Yes because more Dixiecrats endorsed them in 48 son Thurmond won more EVs. Then he won a Senate seat in SC in 1950, which kept hem alive.
An Eternal New Deal: A 1948 Election TL
- Thread starter King_Arthur
- Start date
Yes because more Dixiecrats endorsed them in 48 son Thurmond won more EVs. Then he won a Senate seat in SC in 1950, which kept hem alive.
The 83rd Congress
The 83rd Congress
The House of RepresentativesDemocrats: 232
Republicans: 187
States' Rights: 16
Speaker of the House: Sam Rayburn (D TX-4)
The Senate
Democrats: 54
Republicans: 40
States' Rights: 2
President of the Senate: Earl Warren (R-CA) Jan 3 - Jan 20 1953
Harold Stassen (R-MN) Jan 20 1953 - Jan 3 1955
President Pro Tempore: Walter George (D-GA)
Main Governors
California: Ronald Reagan (D) 1951-
New York: Joe R. Hanley (R) 1948-
Illinois: Adlai Stevenson (D) 1949-
Texas: Allan Shivers (D) 1949-
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Chapter Twelve - The Slipping Grasp (January-July 1953)
Chapter Twelve – The Slipping Grasp (January-July 1953)
US has a 'Hydrogen Bomb'
'President Dewey has announced today that the USA has a 'Hydrogen Bomb'. He elaborated on what a Hydrogen Bomb is, saying "A Thermonuclear weapon, also known as a Hydrogen Bomb, is currently the most powerful weapon known to man and the US is the sole possessor of it'
The Washington Post, January 1953
Dewey finally confirms no clemency to be granted to the Rosenbergs
'President Thomas E Dewey, recently sworn in for his second term, has announced that no clemency will be granted to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. They were sentenced to death in the April of 1951 for Espionage, but mass outrage and pleas for mercy by figures as diverse as Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Pope Pius XII. The President has just confirmed that clemency will not be granted to the couple.'
The Washington Post, February 1953
'March 1st 1953 was a very important date for the Cold War and the World. Josef Stalin, the First Secretary of the Soviet Union died in his sleep. For a few days the Kremlin was in complete and utter chaos, as many different factions engaged in a power struggle, but eventually a compromise was struck with Vyacheslav Molotov named First Secretary and Lavrentiy Beria made Premier. However, this ill-thought out deal would soon be revealed as temporary.'
The Cold War 1945-1957 (1990)
Treaty of Calcutta signed
'It has been announced that a treaty ending the Korean War has been signed in Calcutta, India today. A campaign promise made by Thomas Dewey last year is now fulfilled and the Korean War is officially over. North Korea refused to attend talks until late January, when their leader Kim Il-Sung was captured near the Soviet border by an Army Ranger raiding party. With Kim imprisoned in Allied-held Pyongyang, North Korean negotiators have reluctantly agreed that the PRC will manage their foreign policy until 1 January 1963.'
The Washington Post, April 1953
Everest conquered at last
'New-Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They are the first ever human beings to have reached the top of the world's tallest mountain.
The Washington Post, May 1953
McCarthy: Why I gave up drinking
'Senator Joseph McCarthy, a notable anti-communist, has announced on an interview with CBS that he has given up on alcohol. McCarthy said "Recently I noticed that I had been drinking quite a lot of alcohol recently, which had adverse effects on my health. On the advice of my doctor, I gave up drinking alcohol last month and I am feeling a lot healthier.'
The Washington Post, June 1953
Senator Robert A. Taft has died
'It has been announced that Senator Taft of Ohio died in his sleep last night. The 63-year-old was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in April and after 14 years of service on Capitol Hill, he peacefully passed shortly after midnight.
The Washington Post, July 1953
'In France, tensions rose dramatically in the first half of 1953. After Prime Minister Mollet, a socialist, tried to nationalise the steel and coal industry the conservative deputies forced Mollet to call an early election. The results were inconclusive, but the communist PCF had the highest number of seats. After negotiations between the Socialist and PCF fell through, PCF General-Secretary Jaques Duclos was appointed Prime Minister. This set off alarm bells, and Secretary Dulles attempted to organise a coup, but there was little interest among the French military. There were protests almost every week and strikes every month as the 4th Republic began to crumble.
In Italy the situation was not much better. In the General Election in June, the ruling centrist coalition led by Prime Minister Alcide de Gasperi lost 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, leaving it with 240 seats, 6 below the amount needed for a majority. The communists did well in the south, where 52% of homes had no running drinking water. The Holy See moderated its stance, endorsing Gasperi's Christian Democracy, but not taking any action on Catholics who voted Communist. Gasperi managed to stay in power by forming a coalition with the neo-Fascist Italian Social Movement, a move criticised by many.'
