gathered, “I come before you not as the President of the South, not as the president of the East, not as the President of the West, nor the President of the North, but as the President of the United States of America. Despite the fact that the Civil War ended nearly fifty years ago, we still act as if we are divided; I implore you to remember our great nation’s motto: e pluribus unum: From many, one. With your help, I seek a new era of unity where we as a nation can enjoy the fruits of our Creator.” President Wilson also officially opened the first coast-to-coast segment of the Lincoln Memorial Highway System between New York and San Francisco.

September 2nd, 1913​
Revenue Act Passed and Signed​
Today, President Wilson signed the Revenue Act of 1913, instituting an income tax while lowering tariffs. Progressive leaders lauded the bill’s passage, noting the income tax’s greater effects on the wealthy. Many conservatives from both the Democratic and Republican Parties denounced the tax increases on the wealthy as removing any reason for businesses to create more jobs.

October 1st, 1913​
Ford Motor Company updates and increases production of the Model T​
After producing the Model T for five years, Henry Ford announced that the start of assembly line production of his vehicles would be complemented by technical improvements. Ford also announced that he would increase wages to counter the rising influence of unions in his factories. Many newspaper editors suspect that the improvements are a result of the recently opened Lincoln Memorial Highway system, connecting large portions of the country with paved roads.

December 18th, 1913​
Federal Reserve Act Signed​
President Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, creating a new national bank with broad powers of currency manipulation. Democrats hope that the Federal Reserve will prevent the periodic banking crises experienced over the last several decades.
 
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Fubart Solman

3: 1914 (Part 1)

1914 (Part 1)​

January 1st, 1914​
World’s First Scheduled Air Flight​
The first “airline” flights between Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida commenced today, using the Wright Type 2, which was capable of carrying five passengers and small amounts of cargo. The contract allowed the Wright Brothers to research smaller, faster planes for reconnaissance and mail delivery purposes.
April 9th, 1914​
US Marines board SS Ypiranga​
The SS Ypiranga, a German registered ship, was boarded by US troops under suspicion that it was carrying arms for the embattled Mexican government. The presence of munitions was not confirmed and the ship was allowed to dock and unload its cargo, which did in fact consist of Remington rifles and other munitions. Mexico expelled the US ambassador.
April 20th, 1914​
Bloodbath at Ludlow​
Seventy people were killed and nearly five hundred were wounded when the Colorado National Guard opened fire on coal miners who refused to go back to work. Former President Theodore Roosevelt decried the massacre, reiterating his idea of a square deal for the workers and the mine owners. President Wilson has ordered an investigation to be led by Attorney General James McReynolds.
May 29th, 1914​
Wilson Institutes increased Segregation in Washington​
President Wilson issued a memo asking all of his governmental departments to increase their segregation efforts, notably in workers’ facilities, such as bathrooms and canteens. It was also noted that he wanted all new applicants for federal jobs to include a picture, ostensibly for security badges. Black leaders denounced the latter as allowing for even more discrimination.
June 23rd, 1914​
Battle of Zacatecas​
Mexican Revolutionaries under Pancho Villa were defeated by Mexican troops, who were armed with updated Remington rifles. The Villistas retreated back to the North, but destroyed the main railroad junction before they abandoned the city. Government engineers believe that it can be rebuilt in a few months. Despite the loss for the Villistas, the destruction of the railroad will likely give them time to regroup.
June 26th, 1914​
Twin Assassinations Rock Europe​
In Sarajevo, the heir to the Austrian Throne, Archduke Ferdinand, was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip. Princip was arrested shortly thereafter and would confess that he was part of a Serbian-backed group called the Black Hand. Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to the government of Serbia, which would be rejected by Serbia.

In St. Petersburg, another heir to the throne was killed. Khioniya Guseva, in an attempt to kill Grigori Rasputin, fired upon the mystic healer who was attempting to heal Alexei Romanov, the son of Tsar Nicholas II. The first bullet went straight through Rasputin and struck Alexei, who would die from blood loss within a few minutes. Guseva managed to fire a second shot into Rasputin’s heart, killing him before she was shot by royal guards.
June 30th, 1914​
Ludlow Investigation Blames Miners​
After two months of investaigations, the team led by Attorney General McReynolds blamed the miners’ union for encouraging the strike, noting that in their view, the miners’ perceived aggression gave the National Guard no option, but to fire upon the miners. While Progressives and Union leaders decried this, President Wilson accepted the committee’s findings.
July 9th, 1914​
Cape Cod becomes an Island​
The Cape Cod Canal opened to little fanfare. It was disliked by many conservatives, including the President of the Massachusetts Senate, Calvin Coolidge, who saw it as a waste of money for little gain.
 
