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alternatehistory.com
Hey all,
I'm interested in writing a dystopian alternate-history novel in a collectivist America where citizens freely relinquish their free will because they find themselves unworthy of using it correctly--in this alternate universe, choice is a burden, something to fear, and selfish individuality is a crime against the State (for every man is an important gear in the communal system). The setting is basically Ayn Rand's nightmare and the anti-Rapture from Bioshock (though the themes are the same).
I want this to be an alternate history piece that allows me to play with the culture and aesthetic of the early-to-mid 1900s time period.
1) What historical events in the early-to-mid 1900s could have realistically stemmed a more collective and less capitalistic America, one hundred or more years later?
2) As I understand communism and communist leaders, the inclination was never to forcefully spread the ideals to the rest of the world. However, were there ever any communist extremists (preferably a communist equivalent of totalitarianist Hitler) who might have gone this route if given the chance?
3) Does extreme collectivist/communist society clash with my intentions of building a world where the common citizen believes individuality is evil--that because we are human, only a "wise" few of us are worthy of making hard life choices for all the others?