An Idea On How To Do A Technocratic America Timeline

Teleology

Banned
"How to get Technocracy into power in America and to have it partially reshape the American political spectrum?"

I have a strange idea on that subject: Zangara gets FDR after all in 1933 and the butterflies go from there.

1936 becomes a toss-up between incumbent Garner, Huey Long (who has more support from liberal/progressive elements within the Dem Party itself due to running against Garner rather than the progressive FDR), a Hooverite Republican, and Alf Landon (with the Liberal faction of the Republican splitting from the Hoover faction in the same way the Garner Democrats and Long Democrats would be split).

Note that Alf Landon, a liberal Republican who was a non-entity in the OTL 1936 election and supported much of the New Deal but decried the creation of an inhospitable climate for business and perceived waste and inefficiency of many of the programs, thanks to butterflies has a different set of advisers around him. As a non-entity, looking at his attitudes they seem close enough to Technocratic positions to adapt/adopt them or the name/image of Technocracy at least. I thought of this after seeing the War of the Classes TL where the Pittsburgh's commune government intervenes in the economy based on input from businessmen and labor in a pursuit of efficiency was described as being technocratic.

With the empty suit Landon being attached to the Fascist-esque vitality and vigor of the Technocrats (the thinktank had been defunct by 33 but certainly could be revived by support from half of the Republican party), couldn't a candidate essentially be "created" out of Landon? Competent campaign planners and speechwriters essentially making him a vehicle for the ever-increasing number of Republicans and Democrats who see Garner as a dead fish and think that it is going to take something more progressive than Hoover to prevent the unthinkable of Long getting elected?

Essentially, during the campaign you'd have more and more of Garner and Hooverite Republican Candidate X's supporters defecting to Landon as Huey Long's popularity and chances of winning are played up and create great fear and trepidation in the establishment, making conservative Dems and Reps more willing to compromise towards progressivism or any new idea that could catch the desire of the desperate populace for a change and prevent the charismatic populist Long from being elected and enacting his radically redistributionary Spread Our Wealth program.

So before the end of the race the Hooverite Republican has no real choice but to back out and even though he refuses to drop out despite entreaties Garner is essentially abandoned, as the Anti-Long forces solidly congeal around Landon.

In this situation, is Landon thus winning the election between himself Garner and Long implausible? Keeping in mind that the Republican vote doesn't get split in the end because the Hooverite candidate drops out.
 

Teleology

Banned
Any opinions on the plausibility of the assassination of FDR in 33 leading to a three way race between Garner, Alf Landon, and Huey Long?

Any opinions on the plausibility of Landon being used as a vehicle for Technocratic ideas by a merger of the Hoover and Liberal wings of the Republican Party into an anti-Long wing willing to move closer to the aborted New Deal in order to prevent Share Our Wealth?
 
Any opinions on the plausibility of the assassination of FDR in 33 leading to a three way race between Garner, Alf Landon, and Huey Long?

Any opinions on the plausibility of Landon being used as a vehicle for Technocratic ideas by a merger of the Hoover and Liberal wings of the Republican Party into an anti-Long wing willing to move closer to the aborted New Deal in order to prevent Share Our Wealth?
Too soon for Long. Frankly I think any program less ambitious or semi-Keynsian than what FDR did would result in things becoming worse or stalling out and make a Huey Long victory in '36 a lot more likely.

Which I've always wanted to see.
 
The question is, will Technocracy become a revolutionary/expansionist ideology that will be a rival to both fascism, communism, and liberal democracy?

Food for thought!

Technate – after the failure of the Republicans and the Democrats to end the Depression (there was no FDR in this world) the Technocrats came to power. Having stayed out of WWII, the North American Technate, an economic/political union of all of North, Central, and Caribbean America is one of three great powers, the Third Reich and the Japanese being the other two. Australia-NZ and South America are neutral ground, as is the UK, but in practice the Technocratic (and armed to the teeth) British government is a US ally, while South America is a center of constant intrigue and shifting influence. India is a minor Fascist power, and maintains a sort of balance between the Japanese and the Germans.

The Technate, although the least populous of the Empires, has a very large edge in technology on the other two, and has managed to achieve working fusion power and sent manned missions to Mars while the Reich and Japan have as yet gone no further than the Moon. (Indeed, the Germans are increasingly fearful that US space tech may soon reach a level where they might be able to pull off a First Strike – fears not aided by the fact that the Technate’s civil defense program makes theirs look like crap). Computer tech, however, is a bit behind OTL, vacuum tube electronics having persisted longer. It’s also a racially integrated state, while the Germans and Japanese represent relatively small populations perching atop a mass of slaves and puppets. On the down side, it’s a rather socialistic state (of course you can run a planned economy, with enough computers and good feedback loops! Science proves it!), and there is a 100% percent inheritance tax and knowledge and IQ tests for those running for office (some positions are still elected from a slate of “acceptable” candidates by popular vote, including the Science President, but most government jobs are given out by computers analyzing applicant data). OTOH, patent law still exists for the lifetime of the inventor, and inventors and entrepreneurs are encouraged by the state to work hard and grow rich.