The Cold War 1945-1957 (1990)
I'm thinking about changing the name of this TL because it is going in a different direction than I originally planned. Any thoughts?
Thomas Dewey once said: "We need not be afraid of the future, for the future will be in our own hands." on the campaign trail in '48.
Maybe A Future in Our Own Hands as a title?
Great quote @President_Lincoln! That is a good idea, I was thinking something like An Eternal New Deal (based on my future plans). Maybe I should get a poll up
Chapter Thirteen - Lucky for Some, Unlucky for Others (August-December 1953)
Chapter Thirteen – Lucky for Some, Unlucky for Others (August-December 1953)
Mass strike in France
'Yesterday, over 4 million workers went on strike over emergency austerity measures in France. Communist Prime Minister Jaques Duclos said to reporters "I am a Marxist and I naturally oppose austerity measures and support the rights of the worker. However, this was not my decision to make. The economy is in turmoil and I had no choice when Conservative and Centrist Deputies forced this upon me". Many in Duclos' PCF party have accused him of selling out, an accusation he strongly denies.'
The Washington Post, August 1953
Chief Justice Fred Vinson has died
'Fred M Vinson has died at the age of 63. He was Chief Justice of the United States for 7 years after being appointed by President Truman in 1946. Vinson was a moderate in a polarised court appointed entirely by Presidents Roosevelt and Truman and managed to make peace between two opposing factions led by Justices Black and Frankfurter. He swore in President Dewey, who has expressed his sadness at Vinson's death, at both of his inaugurations. His last public appearance was the overturn of Justice Douglas' grant of stay of execution to the Rosenbergs.'
The Chicago Daily Tribune, September 1953
Khrushchev new Premier of the Soviet Union
'Nikita Khrushchev was today named as the new Soviet Premier. He replaced former Premier and Head of the NKVD Lavrentiy Beria. Khrushchev was formerly First Secretary of the Ukrainian Communist Party and oversaw the collectivisation of that country. The Post understands Khrushchev, a former member of Stalin's inner circle, to be a moderate, as opposed to Molotov (a Stalinist) and Beria (a Liberal Reformer). Henry A Wallace, Vice-President from 1941-1945 and Progressive Party candidate in 1948, has expressedhis dismay at the change. Wallace is an opponent of the Cold War, tooped Gallup polls for 'Most Disproved of Person in the US' in 1948, 1949 and 1950. He is currently under investigation by the FBI for alleged Communist links.'
The Washington Post, October 1953
'The appointment of Earl Warren as Chief Justice of the United States marked a turning point in American judicial history. The former Governor of California (1943-1948) and Vice-President (1949-1953) was a Liberal Republican of the same breed as President Dewey and a very high-profile politician. His selection began a tradition of appointing high-profile politicians to the Chief Justiceship.'
The Supreme Court: Taft to ??? (2007)
Adenauer re-elected as Chancellor of West Germany
'Konrad Adenauer's Christian Democratic Union has increased its seat totals in the German Federal Election. It gained 93 seats, putting its total at 237 seats, which is 18 short of the amount needed for a majority. Chancellor Adenauer has continued governing in a coalition of the ruling CDU/CSU and all the other parties except the Social Democratic SPD.'
The Washington Post, October 1953
Wallace arrested by FBI
'Henry A Wallace has been arrested by the FBI at Washington National Airport. The former Vice-President had previously flown to the Soviet Union to try and meet with General Secretary Molotov and former Premier Beria but had been briefly detained and then deported. J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, has announced that Wallace has been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Espionage and Treason. Both are Capital Penalties. Former President Truman, who succeeded Wallace as Vice-President has condemned this move, calling it "a barbaric move that has attacked an innocent and dignified man". There have been calls from some for President Dewey to remove Hoover from office.'
The Washington Post, November 1953
I definitely have plans for Wallace and Hoover. However, they will have to take the back seat for a moment as we head to Europe and watch the World change forever.
Chapter Fourteen - Winter in Paris (December 1953-March 1954)
Chapter Fourteen – Winter in Paris (December 1953-March 1954)
'The government of Jacques Duclos reached crisis in December 1953. The train drivers were on strike, which meant goods couldn’t be transported around the country in large amounts, crashing the economy. Colonel Pierre Badout [1] and several other officers decided enough was enough. At 9am on Thursday January 7th, 12 army trucks pulled up outside Hotel Matignon, home of the French Prime Minister. Uncontested, they marched into the building and arrested Prime Minister Duclos. 250 Policemen attempted to break in at 1pm, but they were stopped by the soldiers. 97 officers died, compared to 1 soldier. Duclos addressed the nation at 2.30pm and resigned the Premiership, appointing retired General Charles de Gaulle in his place. Duclos was locked in a room in Hotel Matignon after the address and was transferred to a maximum-security prison on January 10.'
