Alternate Electoral Maps
- Thread starter Tayya
- Start date
- Status
United States of Ameriwank - 1828
The Jacksonian Era see's an expansion of the franchise and great popularity. the Republic of Australia, given independence by Britain after allying with the US during the War of the Sixth Coalition, is brought into the United States giving the US its first non-American state in New South Wales.
Andrew Jackson and his Democrat Party machine dominates the polls and wins the election in a landslide. Henry Clay garners some votes running as the National Republican Candidate while Charles J. Johnson runs as the Freedom Party candidate. Lastly, the Haitian people nominate their senator, the great Alexander Petion, to run and bring up the issue of abolition.
Jackson captures the new state of New South Wales and the map for the first time shows American overseas territories. These include United States India Territory, captured from the French during the 1799 Franco-American War and Gibraltar Territory, captured from the British during the War of the Sixth Coalition. Not to mention the large tracts of territories in Australia.
The Jacksonian Era see's an expansion of the franchise and great popularity. the Republic of Australia, given independence by Britain after allying with the US during the War of the Sixth Coalition, is brought into the United States giving the US its first non-American state in New South Wales.
Andrew Jackson and his Democrat Party machine dominates the polls and wins the election in a landslide. Henry Clay garners some votes running as the National Republican Candidate while Charles J. Johnson runs as the Freedom Party candidate. Lastly, the Haitian people nominate their senator, the great Alexander Petion, to run and bring up the issue of abolition.
Jackson captures the new state of New South Wales and the map for the first time shows American overseas territories. These include United States India Territory, captured from the French during the 1799 Franco-American War and Gibraltar Territory, captured from the British during the War of the Sixth Coalition. Not to mention the large tracts of territories in Australia.
United States of Ameriwank - 1832
The 1832 election plays out similarly to the 1828 election. Andrew Jackson has retired and appointed Martin Van Buren as his hand picked successor. The Democratic machine is still strong enough to ensure Van Buren's victory but Henry Clay organizes a spirited opposition under his National Republican party. In the Caribbean, Elijah Goodwin organizes the best Freedom Party campaign yet, winning states on the mainland. Once more Alexander Petion champions the cause of abolition and is nominated by Haiti.
Van Buren also captures the new state of Arkansas
The 1832 election plays out similarly to the 1828 election. Andrew Jackson has retired and appointed Martin Van Buren as his hand picked successor. The Democratic machine is still strong enough to ensure Van Buren's victory but Henry Clay organizes a spirited opposition under his National Republican party. In the Caribbean, Elijah Goodwin organizes the best Freedom Party campaign yet, winning states on the mainland. Once more Alexander Petion champions the cause of abolition and is nominated by Haiti.
Van Buren also captures the new state of Arkansas
United States of Ameriwank - 1836
The Democrats get beaten badly at the polls with the unpopularity of Van Buren. This allows the reorganized National Republicans, now known as the Whigs, to run out a highly popular candidate in Winfield Scott. Scott, a war hero from the War of the Sixth Coalition and the Eastern War against the Ottoman Empire, dominates the polls. The unpopularity of the Democrats has another consequence, the Freedom Party continues to expand into the southern mainland slave states. John C. Calhoun is their candidate and while they have their best showing yet, they cannot match the numbers of the northern states electorally. Petion once more stands as the champion of abolitionism.
In the bottom corner you'll note that more territory has been added to the US in the form of the annexation of the "Malouvine Islands" (OTL Falklands).
The Democrats get beaten badly at the polls with the unpopularity of Van Buren. This allows the reorganized National Republicans, now known as the Whigs, to run out a highly popular candidate in Winfield Scott. Scott, a war hero from the War of the Sixth Coalition and the Eastern War against the Ottoman Empire, dominates the polls. The unpopularity of the Democrats has another consequence, the Freedom Party continues to expand into the southern mainland slave states. John C. Calhoun is their candidate and while they have their best showing yet, they cannot match the numbers of the northern states electorally. Petion once more stands as the champion of abolitionism.
In the bottom corner you'll note that more territory has been added to the US in the form of the annexation of the "Malouvine Islands" (OTL Falklands).
United States of Ameriwank - 1840
Winfield Scott's popularity sends him and the Whigs easily to reelection. The Freedom Party slips a bit under John C. Calhoun, allowing the Democrats under James Buchanan to make some inroads. Australia votes for Scott as the Democrats increasingly become a more moderate pro-slavery slavery to keep themselves alive in the border slave states.
Winfield Scott's popularity sends him and the Whigs easily to reelection. The Freedom Party slips a bit under John C. Calhoun, allowing the Democrats under James Buchanan to make some inroads. Australia votes for Scott as the Democrats increasingly become a more moderate pro-slavery slavery to keep themselves alive in the border slave states.
United States of Ameriwank - 1844
With Scott's second term over, the Whigs turn to Henry Clay to champion their cause. The slave states are split once more between Isaac Marshall's Freedom Party and James K. Polk's Democrats. The Whigs still have enough power and the south is still split enough that Henry Clay cruises to victory. More importantly, the annexation of several South American countries goes through in time for them to be a part of the election.
The new states of Panama, New Granada, Peru, and Bolivia overwhelmingly vote for Clay.
With Scott's second term over, the Whigs turn to Henry Clay to champion their cause. The slave states are split once more between Isaac Marshall's Freedom Party and James K. Polk's Democrats. The Whigs still have enough power and the south is still split enough that Henry Clay cruises to victory. More importantly, the annexation of several South American countries goes through in time for them to be a part of the election.
The new states of Panama, New Granada, Peru, and Bolivia overwhelmingly vote for Clay.
United States of Ameriwank - 1848
Slave politics truly begins to rear its ugly head. For many years the Freedom Party was inept electorally and in the House, but the sheer number of slave states, even if they had small populations, gave them dominance in the senate. In an effort to claim the presidency, the Freedomites and the Democrats put aside their differences and ran on a coalition ticket led by a northern expansionist named Lewis Cass. Cass trumped Henry Clay's reelection bid in a shocking election sending the Democrats to the White House for the first time since Martin Van Buren. Alongside Cass was his Freedomite Vice President, Isaac Marshall.