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Fubart Solman

Unknown said:
How far are you going with this?
Click to expand...

I'm planning on going to at least 1924. I have a list of presidents stretching to the 1936 election. So, really I'd like to get to at least 1936. I'm hoping that I can direct the time that I would otherwise spend surfing the web into this. As a college student, I have several tests this week, so I'm not sure how much more I'll get done right now, but I should have the beginnings of WWI done by the end of this week.
 
Thande

Thande

Donor
I like the style of this, how it's done in the style of many bitesize histories of OTL and seems to be telling its own story organically rather than saying "well we all know what OTL was like, here's the differences". In other words it feels like a real resource that's been taken from another dimension, rather than a fictional creation. The fact that the changes up to now are fairly minor helps that, it shows you have divergences slowly build from initial small changes.
 

Emperor Julian

My one question is why did Taft win Idaho and Wyoming, but lose Vermont? All three were close contests OTL so it's plausible for them to switch, but I am just wondering why.
 

Fubart Solman

Thande said:
I like the style of this, how it's done in the style of many bitesize histories of OTL and seems to be telling its own story organically rather than saying "well we all know what OTL was like, here's the differences". In other words it feels like a real resource that's been taken from another dimension, rather than a fictional creation. The fact that the changes up to now are fairly minor helps that, it shows you have divergences slowly build from initial small changes.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I might keep this format then. The only problem with it is that it can be somewhat hard to fit things that happen over the course of several days, weeks, etc. into a chronology, which is why WWI will take some time to work out.

So far, due to the relatively small PoD, not too much has changed, but once I get to WWI, there will be some more noticeable changes stemming from things that have not happened as in OTL.

Emperor Julian said:
My one question is why did Taft win Idaho and Wyoming, but lose Vermont? All three were close contests OTL so it's plausible for them to switch, but I am just wondering why.
Click to expand...

The main premise is that Teddy Roosevelt did a tad bit better (by a couple of percent). Add in a bit of number waving, and Teddy does better in these three states (as you mentioned, they were all close). The increase in Roosevelt votes came at the expense of Debs and Wilson voters, taking enough away from Wilson to give Idaho and Wyoming to Taft, while giving Roosevelt enough to win in Vermont (and other close states, such as Maine).
 

AnywhereButOTL

This whole disintegration of relations between the labor unions and the big bosses is rather ominous, I hope it doesn't get too much worse.
 

Fubart Solman

4: 1914 Part 2 (July 27th to August 31st)

Editor’s Note: Wow; that took longer than I had hoped. I should probably be studying more, so I probably shouldn’t have an update before the end of the week. Hopefully that update can get to the elections of 1914.
1914 Part 2 ​
July 27th, 1914​
Austria-Hungary declares War on Serbia​
After having given the Serbians a month to obey the ultimatum, Austria-Hungary was poised to attack Serbia on July 26th, however, Emperor Franz Josef I did not wish to start a war on a Sunday, and instead declared war on Serbia the following Monday, July 27th. Serbia’s ally, Russia noted troop movements prior to the declaration of war and moved its troops towards its western borders, anticipating war with Austria-Hungary and its ally, Germany.
July 28th, 1914​
Germany declares war on Russia; France declares war on Germany​
Germany’s own spies indicated that Russia was moving its troops towards Germany and Austria-Hungary’s eastern borders. When the Russians refused to explain their actions, Kaiser Wilhelm II declared war on his cousin, Tsar Nicholas II. Owing to the complex series of treaties among the European countries, France declared war on Germany.
August 1st, 1914​
Germany declares war on Belgium; the United Kingdom declares war on Germany​
Seeking to flank the French and follow the Schlieffen Plan, Germany declared war on Belgium and soon advanced towards Liege. The United Kingdom was shocked by this. The following day, August 2nd, 1914, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany and moved many of its troops to Belgium to defend the Belgian frontier.
August 6th, 1914 – August 19th, 1914​
Battle of Liege and later fortifications​
Unforeseen resistance by the Belgians at Liege slowed the German advance long enough for British troops to help the Belgians and French fortify a line stretching from Ostend through Lille and Givet to the Ardennes Forest and beyond. Much of this defensive line was made of trenches designed to slow any German advances until more British troops arrived on the Continent.

