I'm liking this Timeline! I have a question though whats Philip LaFollette, Thomas Dewey, and Harry Truman doing? Is Truman a Progressive or a Democrat?
Legacy of the Bull Moose (A What If Scenario if Theodore Roosevelt won in 1912)
- Thread starter DESPRIN
- Start date
Philip LaFollette is the Progressive Labor Governor of Wisconsin, Thomas Dewey is the District Attorney for Manhattan, hes a Republican turned National Union member, representing the party's Liberal wing, which are mostly just the Hooverite Republicans but within the National Union Party. and Truman is a Progressive Senator, representing the more moderate wing of the party, with the wings of the Progressive Labor Party being reshaped due to changing issues within the country and the old guard of party that had existed 10 years prior are beginning to retire and die as of 1938.
Fanning Flames; World Politics 1937-1938
World Map as of 1938:
(Note: does not show battle lines of any kind, or civil conflicts occurring.)
European Affairs and the Rhineland Crisis:
The 1929 German Revolution had many long lasting effects on Europe, and one byproduct of the Revolution was the French seizure of the Rhineland. With the French having seized the Rhineland to protect their industry, however the seizure would be highly disputed, with only French allied states recognizing the French protectorate in the Rhineland. The seizure would also chill relations between the United Kingdom and France, with the United Kingdom refusing to recognize the territory as under French control. The United Kingdom would recognize the German Socialist Republic very early on, with many fearful of both war and Soviet influence attempting to use diplomacy to outmaneuver both. This would make little difference to the German government which would be heavily influenced by Soviet advisors. Relations between the United Kingdom and the German Socialist Republic however would be cordial even with ideological differences, with the U.K. lowering and waving German owed debts in return for access to their markets for investment. While foreign investment would be minimal in this time of economic turmoil, it would help Germany, with its economic policies modeled after the New Economic Policy and Bukharin's economic ideals. The United Kingdom's softer approach to this new German government would enrage the French, which would further isolate themselves from the United Kingdom. Now cut to 1937, with both French and German claims on the Rhineland a breaking point had been reached. With the German People's Council voting to nationalize the Rhineland and fully incorporate it into the rest of the nation, with the Rhineland being viewed domestically as a rogue autonomous state. German troops would be sent into the Rhineland and would begin skirmishes with French forces. U.K. Prime Minister Clement Attlee would attempt to intervene quickly, calling both sides to the League of Nations to mediate this dispute. After 3 weeks in session both the French and German governments would agree to a ceasefire and to hold a referendum on the status of the Rhineland, with voting to begin in March 1938. Reunification with Germany would win with a 57% majority of votes cast. France would drag its feet as a result of this loss, attempting to create treaties with the German government to provide special privileges to French business within the Rhineland rather than pulling troops out of the region and directly ceding it. This would enrage Germany, viewing the French government of trying to weasel its way out of the agreements that had been arbitrated within the League of Nations. German troops would be once again sent into the Rhineland, breaking the ceasefire, and effectively starting The Franco-German War. The Franco-German War would be the largest European conflict since The Great War, with the nations of Europe fearing the start of a second Great War, many would start preparing for conflict on their borders, one such nation would be the United Kingdom, holding a snap election for July 1938. The Snap election would see the formation of a "National Coalition" made up of National Liberal, Liberal and Labour MPs, with Conservatives running in opposition to the National Coalition, with the National Coalition running on a platform of League of Nations intervention into the Franco-German conflict to ensure peace. The Conservative Party would run a platform of non-interventionism, with opposition leader Mosley further alienating former Conservative MPs who had crossed the aisle to the National Liberal Party. The 1938 UK Elections would see seat gains for the Conservative Party, however the National Coalition would still retain a majority of seats, with a government being formed under new Prime Minister and National Liberal leader Winston Churchill.
The Second Sino-Japanese War:
On July 7, 1937, Japanese Forces would invade China, skirmishing with a Chinese Army Garrison. The skirmish would end, with a Japanese Private not returning to his post on time further escalating the conflict. While the Private would return to his post it would be too late, with the Japanese and Chinese issuing reinforcements to Wanping Fortress, the location of the incident. Another skirmish would begin, quickly turning into an all out battle, with the Chinese being defeated in Wanping within a matter of days. The war would not turn in Chinese favor, with devastating losses in the battle of Shanghai and the Chinese loss of their capitol Nanjing, and the succeeding massacres that would occur in Nanjing. While the war was not in their favor, neither President Chiang Kai-shek or Premier Sun Fo would concede territorial losses to the Japanese. Premier Sun Fo would attempt to lobby the governments of the Soviet Union and the United States for aid. The Soviet Union, pre-occupied with the Rhineland Crisis would spare little aid to the Chinese, however Fo would find a sympathetic voice, United States President George W. Norris after seeing photographic evidence of the atrocities committed by the Japanese in Shanghai. Norris would begin lobbying Congress for aid to the Chinese Government in the form of a Lend Lease.