Cass captures the new states of Texas, Michigan, Tripolitania, Cyrenacia, and Fezzan. Clay captures the new Australian state of Jefferson.
Slave politics truly begins to rear its ugly head. For many years the Freedom Party was inept electorally and in the House, but the sheer number of slave states, even if they had small populations, gave them dominance in the senate. In an effort to claim the presidency, the Freedomites and the Democrats put aside their differences and ran on a coalition ticket led by a northern expansionist named Lewis Cass. Cass trumped Henry Clay's reelection bid in a shocking election sending the Democrats to the White House for the first time since Martin Van Buren. Alongside Cass was his Freedomite Vice President, Isaac Marshall.
Cass captures the new states of Texas, Michigan, Tripolitania, Cyrenacia, and Fezzan. Clay captures the new Australian state of Jefferson.
United States of Ameriwank - 1852
The Democrat-Freedomite coalition holds as the United States deals with the Western War, an intervention in Alto Mexico's civil war that eventually leads to the annexation of Alto Mexico. The Democrats hold strong and Lewis Cass wins his reelection bid but the Whig party collapses. Franklin Pierce leads the Federalists while William King leads the Republicans.
The Democrat-Freedomite coalition holds as the United States deals with the Western War, an intervention in Alto Mexico's civil war that eventually leads to the annexation of Alto Mexico. The Democrats hold strong and Lewis Cass wins his reelection bid but the Whig party collapses. Franklin Pierce leads the Federalists while William King leads the Republicans.
United States of Ameriwank - 1856
The nation is falling apart at the seems by the late 1850's. The Western War and subsequent annexation is marred by scandals, many of which are trumped up, that lead to the impeachment and trial of President Cass shortly after his reelection. Despite assurances that the Freedomite dominated senate will acquit, the Freedomites betray their coalition-mates and vote against Cass in order to make Vice President Marshall the new President.
The Nation is at each others throats over the proceedings and the Freedomites are done as a party in non-slave states. The Democrats are beaten and bruised as well. To help the nation recover, and win the election, the Federalists and the Republicans form their own coalition on a ticket of George Stockton and Abraham Lincoln. Stockton is a highly respected statesman and dominates the overseas states allowing him to secure victory. Unfortunately for the nation, he dies in 1858 and Lincoln's rise to the presidency causes the slave states to begin seceding.
The nation is falling apart at the seems by the late 1850's. The Western War and subsequent annexation is marred by scandals, many of which are trumped up, that lead to the impeachment and trial of President Cass shortly after his reelection. Despite assurances that the Freedomite dominated senate will acquit, the Freedomites betray their coalition-mates and vote against Cass in order to make Vice President Marshall the new President.
The Nation is at each others throats over the proceedings and the Freedomites are done as a party in non-slave states. The Democrats are beaten and bruised as well. To help the nation recover, and win the election, the Federalists and the Republicans form their own coalition on a ticket of George Stockton and Abraham Lincoln. Stockton is a highly respected statesman and dominates the overseas states allowing him to secure victory. Unfortunately for the nation, he dies in 1858 and Lincoln's rise to the presidency causes the slave states to begin seceding.
United States of Ameriwank - 1860
Last one for today, the nation is at war as the Union squares off against the Confederacy and their European allies. Lincoln and the Union had a rough 1859 and early 1860 but a series of victories in Tennessee, Virginia, and Haiti send Lincoln and the Republicans to victory over Christian Clarke and the peace-Democrats. You can read more about this map in the Ameriwank thread in ASB where it was posted today!
Last one for today, the nation is at war as the Union squares off against the Confederacy and their European allies. Lincoln and the Union had a rough 1859 and early 1860 but a series of victories in Tennessee, Virginia, and Haiti send Lincoln and the Republicans to victory over Christian Clarke and the peace-Democrats. You can read more about this map in the Ameriwank thread in ASB where it was posted today!
There don't seem to be any/many alternate House of Representatives electoral maps here, alas, so I decided to try and rectify this.
This is a possible alternate House map I whipped up for my TL (it's deliberately small to avoid too many specific spoilers with the details. There's also no guarantee that I'll actually use this in the TL - it simply presents one possible scenario.)
This is a possible alternate House map I whipped up for my TL (it's deliberately small to avoid too many specific spoilers with the details. There's also no guarantee that I'll actually use this in the TL - it simply presents one possible scenario.)
Cactus Jack's Misfortune - Part VI
President Douglas's slender victory was marred by personal difficulties, especially in the realm of his marriage. The office of presidency is always tough upon the people who occupy it, but even more so upon their relations, whether it be to spouses, children or friends in general. After returning from his third inauguration, where Douglas promised that a man would orbit the earth by the end of his term as well as announcing the goal of ruling segregation unconstitutional and illegal via judicial means, he was beset by the news that his wife of thirty years, Mildred, wanted a divorce. She had been opposed to him seeking another term and their marriage had been rocky for the duration of the election.
The news devastated him and even though the separation was quiet and relatively amiable (as much out of political necessity as it was out of mutual respect) the tabloids seized upon it like nothing else.
'How can President Douglas hope to keep this nation together if he cannot keep his marriage together?' Dixiecrat senator Harry Byrd of Virginia asked, a remark which resulted in him being tarred by a number of more mainstream senators and governors, including Earl Warren. Warren's pro Douglas sentiment resulted in ire from the party bosses however and he was notified that he was not welcome to run under the moniker 'Republican' anymore.
This was perfectly fine with him, Warren had become disillusioned with the political world, and upon the death of Associate Justice Fred Vinson in March of 1953, President Douglas shocked the nation by nominating Earl Warren to take his spot. Warren was easily confirmed and Douglas added bipartisan accolades to his laurels while simultaneously adding a friend and respected colleague to his panel of unofficial advisors.
Vice President Pepper spent the first hundred days of Douglas' third term fighting off renewed Republican efforts to implement term limits upon the presidency. Though Democrats still controlled both houses of congress, their margins had shrunk ever since the creation of the Dixiecrat Party and seemed in danger of vanishing entirely as the 1954 midterms drew close.
