AHC: Prevent Post-WW1 Totalitarianism

With a POD no earlier than the beginning of first world war, and preferably no earlier than the 1918 Armistice, prevent the post-war decline of liberal democracy and the rise of Nazism, Fascism and Communism.

I've found this to be harder than it sounds. A less strenuous treaty of Versailles may have resulted in no Nazis but that still leaves Italian fascism, Soviet communism, and Japanese imperialism. Italian Fascism and Soviet Communism were both solidified in the immediate aftermath of the war, while Japan's imperial expansion had already begun prior to the beginning of the first world war.
Perhaps a less isolationist United States and a more muscular League of Nations could have contained the rise of totalitarianism, but even then it seems as though the head-winds of history were dead-set against liberalism in the post-WW1 era. The fact is, authoritarian movements sprung up somewhat independently of each other.
 
I think you have a good start, but what really would be required is a lesser willingness to forgo democratic ideals in exchange for "bread". However, you would have to convince people to vote against possible short term happiness and if the Depression still happens, good luck.
 
The easiest form of totalitarianism to prevent may be that of Japan.

While the causes of Japanese "militarism" are many, the tipping point may well have been the decision, taken by the leadership of the British Empire in 1923, to abandon its alliance with Japan. This decision convinced many Japanese that their country would never be accepted as a full partner by the Western democracies. This, in turn, strengthened the hand of those within Japan who advocated alternative philosophies of government.

Thus, it is possible that, if the British Empire had renewed its treaty with Japan in 1923, the position of Japanese advocates of liberal democracy would have been much stronger.
 
Does the POD have to be post WW-1? I could propose a POD of Hughes winning in 16, America staying internationalist while not having the 14 points, and then invading Russia on behalf of the Whites. This TL might then involve the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese alliance and then the Japanese help the KMT against the communists. Then subsequent liberalization in China as happened in Taiwan IOTL as well as no DPRK.
 
The easiest form of totalitarianism to prevent may be that of Japan.

While the causes of Japanese "militarism" are many, the tipping point may well have been the decision, taken by the leadership of the British Empire in 1923, to abandon its alliance with Japan. This decision convinced many Japanese that their country would never be accepted as a full partner by the Western democracies. This, in turn, strengthened the hand of those within Japan who advocated alternative philosophies of government.

Thus, it is possible that, if the British Empire had renewed its treaty with Japan in 1923, the position of Japanese advocates of liberal democracy would have been much stronger.

How do you do that when the US Government made it clear that renewing the treaty would cause problems with it and the US was much more important to have as an ally than Japan could ever be?
 
The US doesn't go full protectionist and the world is able to dig itself out of the hole WWI put it in much quicker and easier.
 
For Germany, two things come to mind:

1) The German Revolution doesn't happen due to a hardening of the popular will for some reason, resulting in the Entente being well into Germany by the time the Armistice is signed, lending the "stab in the back" myth much less power.

2) As a corollary of 1), Germany does not become a republic, but stays a monarchy, but with Wilhelm abdicating, a la post-WWI Bulgaria. The refusal of German conservatives and the "deep state" in the Army and elsewhere to accept the "treasonous" Republic IOTL majorly destabilized the situation in post-war Germany and IMO was the single greatest cause of the rise of Hitler. ITTL they still have a symbol and institution to rally around in the monarchy. Germany does not become a liberal democracy, and in fact after the Depression strikes actually becomes more authoritarian in some ways than the pre-WWI Kaiserreich (a la Horthy's Hungary or Pilsudski's Poland), but Hitler or someone like him does not come to power.
 
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