AHC/WI/PC: Soviet-aligned government in Western Europe?

The Carnation Revolution was spearheaded by leftists and communists OTL so that wouldn't be a problem. The issue would make communism appealing to Portugal, possibly by making Red Finland win the Finnish Civil War, because Red Finland was a socialist democracy with extensive use of referendums. I think having Finland become a socialist democracy would make communism appealing though it would make the Soviet-Finnish relations even worse.

This isn't true. "Red Finland" didn't have any referendums and didn't even exist long enough that it could have held them. Even if the Reds won the Civil War and somehow stayed independent and semi-democratic, I don't think they would have hold more referendums than any other European country i.e. extremely rarely.
 
This isn't true. "Red Finland" didn't have any referendums and didn't even exist long enough that it could have held them. Even if the Reds won the Civil War and somehow stayed independent and semi-democratic, I don't think they would have hold more referendums than any other European country i.e. extremely rarely.

I think he means the Red plan for a Finnish constitution created mainly by O.W. Kuusinen, that would have included, say, the right to propose laws for individual citizens and the possibility of overturning unpopular laws via referendums. The actual "governance" of Red Finland was more akin to a chaotic revolutionary military dictatorship than anything else, thought. As you said, "Red Finland" existed too briefly for trying any other ways of governance in action.

Of course even if the Reds would have been victorious, actually holding on to Kuusinen's ultrademocratic, somewhat utopian proposed constitution would have been extremely hard considering how much leverage the Bolsheviks in Petrograd would have over Red Finland in such a case. Even if Red Finland in this case by some miracle maintains some shreds of independence come the 20s and 30s, I could see the Finnish Red leaders lose most idealism they had for such highly democratic forms and by necessity embrace a let us say highly pragmatic form of Socialist government.
 
Cold war doesn't get as intense, a Gorby starts reforming SU earlier. By the 90's or 2000's SU is pretty much a social democracy which opposes the liberal European Union. Some countries which are opposed to EU's policies gradually shift towards the soviet bloc (thinking of Norway, though they are in NATO).
 
No suppression of the prague spring 1968, the soviets rather limit Dubceks reforms by using threats. USSRs prestige is a lot better, and schisms with western european CPs dont happen.

Overall people would need to look at the great improvements the eastern bloc made (in fact GDP and living standarts grew much faster in the east than west), rather than the whole picture without historical framework. The western europe had its industrial revolution in the 1750s. Eastern europe had its industrial revolution in the 1950s amd was completely destroyed by WW2. Thought the eastern communists did what they could, historical framework doesnt change over night. A western european communist nation would be very different from eastern europe. Much richer and more developed, because they didnt have the historical handicap.

So without the repression of the prague spring, western european communists and leftists im general remain more united. The Italian CP, even in OTL second strongest party in Italy, is even stronger in this TL, and gains majority in parliamemt, lets say this happens in the early 70s. Italian military tries a coup, but it fails as most people support the communists. Italy becomes a communist republic and joins the warsaw pact. Over the years Italy begins to prosper, and western europeans start to see soviet style communism as a real alternative. The carnation revolutions installs a communist government in Portugal, having Italy as role model. With the economic crissis of the late 70s, communism skyrockets in popularity all over western europe. France, having a strong CP im OTL, goes communist in 1979. Greece become communist around the same time, having a very strong CP during all of the cold war.The US tries to stop it, but they are bogged down in the wars in latin america, and dont have the ressources to suppress the people of western europe. Belgium and the netherlands, allready having quite strong CPs in OTL, become communist in the early 80s. At this point, domino effect sets in. Spain becomes communist after the fall of the fascist regime. Denmarc and Norway, which also had moderately strong CPs in OTL, fall to communism. Finland, allready a soviet ally, adopts more and more socialistic pollicies. Turkish communist, also quite strong OTL, take over in 1985. In the UK, ressistance against the thatcher government is lead by the CPGB in this TL, so in 1986, peak of the strikes OTL, thatcher is overthrown and the UK becomes communist. By this point, the US is likely to invade, no matter the cost. US launches the invasion of Britain, re-installing a loyal regime, and crushing protest brutally. This is the nail in the coffin of the american influence in continental europe. West germany falls to communism as the people are alienated by the USAs violence against the people of another nation. Germany unites under the GDR. Being landlocked between communist states, luxemburg also becomes communist. With the brutal repression of the British revolution, newly communist western europe quickly allies with the USSR out of fear from the US, most likely joining the warsaw pact.

All of continental europe is communist and pro soviet (With switzerland and Austria as notable exceptions, though both are neutral and trade with the WP). The US become more and more isolationist and fascistic, cracking down brutally on its own communist movement.

Modern europe is richer than OTL (with the faster rise in living standarts and GDP, thanks to communism) and societal ills like unemployememt, homelessness, lack of access to neccessities, lack of education, lack of free healthcare, etc., are eliminated. By 2010, eastern europe would have cought up with western europe, and both would have living standarts comparable to OTL Germany. The US and its few remaining allies by contrast would be a lot poorer and right wing. Racial and class tensions would re-inflame and crackdowns by the police amd army against leftists would take place.

From there on thinhs can go down multiple ways.
 
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