One event which dampened the mood of President Douglas was the first Soviet test of a hydrogen bomb, barely ten months after the first American test of one. Though he tried his best to avoid being entangled in an arm's race, President Douglas knew that to be left behind by the Soviets would be to risk nuclear annihilation.
Similar to the ongoing race to develop better nuclear missiles is the Space Race (though the term race is poorly suited seeing as how the American program could have funded its Soviet counterpart seven times over with change left to spare). Douglas' goal is for a human being to have orbited the earth by 1960, with a man on the moon by 1966 at the earliest. Von Braun, who is heavily involved in the program, insists that he can get the job done by 1964 but Douglas is hesitant, the deaths of astronauts on his watch would not be good for his already fragile political situation.
The possible inclusion of women astronauts into the program is considered but eventually scrapped, though minorities are allowed to apply. The program's first official launch comes in December when an unmanned rocket launches through the atmosphere and releases a small satellite that emits the following message in Morse code: God Bless The USA
This launch infuriates the Soviet leadership, and while General Secretary Kruglov is hesitant to spend money on non military spaceflight, Timoshenko's input sways him and he puts more money into the Soviet program, bringing it to parity with the Americans, at least funding wise.
As 1953 comes to an end VietMinh forces clinch several decisive victories against the French, which enrages De Gaulle. Influenced by a number of advisors who encourage him to disregard to UN (which has been asking him to grant Vietnam independence since early 1951, mostly at the behest of the US and the USSR) and escalate the wars in Vietnam and Algeria to a horrifying new extreme.
The French nuclear program, having detonated its first bomb a mere eight months before, has already created a total of eight bombs with roughly the yield of the bomb dropped over Kagoshima in 1945. In January of 1954, two atom bombs are detonated in Algeria, destroying a rebel held village and inspiring terror in Oran and other major cities in the region. Another three bombs are detonated in Vietnam, all in the countryside. While none of them kill very many people or even do that much damage to anti French forces, the psychological impact is massive and in Algeria the guerrilla war becomes even more entrenched and vicious, the combatants determined to never show themselves in force for fear of French atom bombs being used in retaliation.
The VietMinh's response is very different, with a massive offensive seizing Hanoi from the French at the beginning of February, prompting French forces to bombard the city with Lewisite and tear gas. The US and USSR, which had demanded sanctions upon hearing of the usage of atom bombs in Algeria and Vietnam now howled for them as De Gaulle listened to the cheering of his people and assured them that he would battle against the Bolsheviks, arrogant British and socialist Americans and keep them far away from French lands.
With De Gaulle proving to be exceptionally unstable and fearing for their supply lines to the German quarantine zone the British, Americans and Soviets agree to a temporary truce while they deal with France. The exact circumstances of the (undoubtedly joint CIA/MI6/NKVD backed) coup that deposed De Gaulle in May of 1954 have yet to be declassified but what we do know is that it sparked the bloodiest French civil unrest since the days of the Terror prior to the rise of Napoleon.
France's descent into bloodshed horrified the world and Vietnam and Algeria's declarations of independence, though overshadowed, resulted in both nations becoming staunch American allies, a convenient byproduct of removing De Gaulle.
Across the world the decades long Chinese Civil War also came to an end with the defeat of the last pockets of communist resistance in Manchuria. Though scattered insurgency would remain a problem well into the middle of the decade, China under the Kuomintang would remain a largely stable place for the remainder of the Cold War.
But even if foreign policy worked out for President Douglas the 1954 midterms were less kind, with Democrats retaining their majority in the senate but losing control of the House (albeit narrowly) for the first time since 1932.
Fortunately for President Douglas many of the more moderate Republicans were willing to work with him to battle segregation and with the Supreme Court made up of eight liberals of various stripes versus a single lonely conservative it looked as though the next few decades (no matter who held office) would be punctuated by very progressive rulings. This came true with the case of Leland v. Board of Education in which the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that segregation in schools was illegal and would be reversed immediately.
But while this was a victory for progressivism it also fired up support for the Dixiecrat Party in the south. However, as the Republican party slowly slid to the liberal end of the social spectrum in order to take advantage of President Douglas' continued popularity, cracks began to emerge within the ever growing Dixiecrat Party as economic conservatives and liberals began to fight amongst themselves. Though the party platform was primarily made up of social issues, Thurmond and many others argued that if the party were to survive then they would need to decide on a set of economic policies as well.
Fortunately for the Dixiecrats, but unfortunately for everyone else, the party decided that economics was to be left up to the beholder, after all Strom Thurmond was the only Dixiecrat powerful enough to be the nominee and his economics had become decidedly centrist ever since Douglas had taken office.
More than anything what kept the party together was the realization that the nation was beginning to turn against them, more specifically the northern and western states, which significantly outweighed the south's share of electoral votes. Some darkly muttered that secession was looking to be an attractive proposition once again, but Thurmond decided that instead it would become the Dixiecrat party's goal to deadlock congress, stall civil rights bills there and similarly deadlock the electoral college. It was widely assumed that Douglas would try for a fourth term as 1955 began, and while the Republicans were spooked to face him considering that his approval rating had dropped below 50% once twice during his time in office Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrats were itching for a fight.
Douglas however was not thinking of the coming election, he was watching a rocket take off, carrying a young man named Chuck Yeager on its journey to orbit the earth three times before splashing down off the coast of Hawaii. The rocket lifted off safely, its stages separated wonderfully and Yeager's words as he became the first man to orbit the earth were: 'this makes us look so damn fragile.' Upon his successful splashdown his words struck a chord with the fledgling environmental movement and the footage and still frames of the earth from above stunned the nation. They had seen pictures of the earth from space before, but moving footage was a novelty, especially with Yeager commentating over it, reciting a certain famous Yeats poem as he passed over the German quarantine zone.
The American Civilian Space Agency (ACSA) underwent a boom in popularity, especially when Douglas announced his goal to have a man on the moon within a decade. But behind the scenes there was still a lot of work to do and even Von Braun suspected that ACSA could have issues meeting the deadline. Despite that Douglas is optimistic, and he begins to look ahead towards the next elections.