American Affairs:
With increased gains and a split opposition going into the 75th Congress, Progressives would continue pushing Fair Deal initiatives into Congress, one such initiative would be the "Postal Reorganization Act of 1937" which would abolish the Post Office Department, and creating the "United States Postal Service" a government run corporation. This action would allow for unions for Postal workers, as well as lowering the position of Postmaster General away from being a cabinet position. Another key part of the Postal Reorganization Act would be the adoption of Postal Banking, meant to allow rural communities more access to banking, as well as expanding the Post Office further and creating hiring initiatives to lower unemployment. The Postal Reorganization Act would pass through Congress with relative ease, with most Progressives united around support for it. Another act that would quickly spark debate within Congress would be a law supported by Michigan Representative John Dingell Sr, this law would establish a National Health Insurance scheme, similar to the one scrapped from the Social Security Act of 1933. Similar to the 1933 bill the Dingell Act would quickly split the party, with the more moderate wing eyeing a much softer approach to social welfare, and with the bill facing minimal support from outside the Progressive Labor Party it would die in the House. However Progressives would find another issue to split themselves over, and this one had the backing of the President, the Anti-Lynching Act of 1937, also known as the Magnuson Act, after its sponsor Washington Representative Warren Magnuson. Opposition to the Magnuson Act would alienate southern Progressives, however a few southern Progressives would fall in line, such as House Majority Leader Sam Rayburn, with pundits declaring the death of his political career due to the fact he represents a competitive district. The Magnuson Act would narrowly pass the House with modest Republican support. While in the Senate, Progressives would have an easier time, due to most Progressive Senators representing northern states, with the Anti-Lynching Act narrowly scrapping through the Senate and being signed by the President. After the passage of the Magnuson Act, Democratic and Republican Party Officials would meet in January of 1938, with the idea of creating a coalition against the Progressives, information of these talks would be leaked to the media 2 weeks after they began, with headlines titled "A Deal with the Devil". Which is how the public had begun to view it in the beginning, these 2 parties that had hated each other for a century were expected to work together? The proposal saw much pushback from the more radical elements of both parties, who viewed the proposal as a hostile takeover from the other party. However when the "National Union of Democrats and Republicans" also known as the "National Union Party" was founded on March 18, 1938, many in Congress would quickly jump ship to the new party. With the remnants of both parties making up the "New Democratic" and "Independent Republican" parties. With the platform of the National Union Party on its founding being rather vague, waiting till the 1940 Convention to draw out a fully fledged platform. However even with the creation of the National Union Party, Progressive opposition in the House got nowhere without Progressive defectors, such as with the passage of the "Alaskan Improvement Act" an act proposed by Interior Secretary Harold Ickes, to take in Jewish refugees from Europe and settle them in Alaska for purposes of defense and economic improvement. While with a more united opposition Progressives had a harder fight on their hands than with the Anti-Lynching Act, it was not enough, with the Alaskan Improvement Act reaching President Norris's desk to be signed on May 1, 1938.
President Norris goes to China:
(Not really though)
To many, the offset of the Second Sino-Japanese War would have little to no effect on American affairs at all, this would end up being wrong. After the Japanese victory in the Battle of Shanghai, a picture named "Bloody Sunday" would go be shown in newspapers all across the United States. With President Norris having seen the photo, talking about it in one of his fireside talks he would refer to Japanese actions in China as "disgraceful, ignoble, barbarous, and cruel, even beyond the power of language to describe." In doing so he would open himself up to a visit from Chinese Premier Sun Fo, who would arrive in Washington to lobby for aid for the Chinese Government, Norris would then begin attempts to convince Congress to create a Lend Lease program to support the Chinese War effort, which would provide the Chinese Government 5 Billion Dollars worth of supplies. President Norris would begin working with Congress on this act, opposition in Congress would begin putting up its fight outside of Congress, seeing their losses in the 75th Congress as a sort of "rallying cry" for voters, the National Union Party would use the Lend Lease Act as a way to campaign for the next Congress, painting themselves as the peace party while the Progressives once again wanted war. The Lend Lease Act would pass through Congress on August 21, landing on the Presidents desk to be signed.
Supreme Court as of 1938:
Pierce Butler (Davis appointment) Conservative (Chief Justice)
Charles Evans Hughes (Sherman appointment) Moderate
Louis Brandeis (Roosevelt appointment) Progressive
Learned Hand (Underwood appointment) Progressive
James Clark McReynolds (Underwood appointment) Conservative
William Henry King (Davis appointment) Conservative
Charles McNary (Norris appointment) Progressive
Felix Frankfurter (Norris appointment) Progressive
Zechariah Chafee (Norris appointment) Progressive
The death of Benjamin N. Cardozo on July 9, 1938, would put Norris into a bind, with another appointment to the Supreme Court being required, he would consult Associate Justice Brandeis, who would set President Norris's eyes on lawyer Zechariah Chafee, a noted civil libertarian, Chafee would be very popular with Progressive activists, with Brandeis viewing Chafee's contributions to law as too important to exclude him from the court. Chafee would be seated on the Supreme Court with minimal fight from the National Union Party.
