Challenge: With a POD after 1900, have a US that is around as leftwing as the current US is rightwing. Instead of a center-right party and a crazy-right party, there will be a center-left party and a crazy-left party. If it makes it easier the Democrats can become a regional party in the South but the two main parties must be on the left. Bonus points if the right has as little influence as the left do today in America (though big business will be hard to put down).
Challenge: Leftwing US
- Thread starter Plumber
- Start date
John Fredrick Parker
Donor
Maybe it would help if you defined "crazy left", and "center left" from "center right"; for example, would a left wing US imply that both parties are socialistic, or might that just be the more left wing main party?
The more left wing main party. Like the Democrats are largely on par with European conservative parties, the centre-left "conservative" US party is on par with the European mainstream left. So the more left wing party would be socialistic.
Well, my TL seems to fit this challenge in spades.
It took a socialist revolution in America to do it, but the right-most party in the American political spectrum is more or less congruent with left-wing European social democracy.
My PoD was McKinley never being assassinated in 1901. With Teddy Roosevelt never becoming president, the Progressives essentially are left no other political choice but to go left and ally with Socialists in the short term.
Things get a whole lot worse before they get better though. 1 million + dead on the battlefields of World War 1 worse.
John Fredrick Parker
Donor
OK, so if I hear you right, you need a successful Socialist Party (including if Dems or GOP go socialist), which is social democratic, and the other major party to be social liberal (or capitalist democratic, I suppose).
If I'm right, seems you're going to need to make Debs a bigger success...
EDIT ADD: How about this: earlier PoD results in Bryan returning to the People's Party in the 1904 election, with the Socialists merging (maybe Debs comes in as Bryan's running mate); at first their just another third party, but it could develop...
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