Unlike the 1952 elections the American people have no reservations regarding who they're voting for. The President and his Floridian Vice President are civil libertarians an economic liberals, the Republicans up in the air (desperately trying to get Dwight Eisenhower, but to no avail) and the Dixiecrats remain solidly reactionary.
Douglas, who has been thinking of President Roosevelt more often these days, decides that he will try for a fourth term despite increasing signs of voter fatigue. The announcement is unsurprising and Claude Pepper happily agrees to remain on as his Vice President, though he does want to try his hand at being President eventually. Yeager, a solid Democrat, is only too happy to endorse the President and so he enters the Democratic National Convention with a 64% approval rating and no formal opposition.
The Republican National Convention is confused to say the least. With the party bosses swinging back and forth across the pendulum and rapidly losing control of the liberal portion of their party following Warren's 'defection' to the Supreme Court, they eventually decide that ideology is unimportant, so long as whoever they nominate removes Douglas from the White House and doesn't give too much ground to the creepy, almost cultish Dixiecrats.
To everyone's surprise the frontrunner of the Republican field for several weeks is none other than Curtis LeMay, dropper of atom bombs and one time ally of President Douglas during the integration effort. Since then he has been unimpressed with Douglas' economic policies, even if he does admire certain parts of his foreign policy. Richard Nixon is also in the fray once more, this time with enough delegates to give him a real shot at the nomination. As the minor names drop out and give their delegates away the frontrunners remain.
- Former General Curtis LeMay of Ohio
- Former Governor Harold Stassen of Minnesota (surprisingly this is not his last time running for President. You'll see)
- Governor Christian Herter of Massachusetts
- Senator Richard Nixon of California
- Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. of Massachusetts
Curtis LeMay hangs on tenaciously, outlasting Lodge and Stassen, who both drop out and give their delegates to Nixon and Herter respectively. Herter, though quiet, is able to begin edging past Nixon, at least until LeMay, recognizing that he isn't going to win the nomination, offers his delegates to Nixon in exchange for a spot as running mate. Nixon, though hesitant, is also opportunistic and accepts. The resulting transfusion of delegates is enough to push Nixon over the top and barely defeat Herter, who vows that he will be back in 1960.
Nixon reluctantly honors his agreement with LeMay and the bombastic ticket barnstorms out into the night, neither man exactly sure what to think of the other.
However, voter fatigue is beginning to kick in and even though President Douglas is popular many people are beginning to grow bored with him. Countering this, Douglas sends out the more exciting Pepper to rouse voters into the appropriate frenzy. Pepper, somewhat controversially, spends some time hiring reporters to ask LeMay questions about nuclear weapons, with unforgettable effect. LeMay admits that he would have used nuclear weapons in Vietnam had he been in De Gaulle's position, and his cheerful attitude while discussing the possibilities present in destroying the Soviet Union with a 'first strike' policy allow Douglas and Pepper to draw uncomfortable connections to Operation Vegetarian and the French nuclear bombardment of Vietnam.
These tricks, while perhaps morally grey, hurt the Nixon/LeMay ticket dramatically and the growing disdain evident between the two men put a further drag onto their campaign. By the time Election Day rolled around the unlikely Republican ticket was regarded as dead in the water and though Pepper was probably more pleased about this than Douglas, the President cheered and smiled along with the best of them and celebrated a victory well won, the Republicans wondered what circle of hell they were trapped in, and the Dixiecrats scowled and vowed to try again in 1960.
President William Douglas/Vice President Claude Pepper - 333 EV
Senator Richard Nixon/Former General Curtis LeMay - 123 EV
Senator Strom Thurmond/Former Governor Fielder Wright - 75 EV
President Douglas's slender victory was marred by personal difficulties, especially in the realm of his marriage. The office of presidency is always tough upon the people who occupy it, but even more so upon their relations, whether it be to spouses, children or friends in general. After returning from his third inauguration, where Douglas promised that a man would orbit the earth by the end of his term as well as announcing the goal of ruling segregation unconstitutional and illegal via judicial means, he was beset by the news that his wife of thirty years, Mildred, wanted a divorce. She had been opposed to him seeking another term and their marriage had been rocky for the duration of the election.
The news devastated him and even though the separation was quiet and relatively amiable (as much out of political necessity as it was out of mutual respect) the tabloids seized upon it like nothing else.
'How can President Douglas hope to keep this nation together if he cannot keep his marriage together?' Dixiecrat senator Harry Byrd of Virginia asked, a remark which resulted in him being tarred by a number of more mainstream senators and governors, including Earl Warren. Warren's pro Douglas sentiment resulted in ire from the party bosses however and he was notified that he was not welcome to run under the moniker 'Republican' anymore.
This was perfectly fine with him, Warren had become disillusioned with the political world, and upon the death of Associate Justice Fred Vinson in March of 1953, President Douglas shocked the nation by nominating Earl Warren to take his spot. Warren was easily confirmed and Douglas added bipartisan accolades to his laurels while simultaneously adding a friend and respected colleague to his panel of unofficial advisors.
Vice President Pepper spent the first hundred days of Douglas' third term fighting off renewed Republican efforts to implement term limits upon the presidency. Though Democrats still controlled both houses of congress, their margins had shrunk ever since the creation of the Dixiecrat Party and seemed in danger of vanishing entirely as the 1954 midterms drew close.
One event which dampened the mood of President Douglas was the first Soviet test of a hydrogen bomb, barely ten months after the first American test of one. Though he tried his best to avoid being entangled in an arm's race, President Douglas knew that to be left behind by the Soviets would be to risk nuclear annihilation.
Similar to the ongoing race to develop better nuclear missiles is the Space Race (though the term race is poorly suited seeing as how the American program could have funded its Soviet counterpart seven times over with change left to spare). Douglas' goal is for a human being to have orbited the earth by 1960, with a man on the moon by 1966 at the earliest. Von Braun, who is heavily involved in the program, insists that he can get the job done by 1964 but Douglas is hesitant, the deaths of astronauts on his watch would not be good for his already fragile political situation.