The Cold War 1945-1957 (1990)
'Originally I was unaware of Badout's coup attempt. I was initially reluctant however, I knew Pierre as a Commandant when he came to England with me. I knew that my beautiful country was in need of a saviour, so I agreed to become Prime Minister. Luckily, I was in Paris at the time so I met with Badout and two other officers (a Commandant and another Colonel) in Matignon at 7.30am on January 8. We agreed that I needed a key ally as President, so we chose Jacques Soustelle, leader of the friendly RPF, and forced out Socialist President Auriol.'
De Gaulle: A Life (1967)
'On January 14, 800,000 Socialist and Communist protestors marched down the Champs Elysees, demanding Duclos' return to the Premiership. It turned into a riot and the Police and Army got involved. It ended with 37 protestors dead, 16 policemen dead and 4 soldiers dead. The same night, ex-Prime Minister Guy Mollet escaped to Lille and the Socialist Republic of France was declared there. The French Civil War had begun.
France, January 14 1954. Red – Socialist Territory, Blue – Government Territory, Purple – Mixed Control
On January 17, 25,000 government soldiers marched on the SRF held city of Rouen. 9500 volunteers had hastily been put together to defend the city, but the complacent government forces were routed by the highly-motivated Socialists, suffering 9000 casualties compared to the SRF's 1200 and were forced to retreat.
Meanwhile in London, Whitehall was going berserk. The SRF occupied Calais, only 20 miles from England. The RAF was scarmbled and bombed Pas de Calais in the 'Calais Blitz' from January 16th-February 3rd. Like the 1940s Blitz, it failed in its primary objective, to destroy the morale of the civilian population. Two more great victories for the Socialists at Compagnie (January 24) and Saint-Etienne (February 2) boosted morale and convinced Molotov to back the SRF. Britain abandoned their bombardment policy when anti-aircraft guns were smuggled in from East Germany and the RAF began losing planes. Recognising that D-Day 2.0 would be near impossible, Attlee began talking to De Gaulle, who was no anglophile, about landing troops in government-held Cherbourg. Spurred on by their recent victories, the SRF went on the offensive in February. The Riviera Offensive looked to take Marseille, Toulon and Nice before reaching the Italian border. Due to troop shortages, Marseille and Toulon were quickly taken, but they were held off at a small seaside town called Le Lavandou. The 5000 government troops managed to hold off a much larger Socialist force of 18,000, albeit with 3000 casualties. The small force under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Henri Vandier managed to hold the town, even when completely encircled, until February 28, when the French Navy evacuated them. Vandier was promoted to full Colonel and put in charge of the defence of Nice. He was very successful and managed to push the Socialists back to Toulon by the end of March.'
The Cold War 1945-1957 (1990)
[1] Badout is the first character in this TL who does not exist in OTL. Lets just say he was a random French Army officer who was lost to history.
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What are the Germans and other members of NATO (or is there a NATO) going to do?
Yes NATO does exist but the Germans and Americans have to make sure that the Soviets don't try anything in Berlin
If I were Dewey, I would move into France HARD. A Communnist France would be a Disaster of so many proportions that it is hard to calculate. And How long before the Revolution spread to Italy,which is already vunralbe to a Communist Revolution, and If the French troops are on the Rhine,in any future war with the Soviets you can kiss West Germany and the low countries good bye. Then their is the political factors,if you think the "who lost China" scare was devestating to the Democrats, please think of how "Who Lost France" would go, The Republicians would be out of office for decades,heck maybe even dissolve as a party. It is sure as hell that Dewy would never get any legislation passed,anything with his name attached to it would be politcal poison.
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Of course that would be beneficial President Warren but we have two issues here.
1. The US has just come out of the Korean War, and there isn't much public attitude for another war.
2. Molotov will almost certainly try something with Berlin if they move troops out of the FRG.
1. The US has just come out of the Korean War, and there isn't much public attitude for another war.
2. Molotov will almost certainly try something with Berlin if they move troops out of the FRG.
Which would you rather have, soviet troops in Berlin, or Soviet troops touching the Atlantic and partying in Paris? Losing Berlin, would be. Phycoloal blow but not a open Danger to all of Europe. Also if the Public can't stomach more Dead american boys,Well what are tactical Nukes for. That's not my thinking, but it would be the thinking of 1940s American government officials and Generals.