1938 United States Elections:
The National Union Party devoted most of its efforts since its founding to the 1938 midterms, beginning to believe that opposition to Progressive Labor in the 75th Congress was a fruitless effort, instead shifting their focus towards the 76th Congress. With a lack of vote splitting among right of centre candidates, the National Union Party saw sizable gains in the midterms, with the Independent Republicans being completely wiped out. An Independent would be elected to the Senate, former Republican Robert A. Taft of Ohio.
(Note: does not show battle lines of any kind, or civil conflicts occurring.)
European Affairs and the Rhineland Crisis:
The 1929 German Revolution had many long lasting effects on Europe, and one byproduct of the Revolution was the French seizure of the Rhineland. With the French having seized the Rhineland to protect their industry, however the seizure would be highly disputed, with only French allied states recognizing the French protectorate in the Rhineland. The seizure would also chill relations between the United Kingdom and France, with the United Kingdom refusing to recognize the territory as under French control. The United Kingdom would recognize the German Socialist Republic very early on, with many fearful of both war and Soviet influence attempting to use diplomacy to outmaneuver both. This would make little difference to the German government which would be heavily influenced by Soviet advisors. Relations between the United Kingdom and the German Socialist Republic however would be cordial even with ideological differences, with the U.K. lowering and waving German owed debts in return for access to their markets for investment. While foreign investment would be minimal in this time of economic turmoil, it would help Germany, with its economic policies modeled after the New Economic Policy and Bukharin's economic ideals. The United Kingdom's softer approach to this new German government would enrage the French, which would further isolate themselves from the United Kingdom. Now cut to 1937, with both French and German claims on the Rhineland a breaking point had been reached. With the German People's Council voting to nationalize the Rhineland and fully incorporate it into the rest of the nation, with the Rhineland being viewed domestically as a rogue autonomous state. German troops would be sent into the Rhineland and would begin skirmishes with French forces. U.K. Prime Minister Clement Attlee would attempt to intervene quickly, calling both sides to the League of Nations to mediate this dispute. After 3 weeks in session both the French and German governments would agree to a ceasefire and to hold a referendum on the status of the Rhineland, with voting to begin in March 1938. Reunification with Germany would win with a 57% majority of votes cast. France would drag its feet as a result of this loss, attempting to create treaties with the German government to provide special privileges to French business within the Rhineland rather than pulling troops out of the region and directly ceding it. This would enrage Germany, viewing the French government of trying to weasel its way out of the agreements that had been arbitrated within the League of Nations. German troops would be once again sent into the Rhineland, breaking the ceasefire, and effectively starting The Franco-German War. The Franco-German War would be the largest European conflict since The Great War, with the nations of Europe fearing the start of a second Great War, many would start preparing for conflict on their borders, one such nation would be the United Kingdom, holding a snap election for July 1938. The Snap election would see the formation of a "National Coalition" made up of National Liberal, Liberal and Labour MPs, with Conservatives running in opposition to the National Coalition, with the National Coalition running on a platform of League of Nations intervention into the Franco-German conflict to ensure peace. The Conservative Party would run a platform of non-interventionism, with opposition leader Mosley further alienating former Conservative MPs who had crossed the aisle to the National Liberal Party. The 1938 UK Elections would see seat gains for the Conservative Party, however the National Coalition would still retain a majority of seats, with a government being formed under new Prime Minister and National Liberal leader Winston Churchill.
The Second Sino-Japanese War:
On July 7, 1937, Japanese Forces would invade China, skirmishing with a Chinese Army Garrison. The skirmish would end, with a Japanese Private not returning to his post on time further escalating the conflict. While the Private would return to his post it would be too late, with the Japanese and Chinese issuing reinforcements to Wanping Fortress, the location of the incident. Another skirmish would begin, quickly turning into an all out battle, with the Chinese being defeated in Wanping within a matter of days. The war would not turn in Chinese favor, with devastating losses in the battle of Shanghai and the Chinese loss of their capitol Nanjing, and the succeeding massacres that would occur in Nanjing. While the war was not in their favor, neither President Chiang Kai-shek or Premier Sun Fo would concede territorial losses to the Japanese. Premier Sun Fo would attempt to lobby the governments of the Soviet Union and the United States for aid. The Soviet Union, pre-occupied with the Rhineland Crisis would spare little aid to the Chinese, however Fo would find a sympathetic voice, United States President George W. Norris after seeing photographic evidence of the atrocities committed by the Japanese in Shanghai. Norris would begin lobbying Congress for aid to the Chinese Government in the form of a Lend Lease.