The possible inclusion of women astronauts into the program is considered but eventually scrapped, though minorities are allowed to apply. The program's first official launch comes in December when an unmanned rocket launches through the atmosphere and releases a small satellite that emits the following message in Morse code: God Bless The USA
This launch infuriates the Soviet leadership, and while General Secretary Kruglov is hesitant to spend money on non military spaceflight, Timoshenko's input sways him and he puts more money into the Soviet program, bringing it to parity with the Americans, at least funding wise.
As 1953 comes to an end VietMinh forces clinch several decisive victories against the French, which enrages De Gaulle. Influenced by a number of advisors who encourage him to disregard to UN (which has been asking him to grant Vietnam independence since early 1951, mostly at the behest of the US and the USSR) and escalate the wars in Vietnam and Algeria to a horrifying new extreme.
The French nuclear program, having detonated its first bomb a mere eight months before, has already created a total of eight bombs with roughly the yield of the bomb dropped over Kagoshima in 1945. In January of 1954, two atom bombs are detonated in Algeria, destroying a rebel held village and inspiring terror in Oran and other major cities in the region. Another three bombs are detonated in Vietnam, all in the countryside. While none of them kill very many people or even do that much damage to anti French forces, the psychological impact is massive and in Algeria the guerrilla war becomes even more entrenched and vicious, the combatants determined to never show themselves in force for fear of French atom bombs being used in retaliation.
The VietMinh's response is very different, with a massive offensive seizing Hanoi from the French at the beginning of February, prompting French forces to bombard the city with Lewisite and tear gas. The US and USSR, which had demanded sanctions upon hearing of the usage of atom bombs in Algeria and Vietnam now howled for them as De Gaulle listened to the cheering of his people and assured them that he would battle against the Bolsheviks, arrogant British and socialist Americans and keep them far away from French lands.
With De Gaulle proving to be exceptionally unstable and fearing for their supply lines to the German quarantine zone the British, Americans and Soviets agree to a temporary truce while they deal with France. The exact circumstances of the (undoubtedly joint CIA/MI6/NKVD backed) coup that deposed De Gaulle in May of 1954 have yet to be declassified but what we do know is that it sparked the bloodiest French civil unrest since the days of the Terror prior to the rise of Napoleon.
France's descent into bloodshed horrified the world and Vietnam and Algeria's declarations of independence, though overshadowed, resulted in both nations becoming staunch American allies, a convenient byproduct of removing De Gaulle.
Across the world the decades long Chinese Civil War also came to an end with the defeat of the last pockets of communist resistance in Manchuria. Though scattered insurgency would remain a problem well into the middle of the decade, China under the Kuomintang would remain a largely stable place for the remainder of the Cold War.
But even if foreign policy worked out for President Douglas the 1954 midterms were less kind, with Democrats retaining their majority in the senate but losing control of the House (albeit narrowly) for the first time since 1932.
Fortunately for President Douglas many of the more moderate Republicans were willing to work with him to battle segregation and with the Supreme Court made up of eight liberals of various stripes versus a single lonely conservative it looked as though the next few decades (no matter who held office) would be punctuated by very progressive rulings. This came true with the case of Leland v. Board of Education in which the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that segregation in schools was illegal and would be reversed immediately.
But while this was a victory for progressivism it also fired up support for the Dixiecrat Party in the south. However, as the Republican party slowly slid to the liberal end of the social spectrum in order to take advantage of President Douglas' continued popularity, cracks began to emerge within the ever growing Dixiecrat Party as economic conservatives and liberals began to fight amongst themselves. Though the party platform was primarily made up of social issues, Thurmond and many others argued that if the party were to survive then they would need to decide on a set of economic policies as well.
Fortunately for the Dixiecrats, but unfortunately for everyone else, the party decided that economics was to be left up to the beholder, after all Strom Thurmond was the only Dixiecrat powerful enough to be the nominee and his economics had become decidedly centrist ever since Douglas had taken office.
More than anything what kept the party together was the realization that the nation was beginning to turn against them, more specifically the northern and western states, which significantly outweighed the south's share of electoral votes. Some darkly muttered that secession was looking to be an attractive proposition once again, but Thurmond decided that instead it would become the Dixiecrat party's goal to deadlock congress, stall civil rights bills there and similarly deadlock the electoral college. It was widely assumed that Douglas would try for a fourth term as 1955 began, and while the Republicans were spooked to face him considering that his approval rating had dropped below 50% once twice during his time in office Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrats were itching for a fight.
Douglas however was not thinking of the coming election, he was watching a rocket take off, carrying a young man named Chuck Yeager on its journey to orbit the earth three times before splashing down off the coast of Hawaii. The rocket lifted off safely, its stages separated wonderfully and Yeager's words as he became the first man to orbit the earth were: 'this makes us look so damn fragile.' Upon his successful splashdown his words struck a chord with the fledgling environmental movement and the footage and still frames of the earth from above stunned the nation. They had seen pictures of the earth from space before, but moving footage was a novelty, especially with Yeager commentating over it, reciting a certain famous Yeats poem as he passed over the German quarantine zone.
The American Civilian Space Agency (ACSA) underwent a boom in popularity, especially when Douglas announced his goal to have a man on the moon within a decade. But behind the scenes there was still a lot of work to do and even Von Braun suspected that ACSA could have issues meeting the deadline. Despite that Douglas is optimistic, and he begins to look ahead towards the next elections.
Unlike the 1952 elections the American people have no reservations regarding who they're voting for. The President and his Floridian Vice President are civil libertarians an economic liberals, the Republicans up in the air (desperately trying to get Dwight Eisenhower, but to no avail) and the Dixiecrats remain solidly reactionary.
Douglas, who has been thinking of President Roosevelt more often these days, decides that he will try for a fourth term despite increasing signs of voter fatigue. The announcement is unsurprising and Claude Pepper happily agrees to remain on as his Vice President, though he does want to try his hand at being President eventually. Yeager, a solid Democrat, is only too happy to endorse the President and so he enters the Democratic National Convention with a 64% approval rating and no formal opposition.