August 10th, 1914​
Wilson declares US Neutrality​
President Wilson announced that the United States would stay neutral in the expanding war across the Atlantic. He stated that, “the United States will not come to Europe unless Europe comes to the United States.”
August 15th, 1914​
Panama Canal opens for traffic​
Vice President Thomas Marshall presided over the ceremony to officially open the Panama Canal. Speaking from the USS Indiana on a sunny day, Marshall was heard to have said, “What this country needs is a really good fifty-cent hat.”
August 31th, 1914​
Battle of Tannenberg​
While German troops were firmly planted in southern Belgium and the French frontier by the end of August, the Germans on the eastern front were much more mobile in their movements. The German high command insisted that the Schlieffen Plan be followed, however, the Russian victory at Tannenberg caused them to rethink the Schlieffen Plan. After amassing on the western border with Germany, Russian troops stormed through East Prussia. Troops from the Russian Second Army from central Poland (Russia) went north where they met with the First Army and trapped the Germans in between them outside of the small village of Tannenberg. After only a day of combat, the remaining Germans retreated to the west, while many of their comrades were captured or killed in their defeat.
 
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Fubart Solman

An update, of sorts: Check the first post for changes

I've been swamped the last week or so. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get done in the next few weeks, but I'll try to get in at least a few updates.

I'm working on the 1914 election and then I'll work on the events through the end of 1914, which should be up in a couple of days. In the mean time, I have updated the original post. There is a slight change in the presidential election and I have added senate results by state.
 

Fubart Solman

5: Late 1914

Well, I finally had time for an update. Senate elections are a pain to figure out. I might be able to get 1915 done within a week, but beyond that, it might be a while due to my upcoming finals.

1914 Part 3​
September 4th, 1914​
Germany’s Pacific Colonies fall​
Following its pact with Britain, Japan declared war on Germany. Japan’s first action was to capture the German controlled port of Tsingtao in China. New Zealand occupied German Samoa, while British and Australian forces occupied German New Guinea.
September 15th, 1914​
Germany Fortifies in the East; goes on the offensive in the West​
Following their disastrous defeat at Tannenburg, the Germans entrenched themselves on the Eastern front, combining forces with Austria to prevent the Russian’s advance. Excess troops from Alsace-Lorraine were moved towards the Verdun forest. Requisitioned zeppelins were taken by the German government and were modified for dropping bombs on Allied lines. This allowed the Germans to advance through the eastern French countryside, coming within 50 miles of Paris before entrenching their positions about 60 miles east of Paris.
October 10th, 1914 - October 18th, 1914
​
Gandhi Tours America​
Due to the difficulties of directly travelling between Great Britain and India, Mohandas Gandhi travelled through the United States on his way back to India. Gandhi met with W.E.B. DuBois and encouraged the NAACP to passively resist segregation. He also met with Eugene V. Debs, with whom he discussed recent events, such as the Ludlow Massacre and the European War and espoused his support for the common laborers of the country. Before leaving the United States, he spoke in San Francisco with John Muir opposing the construction of the Hetch Hetchy Valley Dam and urging Americans to live simpler lives which he hoped would lead to peaceful coexistence in an increasingly conflicted America.


October 19th, 1914​
Allies declare war on Turkey; Greece takes Cyprus​
Following numerous incursions into Egypt, the United Kingdom declared war on the Ottoman Empire in defense of its interests there and in Greece. Elsewhere, Greek and ANZAC forces were entrenched near Salonika. As a reward for joining the war, Britain gave control of Cyprus to Greece after unilaterally declaring "legal" British ownership of Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriots did not take kindly to this intervention and rioted before being crushed by British and Greek Cypriot forces; Turkish Cypriots would later be allowed to leave on passenger vessels bound for mainland Turkey after signing agreements that they would not join the Turkish war effort.
November 3rd, 1914​
United States Congressional Elections​
The Democrats managed to keep both houses despite Progressive advances in both houses. In the Senate, the Democrats will have to rely on Vice President Marshall’s vote in the event of a tie. The Republicans managed to stay competitive in the Northern parts of the country, with the Progressives strong in the West and the Democrats strong in the South.