American Affairs:
With increased gains and a split opposition going into the 75th Congress, Progressives would continue pushing Fair Deal initiatives into Congress, one such initiative would be the "Postal Reorganization Act of 1937" which would abolish the Post Office Department, and creating the "United States Postal Service" a government run corporation. This action would allow for unions for Postal workers, as well as lowering the position of Postmaster General away from being a cabinet position. Another key part of the Postal Reorganization Act would be the adoption of Postal Banking, meant to allow rural communities more access to banking, as well as expanding the Post Office further and creating hiring initiatives to lower unemployment. The Postal Reorganization Act would pass through Congress with relative ease, with most Progressives united around support for it. Another act that would quickly spark debate within Congress would be a law supported by Michigan Representative John Dingell Sr, this law would establish a National Health Insurance scheme, similar to the one scrapped from the Social Security Act of 1933. Similar to the 1933 bill the Dingell Act would quickly split the party, with the more moderate wing eyeing a much softer approach to social welfare, and with the bill facing minimal support from outside the Progressive Labor Party it would die in the House. However Progressives would find another issue to split themselves over, and this one had the backing of the President, the Anti-Lynching Act of 1937, also known as the Magnuson Act, after its sponsor Washington Representative Warren Magnuson. Opposition to the Magnuson Act would alienate southern Progressives, however a few southern Progressives would fall in line, such as House Majority Leader Sam Rayburn, with pundits declaring the death of his political career due to the fact he represents a competitive district. The Magnuson Act would narrowly pass the House with modest Republican support. While in the Senate, Progressives would have an easier time, due to most Progressive Senators representing northern states, with the Anti-Lynching Act narrowly scrapping through the Senate and being signed by the President. After the passage of the Magnuson Act, Democratic and Republican Party Officials would meet in January of 1938, with the idea of creating a coalition against the Progressives, information of these talks would be leaked to the media 2 weeks after they began, with headlines titled "A Deal with the Devil". Which is how the public had begun to view it in the beginning, these 2 parties that had hated each other for a century were expected to work together? The proposal saw much pushback from the more radical elements of both parties, who viewed the proposal as a hostile takeover from the other party. However when the "National Union of Democrats and Republicans" also known as the "National Union Party" was founded on March 18, 1938, many in Congress would quickly jump ship to the new party. With the remnants of both parties making up the "New Democratic" and "Independent Republican" parties. With the platform of the National Union Party on its founding being rather vague, waiting till the 1940 Convention to draw out a fully fledged platform. However even with the creation of the National Union Party, Progressive opposition in the House got nowhere without Progressive defectors, such as with the passage of the "Alaskan Improvement Act" an act proposed by Interior Secretary Harold Ickes, to take in Jewish refugees from Europe and settle them in Alaska for purposes of defense and economic improvement. While with a more united opposition Progressives had a harder fight on their hands than with the Anti-Lynching Act, it was not enough, with the Alaskan Improvement Act reaching President Norris's desk to be signed on May 1, 1938.
President Norris goes to China:
(Not really though)
To many, the offset of the Second Sino-Japanese War would have little to no effect on American affairs at all, this would end up being wrong. After the Japanese victory in the Battle of Shanghai, a picture named "Bloody Sunday" would go be shown in newspapers all across the United States. With President Norris having seen the photo, talking about it in one of his fireside talks he would refer to Japanese actions in China as "disgraceful, ignoble, barbarous, and cruel, even beyond the power of language to describe." In doing so he would open himself up to a visit from Chinese Premier Sun Fo, who would arrive in Washington to lobby for aid for the Chinese Government, Norris would then begin attempts to convince Congress to create a Lend Lease program to support the Chinese War effort, which would provide the Chinese Government 5 Billion Dollars worth of supplies. President Norris would begin working with Congress on this act, opposition in Congress would begin putting up its fight outside of Congress, seeing their losses in the 75th Congress as a sort of "rallying cry" for voters, the National Union Party would use the Lend Lease Act as a way to campaign for the next Congress, painting themselves as the peace party while the Progressives once again wanted war. The Lend Lease Act would pass through Congress on August 21, landing on the Presidents desk to be signed.
Supreme Court as of 1938:
Pierce Butler (Davis appointment) Conservative (Chief Justice)
Charles Evans Hughes (Sherman appointment) Moderate
Louis Brandeis (Roosevelt appointment) Progressive
Learned Hand (Underwood appointment) Progressive
James Clark McReynolds (Underwood appointment) Conservative
William Henry King (Davis appointment) Conservative
Charles McNary (Norris appointment) Progressive
Felix Frankfurter (Norris appointment) Progressive
Zechariah Chafee (Norris appointment) Progressive
The death of Benjamin N. Cardozo on July 9, 1938, would put Norris into a bind, with another appointment to the Supreme Court being required, he would consult Associate Justice Brandeis, who would set President Norris's eyes on lawyer Zechariah Chafee, a noted civil libertarian, Chafee would be very popular with Progressive activists, with Brandeis viewing Chafee's contributions to law as too important to exclude him from the court. Chafee would be seated on the Supreme Court with minimal fight from the National Union Party.