The Republican National Convention is confused to say the least. With the party bosses swinging back and forth across the pendulum and rapidly losing control of the liberal portion of their party following Warren's 'defection' to the Supreme Court, they eventually decide that ideology is unimportant, so long as whoever they nominate removes Douglas from the White House and doesn't give too much ground to the creepy, almost cultish Dixiecrats.
To everyone's surprise the frontrunner of the Republican field for several weeks is none other than Curtis LeMay, dropper of atom bombs and one time ally of President Douglas during the integration effort. Since then he has been unimpressed with Douglas' economic policies, even if he does admire certain parts of his foreign policy. Richard Nixon is also in the fray once more, this time with enough delegates to give him a real shot at the nomination. As the minor names drop out and give their delegates away the frontrunners remain.
- Former General Curtis LeMay of Ohio
- Former Governor Harold Stassen of Minnesota (surprisingly this is not his last time running for President. You'll see)
- Governor Christian Herter of Massachusetts
- Senator Richard Nixon of California
- Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. of Massachusetts
Curtis LeMay hangs on tenaciously, outlasting Lodge and Stassen, who both drop out and give their delegates to Nixon and Herter respectively. Herter, though quiet, is able to begin edging past Nixon, at least until LeMay, recognizing that he isn't going to win the nomination, offers his delegates to Nixon in exchange for a spot as running mate. Nixon, though hesitant, is also opportunistic and accepts. The resulting transfusion of delegates is enough to push Nixon over the top and barely defeat Herter, who vows that he will be back in 1960.
Nixon reluctantly honors his agreement with LeMay and the bombastic ticket barnstorms out into the night, neither man exactly sure what to think of the other.
However, voter fatigue is beginning to kick in and even though President Douglas is popular many people are beginning to grow bored with him. Countering this, Douglas sends out the more exciting Pepper to rouse voters into the appropriate frenzy. Pepper, somewhat controversially, spends some time hiring reporters to ask LeMay questions about nuclear weapons, with unforgettable effect. LeMay admits that he would have used nuclear weapons in Vietnam had he been in De Gaulle's position, and his cheerful attitude while discussing the possibilities present in destroying the Soviet Union with a 'first strike' policy allow Douglas and Pepper to draw uncomfortable connections to Operation Vegetarian and the French nuclear bombardment of Vietnam.
These tricks, while perhaps morally grey, hurt the Nixon/LeMay ticket dramatically and the growing disdain evident between the two men put a further drag onto their campaign. By the time Election Day rolled around the unlikely Republican ticket was regarded as dead in the water and though Pepper was probably more pleased about this than Douglas, the President cheered and smiled along with the best of them and celebrated a victory well won, the Republicans wondered what circle of hell they were trapped in, and the Dixiecrats scowled and vowed to try again in 1960.
President William Douglas/Vice President Claude Pepper - 333 EV
Senator Richard Nixon/Former General Curtis LeMay - 123 EV
Senator Strom Thurmond/Former Governor Fielder Wright - 75 EV
Fair enough. Not like you're not one of the most reliable post-1900 updaters.
Awww, thank you. In any case there is now a new chapter of Icarus to read if you haven't read it already.
Claude is, truly, underused. Among modernizing-to-liberal Southern Dems I think he, fellow-Floridian Lawton Chiles, and Jim Hunt of my home state NC are the most thoroughly underused. (Sure there are the Kefauvers and Sanfords and Robbs of the world, and I really like the first two esp. Sanford, but they get occasional love -- like lord caedus' nice turn with Robb over in the Wikiboxes.) And for authorial/dramatic purposes Claude's the best of the three. You wanna make the Color Bar issue go BOOM in the Southern half of the party?
.... Just add Pepper.
YEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH!!
I sort of want to have a bunch of one term Presidents so that I can work though all of my favorite politicians, but that would ruin my unashamed Dem-wank so ehhhh. Maybe next time.
Those issues have since been fixed in the next bit of the story.
The Soviets have no interest in an independent Yugoslavia ITTL so they're occupying all of that and bordering Italy. Greece still survives since Douglas is being so aggressive against communism but Timoshenko and the rest have designs in that part of the world. They've also recognized that Asia is a lost cause but that won't stop them from trying stuff there occasionally.
Oh, also Iran is still democratic since Douglas is going hog wild with nuclear power in the US, thus giving the nation less of an addiction to foreign oil. Latin America will probably still turn into a major Cold War battleground, so less awesome.
Probably not very long, but which parties those are we shall have to see.
Butterflies are indeed flapping, I'll keep Mr. Davidson in mind.
OK, so significant changes relative to OTL...
No significant changes in Latin America. NATO weaker (does it even exist?) - France spanked. Germany functionally non existant meaning Western Power Europe and Soviet Dominated Europe border only on the Italian/Yugloslav border and the Northern borders of Greece and Turkey (Presuming that Finland is Neutered as OTL.
In Africa, what happened to French West Africa, did the French keep it after the coup? Algeria free, Egypt under Nasser (or equivalent?) or a king.
In SW Asia, no discussion of Arab Israel fighting, is there an Israel?
Remainder of Asia, Iran stable, Indian subcontinent split as OTL, I guess. China is KMT and stable, no Communists in Korea, slower recovery for Japan?
Laos & Cambodia also free?
No significant changes in Oceania, including Hawaii (and Alaska) on the track to statehood.
????
That's 7 elections won for the Democrats. 28 years. Next election will be a GOPslide.
I very much like this series as I've read it, but I wish to comment on some things, more specifically in regards to how the Dixiecrats and Southern Democrats would react to Civil Rights and the Douglas Administration, let alone his Vice Presidency. Claude Pepper extends to this as well. I would have commented sooner but I was down with a rather nasty cold which, naturally, is not conducive to any matters that require much thought, at least if you want effective results.
Anyway, these are simply opinions I have developed over time while reading about politicians during that period; you are free to ignore them, but I partially hope you take them to heart given they play very well into the theme you are building with an independent States' Rights Democratic Party.