US Senate Elections
Democratic 48 (-2)
Republican 38 (-4)
Progressive 10 (+6)

genusmap.php



US House Elections
Democrat 251 (-24)
Republican 121 (-14)
Progressive 62 (+37)
Prohibition 1 (+1)
December 20th, 1914​
Italian Socialist Party Splinters​
After a bitter debate, Benito Mussolini was elected as the leader of the Italian Socialist Party and declared that it would support a new idea of “Nationalist Socialism;” Mussolini also announced that his party would support Italian entry into the emerging European war in an attempt to take back lands inhabited by Italians.

 
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Nazi Space Spy

Banned
I can't believe I have been missing this until today! Keep up the great work. I'm curious to see if Teddy will try to take on the GOP nomination in 1916 or if he will try and take the Bull Moose Party to the White House.
 

AnywhereButOTL

The Progressives are indeed progressing, and at a rather rapid clip. I wonder how much of a threat they'll be perceived as by the international community once they start gaining real political clout.
 

Fubart Solman

Nazi Space Spy said:
I can't believe I have been missing this until today! Keep up the great work. I'm curious to see if Teddy will try to take on the GOP nomination in 1916 or if he will try and take the Bull Moose Party to the White House.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the support! The break between Teddy and the Republican Party is permanent.


AnywhereButOTL said:
The Progressives are indeed progressing, and at a rather rapid clip. I wonder how much of a threat they'll be perceived as by the international community once they start gaining real political clout.
Click to expand...
Remember, what goes up must go down. Things like Ludlow definitely helped the Progressives. Speaking of that, I think that I might change the dates of Gandhi being in the US. I'm trying not to make this a progressive wank. However, a certain member of the Progressive Party may influence events south of the border.
 

Fubart Solman

The Cyprus Problem

So, I was researching for 1915 (that should be out this week), and I discovered that Cyprus was only de jure owned by the Ottomans at the time (the British already held control over it). This will be fixed by the time the 1915 update comes out.
 

1940LaSalle

Fubart Solman said:
August 31th, 1914​



Battle of Tannenberg​


While German troops were firmly planted in southern Belgium and the French frontier by the end of August, the Germans on the eastern front were much more mobile in their movements. The German high command insisted that the Schlieffen Plan be followed, however, the Russian victory at Tannenberg caused them to rethink the Schlieffen Plan. After amassing on the western border with Germany, Russian troops stormed through East Prussia. Troops from the Russian Second Army from central Poland (Russia) went north where they met with the First Army and trapped the Germans in between them outside of the small village of Tannenberg. After only a day of combat, the remaining Germans retreated to the west, while many of their comrades were captured or killed in their defeat.
Click to expand...


I hadn't seen this until today, but I have to ask: how on earth did this happen, given that (1) I didn't see any mention of different Russian commanders; (2) Rennenkampf and Samsonov couldn't tolerate each other whatsoever, yielding terrible coordination IOTL, and (3) the presence of Hindenberg and Ludendorff commanding the German armies in the east?
 

Fubart Solman

1940LaSalle said:
I hadn't seen this until today, but I have to ask: how on earth did this happen, given that (1) I didn't see any mention of different Russian commanders; (2) Rennenkampf and Samsonov couldn't tolerate each other whatsoever, yielding terrible coordination IOTL, and (3) the presence of Hindenberg and Ludendorff commanding the German armies in the east?
Click to expand...

The big difference is the Germans focus more on the Western Front at first, meaning that they don't have as many troops on the Eastern Front. This is the first major battle on the Eastern Front in this timeline, meaning that Hindenburg and Ludendorff haven't been called up yet. The lack of a battle at Gumbinnen means that the Russian First Army is not delayed; the delay in the dates means that the Second Army does not have as bad of supply issues as in OTL. I will be taking your comments into consideration as the war drags on with both Russian generals still alive.


I also fixed the previously mentioned Cyprus problem.
 
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