1938 United States Elections:
The National Union Party devoted most of its efforts since its founding to the 1938 midterms, beginning to believe that opposition to Progressive Labor in the 75th Congress was a fruitless effort, instead shifting their focus towards the 76th Congress. With a lack of vote splitting among right of centre candidates, the National Union Party saw sizable gains in the midterms, with the Independent Republicans being completely wiped out. An Independent would be elected to the Senate, former Republican Robert A. Taft of Ohio.
So is the Soviet Union part of the Franco-German war or is it strictly a German-French affair currently? Because without the Soviets being involved as well I don't see Germany winning this affair.
I cannot confirm or deny when this will be.
The Soviet Union is involved modestly, with the Soviets being discouraged by the British to intervene further bc of the potential to make the conflict much bigger.
So likely whatever help they can give short of actually declaring war. I'm imagining a very large expeditionary force from then is helping the Germans as well.
A Calming Storm; World Politics 1939-1940
European Affairs:
(Kinda left out the Franco-German War in 1938 so it's gonna be included in this update.)
The Franco-German War, one of the largest armed conflicts of the "Depression Era." The Franco-German War would begin on April 12, 1938, after French refusal to cede the Rhineland to Germany after a League of Nations referendum on its status. At the war's offset the Attlee Ministry in the United Kingdom would attempt to steer nations allied to the French and Germans away from intervening in the conflict, with fear of another Great War. Attlee's attempts would largely succeed, with the only intervention in the conflict coming from direct aid and expeditionary forces. The largest expeditionary force would be the Soviet one, led by Mikhail Tukhachevsky. Soviet aid in this conflict would be what is believed to have saved the German Forces from disaster, with German military and industry being rather weak from the recent revolution and the ongoing Great Depression. The first few months of the war would see consistent German losses, with outdated German equipment being unable to break French lines, however the arrival of the Soviet Expeditionary Force would see the German's fare better, with better equipment and manpower. With the arrival of Soviet Forces seeing the beginning of the "Summer Offensive" which would see German regiments attacking the Rhineland from both the north and south, with the goal of encircling the French Army in Cologne. The German's would also use this time to incite revolt within the population of the Rhineland, having resistance cells of partisans play a national broadcast from People's Commissar Karl Liebknecht, encouraging armed struggle by the German populace against their French occupiers. These broadcasts would drastically change the conflict, inciting anti-French rebellions across the Rhineland, while many were not successful, the rebellion that would take over Düsseldorf would be a large victory for the Germans. The war would end with the Battle of Cologne, starting in November 1938, with German victory being achieved on December 14, 1938. Shortly after their loss in the battle, France would declare an armistice. United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill would invite both the French and German's once again to the League of Nations to negotiate the peace treaty. France would owe the German's high reparations and cede the Rhineland. The Treaty of Saarbrücken would be signed by both parties on April 7, 1939, 10 years after the establishment of the German Socialist Republic. This victory would spark Soviet expansionism, with the French crippled from their recent loss, and the United Kingdom unable to put up an offensive against the Soviet Union alone, the Soviet Union would expand, occupying and incorporating the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, also occupying Eastern Poland and the Polish Corridor. The United Kingdom, enraged by this would quickly bury its hatchet with France, lobbying the French government for an anti-communist alliance. The United Kingdom would also attempt to involve other nations in this alliance, looking for allies against the Communist powers of Europe. The treaty to create the anti-communist alliance known as the European Entente would have 9 signatories, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The European Entente however while it would not include nations of Central and Eastern Europe it would however attempt to protect those nations from Communist aggression.
The Second Sino Japanese War:
While the Japanese had rolled their way through coastal China with ease, they would face many issues in the countryside, mainly guerrilla warfare, with the Chinese government using many guns received from the American Lend Lease Program to arm civilians to fight off Japanese soldiers. This method of combat would heavily favor the Japanese, stopping their invasion in its tracks and creating a stalemate between the two armies.
American Affairs:
1939 would begin with the death of U.S. President George W. Norris, dying of natural causes at the age of 77. This would quickly throw both the Vice President and Congress for a loop, it was a rather sudden death, with doctors seeing President Norris as fit to serve out the remainder of his term healthily. Vice President Fiorello La Guardia would be sworn in as the 34th President of the United States on February 17, 1939. President La Guardia, while expecting to run for the presidency in 1940 was very much thrown a curve ball with President Norris' death. La Guardia would quickly head home from Nevada, where he had just opened the Norris Dam.
The La Guardia administration would start rather quickly, while majorities in Congress were becoming more narrow La Guardia would quickly begin working with Congress, expanding on Fair Deal initiatives. The most notable of which would be the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1939" which would enforce a new ban on child labor, different from the one that was deemed "unconstitutional" and it would raise the federal minimum wage from 20 to 30 cents. This act would pass pretty easily and uncontroversially, with some support from National Union members. The other major act of the 76th Congress would be the "Public Utilities Act" which would expand the Tennessee Valley Authority into a federally run corporation under the name "Union Electrical" which would compete against private energy providers and expand electrical access to rural communities that private companies had seen as "unprofitable" to do so. The Public Utilities Act would be highly controversial, with businessmen and National Union Congressmen rallying against it, with Wendell Willkie of Commonwealth & Southern Corporation being one of the lead figures opposing the bill, with Wilkie's testimony in front of Congress giving him fans within the National Union Party. Speaker Rayburn would eventually be able to rally enough House Progressives to support the bill to pass it to the Senate. Within a matter of days the Public Utilities Act would have been signed by President La Guardia.