Here you have unwittingly given Americans the impression that Roosevelt is more Liberal than he intends to be in his pick of Douglas, which would naturally discomfort some of the more conservative elements in the party, and may indeed have lead to two situations turning out differently because of this; both, of course, relate to Unpledged or Faithless electors.
In doing this timeline you have probably come across the Texas Regulars and are somewhat familiar with them. They were not fond of Roosevelt, intended to keep him off the Democratic ballot in Texas and actually managed to gain control of the first Democratic Convention in that state. However they were later defeated at the Second and Final Democratic Convention and were forced to go the Third Party route which, while effective for a Third Party, didn't amount to much. With this impression of Liberalism though thru the Douglas pick, it wouldn't be hard to see them take control of the State Party leading to a situation similar to Louisiana in OTL '48; Roosevelt does well, but narrowly still loses to the Democratic label.
Alabama was less noteworthy but was actually only prevented at the eleventh hour. In October, a couple week before the election, the Alabama Governor somehow found out that the electors that had been selected for Roosevelt had already planned to cast their votes for another in protest. Rather quickly they were swapped out for loyalists and the story never really got out. This could swing whichever way.
Also Dirksen was a Congressman, not a Senator at this time, though I will grant he was an oft-discussed Dark Horse Vice Presidential candidate in OTL.
William Douglas alone, the moment that he actively denounces Civil Rights, would have lost as much of the South as Truman did (which would be those you display and Louisiana) by default if not more (though purely vote-wise) given he would be campaigning on it. The pick of "Red Pepper" though, that is something else, and would have riled the Conservatives into a frenzy the like one has never seen, and the walk-out would probably consist of six or seven delegations rather than three. It would by and large kill Douglas' chances in the South meaning as the State Parties decided to side with the Dixiecrats and put their man behind the Democratic label, meaning Douglas would have to make up the margins elsewhere. Georgia and Louisiana would definitely be lost as well as Arkansas, and if the Texas Regulars have taken hold in Texas that said state would be in that column as well; 54 electoral votes in all. Douglas can still win by narrowly carrying New York, but it could end up one of those late night announcements.
I suggest Arkansas Governor Benjamin Laney for the top of the States' Rights ticket, if only because he was the clear favorite for their nomination and almost took it, hesitating over whether to do so up to an into the convention. With Pepper taking the role of Douglas' running-mate, that might have easily pushed him over the edge into accepting. Strom Thurmond, for his part, would have made a perfect running-mate for Laney.
At this point the South would have been wholly alienated by the Douglas Administration following his call for the disestablishment of the Poll Tax, especially given that for many politicians that was why they were in office in the first place and how many political bosses were able to maintain their clout in those states. When you mention a revolt of the state Democratic Parties that is exactly what is going to happen all across the former Confederacy, each and every one bucking the national ticket and going for Thurmond (who may have, given the narrow margin in OTL, have become a Senator in '50). Tennessee and Virginia are the only two that are up in the air, but that is in large part because you have strong Republican roots in those states and, even as a third-party candidate, Douglas would likely poll in the high-double digits draining away traditional Democratic voters. Douglas wouldn't win either, but it could be thrown to either Thurmond or Warren. The Dixiecrats could potentially also draw away enough voters to throw Missouri and Kentucky to Warren as well.
So we end up with a hung electoral college with neither side willing to deal with Thurmond or the Dixiecrats, with the election going to the House and the Senate. Now the House would be a mess given that, despite the Democratic Party nominally having control of the chamber, the Dixiecrat faction will have control over at least eleven state delegations, and the Republicans themselves may be around 20 or so, leaving Douglas loyalists with possibly 17 or so to count on. You can move those numbers around in either Warren or Douglas' favor, but essentially no-one is going to win the ballot unless either Warren or Douglas withdraws given the Dixiecrats aren't going to tilt to either. Likely some deal is made (possibly influence by who won the popular vote, in this case I would favor Douglas for the integrity of the scenario, though it could be influenced by the winner of the electoral vote, who would inevitably be Warren) and one of them drops out after a number of fruitless ballots where there is little visible movement between the sides.
The Senate would be far easier to predict, in large part because the Dixiecrats there are not going to vote to confirm Pepper, and there is already a large minority of Republicans at the very least. Dirksen would get the spot, though I could easily see Douglas trying to fit Pepper into his Administration as compensation for this defeat whilst essentially making Dirksen's attempts to influence the direction of the government frustrated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, just some thoughts. Apologies for the long post.
Edit: I have poor timing as always it seems.
Anyway, these are simply opinions I have developed over time while reading about politicians during that period; you are free to ignore them, but I partially hope you take them to heart given they play very well into the theme you are building with an independent States' Rights Democratic Party.
Here you have unwittingly given Americans the impression that Roosevelt is more Liberal than he intends to be in his pick of Douglas, which would naturally discomfort some of the more conservative elements in the party, and may indeed have lead to two situations turning out differently because of this; both, of course, relate to Unpledged or Faithless electors.
In doing this timeline you have probably come across the Texas Regulars and are somewhat familiar with them. They were not fond of Roosevelt, intended to keep him off the Democratic ballot in Texas and actually managed to gain control of the first Democratic Convention in that state. However they were later defeated at the Second and Final Democratic Convention and were forced to go the Third Party route which, while effective for a Third Party, didn't amount to much. With this impression of Liberalism though thru the Douglas pick, it wouldn't be hard to see them take control of the State Party leading to a situation similar to Louisiana in OTL '48; Roosevelt does well, but narrowly still loses to the Democratic label.
Alabama was less noteworthy but was actually only prevented at the eleventh hour. In October, a couple week before the election, the Alabama Governor somehow found out that the electors that had been selected for Roosevelt had already planned to cast their votes for another in protest. Rather quickly they were swapped out for loyalists and the story never really got out. This could swing whichever way.
Also Dirksen was a Congressman, not a Senator at this time, though I will grant he was an oft-discussed Dark Horse Vice Presidential candidate in OTL.