Both of its competitors are having problems: the Reich has been run by a sort of military/party Junta since the assassination of the massively corrupt and brutal last Fuhrer in 2002, and only recently have things stabilized (everyone disagreeing with the current party line has been bumped off) enough for major policy changes in the dreadfully corrupt and crony-capitalism plagued Reich. Africa still makes a profit, but the now mostly Slav-depopulated East never filled up with Germans, the Middle East is a charnel house after the aforementioned Fuhrer lost patience with Muslim interference with oil production, and the French are boycotting German beer again. Then there’s the birthrate, which is declining again: according to German pundits, if it is necessary to return to the bad old days and reinstitute forced impregnation of race-traitor women, it will be their fault. Even counting Dutch and Norwegians and such riff-raff, there are only 190 million true Germans, while the Technate has over 430 million citizens. How can the Master Race hold its’ own with less than 2.5 children per woman?

As for the Japanese, they still haven’t solved the problem of China: the plagues with which they tried to break the Chinese in the 70s ended up getting out of control, killing not only 1/3 of the Chinese population but tens of millions world-wide, and brought about military threats from _both_ the Reich and the Technate. The experiment has not been repeated since, and since the early 90’s the Japanese have pursued a policy of slow withdrawal from China: not an open one, but rather a matter of handing over most local control to puppet warlords in exchange for their maintaining stability. This has been somewhat successful, since all but the most fanatical Chinese have become a little tired of unending struggle. However, most Chinese see this as a way-station on the road to eventual independence – which is something nobody in Japan will admit for a second. Siberia, Taiwan, and the semi-autonomous Thai are the “peaceful” bits of the Empire: the Siberians, in fact, are rather loyal to their Japanese overlords, which provide them with protection from the Germans who have killed so very many of their Slavic brethren.

Rest in peace, AHTG.net
 
Another from the same timeline:


The North American Technate

©2000 James Crabtree

Visitors to the Technate will find it an interesting case of social experimentation. In this "economic unit" composed of all of North and Central America, Hawaii, and the Caribbean Basin only engineers and scientists call the shots.

In 1938 the United States economy despite a series of projects to stabilize it, such as President Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal." The Technocracy Movement managed to wrest control of the former United States, despite efforts by such counter-revolutionary groups as the Communist Party of the USA and the Republicans. Chief Director Howard Scott seized control of industry and agriculture and created a centralized, but consumer-oriented, economy.

Canada was incorporated into the Technate in 1942, following the collapse of the British Empire during the Second World War. Canadian Technocrats convinced parliament that the choice was one of economic symbiosis in the Technate or total domination by a victorious Third Reich. The Combined Forces of the Technate moved into the former colonies of the Caribbean in order to integrate them into the "Total Economic Unit (TEU)," and to prevent Hitler from using them as bases. Later, Mexico and the Central American countries would be included in the "Outer Economic Sphere," but were incorporated in the TEU in 1961.

A three-way Cold War broke out in the 1950s between the Technate, the Third Reich, and the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. The Technate's invention of the Atomic Bomb in 1955 gave them the edge, an advantage they tried to maintain through technology and innovative military doctrine. The Third Reich attempted to maintain an armed posture capable of rapid, crippling attack, and Japan's GEACPS had sheer manpower with which to dominate. Efforts were made by the three superpowers to win control of Siberia (which ended up under Japanese control), Africa (Dominated by Germany since 1949), and Australia (neutral by the mutual agreement of the Technate and Japan). A Third World War almost broke out in 1966 when Germany and Japan attempted to send forces to Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Land, Sea, and Air Forces of the Technate managed to thwart this rare show of Axis Cooperation just short of all-out war.

In theory, no one can run for office in the Technate. People who wish to govern must take an aptitude test, and only those with a high level of intelligence are permitted to become "Doctors of Social Engineering." Computers select the post most suitable for a candidate, which could be Chief of Animal Control in Nome or Director of the Central Region, depending on what the computer says. However, the selection of Director-in-Chief has been a political process orchestrated by the Technocratic Party elite. Most Citizens will tell you Carl Sagan was the best leader the Party has produced in years.

Technologically, the Technate is much more advanced than the other two superpowers, having achieved fusion power and manned missions to the Moon and Mars. However, computer technology lags somewhat behind that of Earth Prime.

Economically, almost every person has a car or a motorcycle. Most housing is in the form of apartments, but individual homes can also be had, with enough effort. Inheritance is illegal, with property reverting to the State upon the death of the citizen. Everyone works a four-day week, seven hours a day.

When visiting the Technate, be sure to see the Atomic Canal and the Silver Tower in Chicago. The Silver Tower skyscraper is the administrative headquarters of the Technate.
 
Why is the Atomic Bomb so late? One would think that putting engineers in charge who are aware of the threat of Nazi Germany would accelerate it, if anything.
 
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