La Guardia Cabinet:
President - Fiorello La Guardia (1939 -)
Vice President - Vacant (1939 -)
Secretary of State - Henry L. Stimson (1933 -)
Secretary of Treasury - Fred M. Vinson (1933 -)
Secretary of War - Patrick J. Hurley (1936 -)
Attorney General - Earl Warren (1939 -)
Secretary of the Navy - Frank Knox (1933 -)
Secretary of the Interior - Harold Ickes (1933 -)
Secretary of Agriculture - Henry A. Wallace (1933 -)
Secretary of Commerce - Herbert Hoover (1933 -)
Secretary of Labor - Frances Perkins (1933 -)
Secretary of Health and Wellness - John D. Dingell Sr. (1939 -)
1939 would also see the death of Health and Wellness Secretary James Mayo, he would be replaced by Michigan Representative John Dingell Sr, a staunch proponent of national health insurance. Earl Warren would also join the Cabinet as Attorney General, replacing Francis Burton Harrison, who would be nominated to the Supreme Court to replace Louis Brandeis after his retirement.
Supreme Court as of 1940:
Learned Hand (Underwood appointment) Progressive (Chief Justice)
Charles Evans Hughes (Sherman appointment) Moderate
James Clark McReynolds (Underwood appointment) Conservative
William Henry King (Davis appointment) Conservative
Charles McNary (Norris appointment) Progressive
Felix Frankfurter (Norris appointment) Progressive
Zechariah Chafee (Norris appointment) Progressive
Francis Burton Harrison (Norris appointment) Moderate
Burton K. Wheeler (La Guardia appointment) Progressive
At the start of 1939 Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis would declare his intention to retire from the court. President Norris would appoint Attorney General Francis Burton Harrison to the position, Harrison would be seated just days before the death of President Norris. Six months after would see the death of Chief Justice Pierce Butler, President La Guardia would elevate Justice Learned Hand to the position of Chief Justice, replacing him as associate Justice with Montana Senator Burton Wheeler, many would view this as La Guardia's way of getting Wheeler out of the Senate and out of his way, due to Justice Wheeler's opposition to American support in China.
1940 United States Presidential Election:
The 1940 United States Presidential Election was in the eyes of many commentators a competitive election. This would quickly put President La Guardia on his toes, spending much of 1940 campaigning, most notably by using his predecessors "Fireside Chats" to communicate with voters and campaign from within the White House. President La Guardia knew not every action that him or President Norris did was popular, but he was not gonna do what was popular he was gonna do what he viewed as right. La Guardia though would start the campaign with some advantages, no real opposition from within his party, a semi-popular President. The 1940 Progressive Labor National Convention would quickly nominate La Guardia for President, rallying behind him and his support for new Fair Deal initiatives to combat poverty and create jobs. President La Guardia would ask Wisconsin Governor Philip La Follette to be his running mate. La Follette would receive the nomination on the first ballot.
The 1940 Progressive Labor Platform:
- Continued Chinese Aid
- Railroad Nationalization
- National Health Insurance
- Increased support for rural communities
Shortly thereafter would see the 1940 National Union Convention, with the divides between Democrats and Republicans still ever apparent in the party, the convention would be in many's eyes "Wide open." With candidates such as "Liberal Unionist" Manhattan District Attorney Thomas Dewey, Senate Minority Leader Arthur Vandenberg, and Southern Senator Richard Russell Jr. being the most notable candidates. One of the dark horse candidates however would successfully be able to paint themselves as a compromise pick and that would be Commonwealth & Southern Corporation Executive Wendell Willkie of Indiana. Willkie would recieve the nomination on the 12 ballot after successfully getting Richard Russell Jr. and Thomas Dewey delegates to shift towards him. Willkie would outline his platform of "Good Business" supporting public private partnerships, lower taxes, budget balances, privatization of Union Electrical, and Continued aid to China. Willkie's running mate would be Maryland Senator Millard Tydings.
The 1940 National Union Platform:
- Continued Chinese Aid
- Decreased taxes
- A balanced budget
- Privatization of Union Electrical
The 1940 United States Elections would show rather mixed results, with President La Guardia narrowly winning re election, however Progressives would see losses in both the House and Senate, with Progressives losing Speakership in the House to National Union Representative Joseph Martin.
Love the update! Just a small recommendation: don't use slang words like "gonna." It looks very unprofessional and distracted me from reading this great TL. Keep up the great work!
European Affairs:
(Kinda left out the Franco-German War in 1938 so it's gonna be included in this update.)