William Douglas alone, the moment that he actively denounces Civil Rights, would have lost as much of the South as Truman did (which would be those you display and Louisiana) by default if not more (though purely vote-wise) given he would be campaigning on it. The pick of "Red Pepper" though, that is something else, and would have riled the Conservatives into a frenzy the like one has never seen, and the walk-out would probably consist of six or seven delegations rather than three. It would by and large kill Douglas' chances in the South meaning as the State Parties decided to side with the Dixiecrats and put their man behind the Democratic label, meaning Douglas would have to make up the margins elsewhere. Georgia and Louisiana would definitely be lost as well as Arkansas, and if the Texas Regulars have taken hold in Texas that said state would be in that column as well; 54 electoral votes in all. Douglas can still win by narrowly carrying New York, but it could end up one of those late night announcements.
I suggest Arkansas Governor Benjamin Laney for the top of the States' Rights ticket, if only because he was the clear favorite for their nomination and almost took it, hesitating over whether to do so up to an into the convention. With Pepper taking the role of Douglas' running-mate, that might have easily pushed him over the edge into accepting. Strom Thurmond, for his part, would have made a perfect running-mate for Laney.
At this point the South would have been wholly alienated by the Douglas Administration following his call for the disestablishment of the Poll Tax, especially given that for many politicians that was why they were in office in the first place and how many political bosses were able to maintain their clout in those states. When you mention a revolt of the state Democratic Parties that is exactly what is going to happen all across the former Confederacy, each and every one bucking the national ticket and going for Thurmond (who may have, given the narrow margin in OTL, have become a Senator in '50). Tennessee and Virginia are the only two that are up in the air, but that is in large part because you have strong Republican roots in those states and, even as a third-party candidate, Douglas would likely poll in the high-double digits draining away traditional Democratic voters. Douglas wouldn't win either, but it could be thrown to either Thurmond or Warren. The Dixiecrats could potentially also draw away enough voters to throw Missouri and Kentucky to Warren as well.
So we end up with a hung electoral college with neither side willing to deal with Thurmond or the Dixiecrats, with the election going to the House and the Senate. Now the House would be a mess given that, despite the Democratic Party nominally having control of the chamber, the Dixiecrat faction will have control over at least eleven state delegations, and the Republicans themselves may be around 20 or so, leaving Douglas loyalists with possibly 17 or so to count on. You can move those numbers around in either Warren or Douglas' favor, but essentially no-one is going to win the ballot unless either Warren or Douglas withdraws given the Dixiecrats aren't going to tilt to either. Likely some deal is made (possibly influence by who won the popular vote, in this case I would favor Douglas for the integrity of the scenario, though it could be influenced by the winner of the electoral vote, who would inevitably be Warren) and one of them drops out after a number of fruitless ballots where there is little visible movement between the sides.
The Senate would be far easier to predict, in large part because the Dixiecrats there are not going to vote to confirm Pepper, and there is already a large minority of Republicans at the very least. Dirksen would get the spot, though I could easily see Douglas trying to fit Pepper into his Administration as compensation for this defeat whilst essentially making Dirksen's attempts to influence the direction of the government frustrated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, just some thoughts. Apologies for the long post.
Edit: I have poor timing as always it seems.
You could say that.
Not really, the balance of power is still the same there although Douglas hasn't been doing quite as much meddling with the local leftist governments so long as they're willing to be friendly to the United States.
It doesn't, Operation Vegetarian and the French turning into quasi fascists after the war put the kibosh on that pretty quickly. Basically the Americans, British, Dutch and everyone else more or less have an agreement to oppose the Soviets but nobody really trusts anyone else, certainly not enough to enter into a full on military alliance outside of the quarantine zone anyways.
Poor France, their civil war will be over soon but I'm not sure if they're out of the woods just yet since the refugee issue hasn't been dealt with at all.
Yup. The Soviet Union is slightly more influential in the west but much less influential in the east. Pretty soon the violence in Germany is going to die down enough for American/British and Soviet troops to start heading in and cleaning up the neo-Nazis and other crazies who have taken up shop in post-Vegetarian Germany.
French West Africa imploded into civil war and ethnic strife/cleansing during the French Civil War and though the UN is talking about intervening it is very likely that nobody will do anything (the UN is pretty useless ITTL), so the world is basically letting western Africa bleed and redraw the continent along ethnic lines.
Egypt is under a king installed by the British, so it's basically a puppet state. The people don't complain though. Not if they know what's good for them.
No Israel, the Holocaust was slightly worse than ITTL due to Vegetarian killing off just about everyone who survived ITTL so the few surviving Jews chose to either emigrate to Palestine (which is governed by the UN and Jordan more or less), emigrate to the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in eastern Russia (the USSR's new leaders are not nearly as anti-semitic as Stalin was), or go to America, which is still accepting refugees.
Yep, not much is going to keep India and Pakistan from going separate ways. There was a little less bloodshed this time around because Gandhi managed to avoid being assassinated.
Yeah, Japan is getting a little less attention, but once they get back on their feet then they'll start getting lively again.
Yes. The entirety of IndoChina left France when they collapsed. Laos is under a monarchy, as is Cambodia.
Yep. Douglas is in no hurry to add more states to the US so they'll probably get admitted right around the same time as OTL. Oceania is more or less the same, though Australia has a stronger presence in Papua New Guinea due to an increased role in the Second World War.
Sorry if I've been neglecting some aspects of the world, I'm trying to focus more on areas that affect the US, but I'll try to be more well rounded in future updates.
Thank you for critiquing this for me. I'm not trying to create an especially realistic timeline though, in case that wasn't clear. It's more just an interesting world and and also some wish fulfillment at home (earlier space program, civil rights done better, etc.). I realize that Douglas likely wouldn't have been elected past 1948, especially with Pepper as his VP. I'm just trying to crush the Dixiecrats as hard as possible through whatever means necessary, especially if those don't happen to be particularly plausible. Still, thank you very much for your words.
Last edited:
Thande
Donor
Very detailed map series. My only criticism would be that I think it's a little confusing to mix election results in one country with showing other countries as well. I think it would be clearer if you just had all non-American regions coloured white - maybe with international borders, but not with their own colours.
For those who aren't aware, if people want to make alternate House maps they may find my series of OTL House election maps to be useful: http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/resources/us_house_of_representatives_election_maps
- Status