But the Klan only existed BECAUSE of the Confederate defeat, as an anti-Reconstruction terrorist group. So, you'd need them to stage the ultimate come-from-behind victory, ie. toss out the Union army THEN take over the whole country. Pretty much impossible unless(as in my fanciful first post) they get an international sponsor.
AHC: Make KKK rule America
- Thread starter The Banker
- Start date
But the Klan only existed BECAUSE of the Confederate defeat, as an anti-Reconstruction terrorist group. So, you'd need them to stage the ultimate come-from-behind victory, ie. toss out the Union army THEN take over the whole country. Pretty much impossible unless(as in my fanciful first post) they get an international sponsor.
Came here to say that. This is as close as you would get. The KKK's political platform was pretty well respected by Southern Democrats. Indiana Governor Edward L. Jackson might be the closest sort of choice in any ATL scenario. The two-party / 4 ideologies party system worked - KKK sympathizers had a home in the Democratic Party already.
- Permanent split conservative Republicans and Progressive/Bull Moose Republicans
- Dixiecrats continue to dominate the Democratic Coalition. Anti immigration sentiment increases even more than otl, causing Northern and West Coast Democrats to support a national segregationist platform against all minorities.
- Woodrow Wilson becomes inspired by the KKK ideals after watching Birth of a Nation at the white house and begins associating himself more with KKK figures
- No stroke and runs for a third term. Throws in a New Deal platform for whites only after the 1920 Depression hits to gain support from the working class. Wins the election and uses New Deal Platform to expand federal power and institute segregationist policies.
- Dixiecrats continue to dominate the Democratic Coalition. Anti immigration sentiment increases even more than otl, causing Northern and West Coast Democrats to support a national segregationist platform against all minorities.
- Woodrow Wilson becomes inspired by the KKK ideals after watching Birth of a Nation at the white house and begins associating himself more with KKK figures
- No stroke and runs for a third term. Throws in a New Deal platform for whites only after the 1920 Depression hits to gain support from the working class. Wins the election and uses New Deal Platform to expand federal power and institute segregationist policies.
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I can see a economic factor in the 1920s stagnation of the Klan. The common $10 sign up fee does not seem like much, but adjusting for inflation it comes out to something like $443 in todays money. For comparison in 2021 fraternal organizations like the American Legion or Marine Corps League the annual dues are in the $30 to $40 range. Rotarians are ok paying $300+ in annual membership fees because they feel like they get a good return on it in social development. A working class Klansman of 1925 could be deciding a weeks wages were a poor investment. Or flat out unaffordable. As the Klan fragmented Fees became more variable and fell. But, with less income the Klaverns lost in political traction.
mspence
Banned
The Klan endorsed legitimate political candidates up until the civil rights era (See Strom Thurmond and Robert Byrd) and had their strongest following in the 1920s after "Birth of a Nation" revived the group. It's not too difficult to see them taking advantage of the Great Depression with their own front man for President if something happens to FDR.
See David T's post for some detail on why there's a difference between "candidate endorsed by the KKK" and "candidate in the pocket of the KKK."
If $443 was the adjusted cost of Klan membership, then yes, I find the high-end estimations of membership to be somewhat doubtful. I suspect they were counting everyone who signed up for a meeting, etc.
One writer commented on the 1915-1920s Klan membership thus: 'They paid $10 to hate, and got their moneys worth.
The problem with this is that the KKK is not a political party, as an institution most of its (legal) activities most resemble a lobbying group. IOTL the KKK was an important part of party machines and worked mostly behind the scenes to lobby for racists legislation, occasionally doing street marches or lynchings, but most of their effort was focused on lobbying, and they were fine with that. They had no real desire to change this. In order for them to change into a political party you would need a some very unlikely events. Below I outlined what might have a possibility of making them into a political party, which could then seize power.
1928: Dem candidate Al Smith (a catholic) gets elected.
1929: Great Depression, Al Smith is blamed like OTL Hoover.
1932: The Bonus Army lead by Smedley Butler overthrows the American Government, installing a military dictatorship.
In the 1930s, Butler grows to distrust the corporations that helped propel him into power, he starts locking up large stalk holders on trumped up charges, and seizing assets without compensation, realizing that this is degrading his power base he courts the Klan to help him keep order while he purges the corporations that got him into power. The Klan agrees and the grand wizard becomes his chief of staff and Klansmen fill his cabinet. Klan legions act as security forces for the Butler regime.
Butler dies in 1940, which results in the Grand Wizard beocming head of state. For this to work the Klan would need to be filled with extremely power hungry people which wasn't the situation IOTL. Because of America's domestic instability their is no oil embargo on Japan, so no Pearl Harbor. US never enters WW2. I'd guess that this results in a SOivet Victory over Europe and a Japanese victory over Asia. This entire senrio is extremly, extremly unlike BTW, requring all of the people involved to be very diffrent on a deep psychological level then who they were IOTL.
1928: Dem candidate Al Smith (a catholic) gets elected.
1929: Great Depression, Al Smith is blamed like OTL Hoover.
1932: The Bonus Army lead by Smedley Butler overthrows the American Government, installing a military dictatorship.
In the 1930s, Butler grows to distrust the corporations that helped propel him into power, he starts locking up large stalk holders on trumped up charges, and seizing assets without compensation, realizing that this is degrading his power base he courts the Klan to help him keep order while he purges the corporations that got him into power. The Klan agrees and the grand wizard becomes his chief of staff and Klansmen fill his cabinet. Klan legions act as security forces for the Butler regime.
Butler dies in 1940, which results in the Grand Wizard beocming head of state. For this to work the Klan would need to be filled with extremely power hungry people which wasn't the situation IOTL. Because of America's domestic instability their is no oil embargo on Japan, so no Pearl Harbor. US never enters WW2. I'd guess that this results in a SOivet Victory over Europe and a Japanese victory over Asia. This entire senrio is extremly, extremly unlike BTW, requring all of the people involved to be very diffrent on a deep psychological level then who they were IOTL.