The Franco-German War, one of the largest armed conflicts of the "Depression Era." The Franco-German War would begin on April 12, 1938, after French refusal to cede the Rhineland to Germany after a League of Nations referendum on its status. At the war's offset the Attlee Ministry in the United Kingdom would attempt to steer nations allied to the French and Germans away from intervening in the conflict, with fear of another Great War. Attlee's attempts would largely succeed, with the only intervention in the conflict coming from direct aid and expeditionary forces. The largest expeditionary force would be the Soviet one, led by Mikhail Tukhachevsky. Soviet aid in this conflict would be what is believed to have saved the German Forces from disaster, with German military and industry being rather weak from the recent revolution and the ongoing Great Depression. The first few months of the war would see consistent German losses, with outdated German equipment being unable to break French lines, however the arrival of the Soviet Expeditionary Force would see the German's fare better, with better equipment and manpower. With the arrival of Soviet Forces seeing the beginning of the "Summer Offensive" which would see German regiments attacking the Rhineland from both the north and south, with the goal of encircling the French Army in Cologne. The German's would also use this time to incite revolt within the population of the Rhineland, having resistance cells of partisans play a national broadcast from People's Commissar Karl Liebknecht, encouraging armed struggle by the German populace against their French occupiers. These broadcasts would drastically change the conflict, inciting anti-French rebellions across the Rhineland, while many were not successful, the rebellion that would take over Düsseldorf would be a large victory for the Germans. The war would end with the Battle of Cologne, starting in November 1938, with German victory being achieved on December 14, 1938. Shortly after their loss in the battle, France would declare an armistice. United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill would invite both the French and German's once again to the League of Nations to negotiate the peace treaty. France would owe the German's high reparations and cede the Rhineland. The Treaty of Saarbrücken would be signed by both parties on April 7, 1939, 10 years after the establishment of the German Socialist Republic. This victory would spark Soviet expansionism, with the French crippled from their recent loss, and the United Kingdom unable to put up an offensive against the Soviet Union alone, the Soviet Union would expand, occupying and incorporating the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, also occupying Eastern Poland and the Polish Corridor. The United Kingdom, enraged by this would quickly bury its hatchet with France, lobbying the French government for an anti-communist alliance. The United Kingdom would also attempt to involve other nations in this alliance, looking for allies against the Communist powers of Europe. The treaty to create the anti-communist alliance known as the European Entente would have 9 signatories, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The European Entente however while it would not include nations of Central and Eastern Europe it would however attempt to protect those nations from Communist aggression.
The Second Sino Japanese War:
While the Japanese had rolled their way through coastal China with ease, they would face many issues in the countryside, mainly guerrilla warfare, with the Chinese government using many guns received from the American Lend Lease Program to arm civilians to fight off Japanese soldiers. This method of combat would heavily favor the Japanese, stopping their invasion in its tracks and creating a stalemate between the two armies.
American Affairs:
1939 would begin with the death of U.S. President George W. Norris, dying of natural causes at the age of 77. This would quickly throw both the Vice President and Congress for a loop, it was a rather sudden death, with doctors seeing President Norris as fit to serve out the remainder of his term healthily. Vice President Fiorello La Guardia would be sworn in as the 34th President of the United States on February 17, 1939. President La Guardia, while expecting to run for the presidency in 1940 was very much thrown a curve ball with President Norris' death. La Guardia would quickly head home from Nevada, where he had just opened the Norris Dam.
The La Guardia administration would start rather quickly, while majorities in Congress were becoming more narrow La Guardia would quickly begin working with Congress, expanding on Fair Deal initiatives. The most notable of which would be the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1939" which would enforce a new ban on child labor, different from the one that was deemed "unconstitutional" and it would raise the federal minimum wage from 20 to 30 cents. This act would pass pretty easily and uncontroversially, with some support from National Union members. The other major act of the 76th Congress would be the "Public Utilities Act" which would expand the Tennessee Valley Authority into a federally run corporation under the name "Union Electrical" which would compete against private energy providers and expand electrical access to rural communities that private companies had seen as "unprofitable" to do so. The Public Utilities Act would be highly controversial, with businessmen and National Union Congressmen rallying against it, with Wendell Willkie of Commonwealth & Southern Corporation being one of the lead figures opposing the bill, with Wilkie's testimony in front of Congress giving him fans within the National Union Party. Speaker Rayburn would eventually be able to rally enough House Progressives to support the bill to pass it to the Senate. Within a matter of days the Public Utilities Act would have been signed by President La Guardia.
La Guardia Cabinet:
President - Fiorello La Guardia (1939 -)
Vice President - Vacant (1939 -)
Secretary of State - Henry L. Stimson (1933 -)
Secretary of Treasury - Fred M. Vinson (1933 -)
Secretary of War - Patrick J. Hurley (1936 -)
Attorney General - Earl Warren (1939 -)
Secretary of the Navy - Frank Knox (1933 -)
Secretary of the Interior - Harold Ickes (1933 -)
Secretary of Agriculture - Henry A. Wallace (1933 -)
Secretary of Commerce - Herbert Hoover (1933 -)
Secretary of Labor - Frances Perkins (1933 -)
Secretary of Health and Wellness - John D. Dingell Sr. (1939 -)
1939 would also see the death of Health and Wellness Secretary James Mayo, he would be replaced by Michigan Representative John Dingell Sr, a staunch proponent of national health insurance. Earl Warren would also join the Cabinet as Attorney General, replacing Francis Burton Harrison, who would be nominated to the Supreme Court to replace Louis Brandeis after his retirement.
Supreme Court as of 1940:
Learned Hand (Underwood appointment) Progressive (Chief Justice)
Charles Evans Hughes (Sherman appointment) Moderate
James Clark McReynolds (Underwood appointment) Conservative
William Henry King (Davis appointment) Conservative
Charles McNary (Norris appointment) Progressive
Felix Frankfurter (Norris appointment) Progressive
Zechariah Chafee (Norris appointment) Progressive
Francis Burton Harrison (Norris appointment) Moderate
Burton K. Wheeler (La Guardia appointment) Progressive
At the start of 1939 Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis would declare his intention to retire from the court. President Norris would appoint Attorney General Francis Burton Harrison to the position, Harrison would be seated just days before the death of President Norris. Six months after would see the death of Chief Justice Pierce Butler, President La Guardia would elevate Justice Learned Hand to the position of Chief Justice, replacing him as associate Justice with Montana Senator Burton Wheeler, many would view this as La Guardia's way of getting Wheeler out of the Senate and out of his way, due to Justice Wheeler's opposition to American support in China.
1940 United States Presidential Election:
The 1940 United States Presidential Election was in the eyes of many commentators a competitive election. This would quickly put President La Guardia on his toes, spending much of 1940 campaigning, most notably by using his predecessors "Fireside Chats" to communicate with voters and campaign from within the White House. President La Guardia knew not every action that him or President Norris did was popular, but he was not gonna do what was popular he was gonna do what he viewed as right. La Guardia though would start the campaign with some advantages, no real opposition from within his party, a semi-popular President. The 1940 Progressive Labor National Convention would quickly nominate La Guardia for President, rallying behind him and his support for new Fair Deal initiatives to combat poverty and create jobs. President La Guardia would ask Wisconsin Governor Philip La Follette to be his running mate. La Follette would receive the nomination on the first ballot.
The 1940 Progressive Labor Platform:
- Continued Chinese Aid
- Railroad Nationalization
- National Health Insurance
- Increased support for rural communities
Shortly thereafter would see the 1940 National Union Convention, with the divides between Democrats and Republicans still ever apparent in the party, the convention would be in many's eyes "Wide open." With candidates such as "Liberal Unionist" Manhattan District Attorney Thomas Dewey, Senate Minority Leader Arthur Vandenberg, and Southern Senator Richard Russell Jr. being the most notable candidates. One of the dark horse candidates however would successfully be able to paint themselves as a compromise pick and that would be Commonwealth & Southern Corporation Executive Wendell Willkie of Indiana. Willkie would recieve the nomination on the 12 ballot after successfully getting Richard Russell Jr. and Thomas Dewey delegates to shift towards him. Willkie would outline his platform of "Good Business" supporting public private partnerships, lower taxes, budget balances, privatization of Union Electrical, and Continued aid to China. Willkie's running mate would be Maryland Senator Millard Tydings.
The 1940 National Union Platform:
- Continued Chinese Aid
- Decreased taxes
- A balanced budget
- Privatization of Union Electrical
The 1940 United States Elections would show rather mixed results, with President La Guardia narrowly winning re election, however Progressives would see losses in both the House and Senate, with Progressives losing Speakership in the House to National Union Representative Joseph Martin.
Bruh, this isn't a doctoral thesis it's an post on an online forum, you can't get much more casual than that. Almost every TL on this site uses at least a bit of slang and TBH I can't see how the word Gonna is distracting you. It's just one word.
It's just a suggestion, pal. No need to get all up in arms over it.
You're right, sorry. I tend to come off a little more aggressive than I intend to in writing.
Going to take a bit of a break from this timeline and put it on hiatus. I am not really a fan of how I have formatted this timeline and am kinda wanting to do more modern day stuff but I am pretty well into this timeline so I'm not sure if I am comfortable switching things up with it.
Edit: If you guys are comfortable and want me to switch this timeline up to the modern day I can
Edit: If you guys are comfortable and want me to switch this timeline up to the modern day I can
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Effectively I would be completely changing the structuring of this timeline, so instead of doing the biyearly updates, the timeline would become structured similar to timelines such as Our Fair Country and Desire the Right in which I post wikiboxes and graphics from the modern day, such as whole presidents lists of the United States, Prime Minister lists for the United Kingdom, and modern world maps would be posted, typically with the world being laid out to readers first and then history is gone over in depth slowly and piecemeal.
Sounds good to me. I have enjoyed this TL so far so I would be sad to see it end.