You know this is a really interesting idea for a timeline. Of course it's hard to imagine von Papen being able to stay in power until the end of the 30ties.
Most random people who could lead a country in WWII.
You know this is a really interesting idea for a timeline. Of course it's hard to imagine von Papen being able to stay in power until the end of the 30ties.
Gabriele D'Annunzio - the bohemian poet caesar, the "John the Baptist" of fascism. He'd be pretty old by WW2, in his seventies but he lived until 1938 IOTL despite a serious 'accident' which took him out of Italian politics just as Mussolini was rising to power. Apart from Italian nationalism, D'Annunzio's foriegn policy views centred around oppressed peoples getting their own nation-state. He was pro-Irish during their War of Independence, encouraged anti-Yugoslav nationalists and even backed a Greater Albania.
This might make him more anti-Nazi than Mussolini (if they even rose to power) was in the 1930s and more interested in making ties with the Czechs and Poles. However he was also mecurial so he might end up supporting Anschluss to unite the German people.
He'd be very much a wild card geopolitically, perhaps acting against Hitler sooner through Central European alliances or even simply sitting the war out.
This might make him more anti-Nazi than Mussolini (if they even rose to power) was in the 1930s and more interested in making ties with the Czechs and Poles. However he was also mecurial so he might end up supporting Anschluss to unite the German people.
He'd be very much a wild card geopolitically, perhaps acting against Hitler sooner through Central European alliances or even simply sitting the war out.
I know what you mean. I don't see a President Rankin even wanting to do the things that would get the USA into an undeclared war with Germany or bringing on the Japanese attacks. What would bring about a Rankin administration and a Japanese attack on the USA? The idea that a USA with such leadership would give up in the face of Japanese might? Which would appear more credible than the OTL belief that the USA would throw in the towel. I'm not the person to write a believable story about that ATL.
Chris Nation
Banned
There is no way that any Labour leader, least of all Sir Stafford Cripps takes power in the 1935 Parliament.
Owen Young -- the CEO of General Electric -- was strongly considered as an anti-Roosevelt candidate in 1932. If he gets the nomination, is re-elected, and chooses to run a third term a la FDR, he could lead the US during World War II.
No, naturally not. But given the right sort of wartime crisis, who knows who might emerge as the new occupant of No. 10?
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (Chancellor 1933 - 1956)
Becomes a popular figure after several Nazi efforts to kill him in 1932 and effectively becomes the leader of the then German government and manages to prevent the Nazis from gaining power.
Hitler is killed in a violent protest in 1933 after his supporters opened fire on the Police - who fired back and many of the other leaders are imprisoned.
Consolidating power through the mid 30s he slowly but surely leads Germany out of the doldrums and restores meaningful political and industrial relations with both the UK and France with the 1936 AGFA (Anglo-German-French-Agreement) that allowed the ending of the various restrictions limiting the German military and allowing for an air force.
The Agreement allowed for the German army to expand to 50% the strength of the French army and its Navy 35% of the Royal Navy
His successes in expanding the middle classes and restoring Germanys place in the international community pretty much relegate the Nazis to an opposition party.
LOL not sure what happens next....
Becomes a popular figure after several Nazi efforts to kill him in 1932 and effectively becomes the leader of the then German government and manages to prevent the Nazis from gaining power.
Hitler is killed in a violent protest in 1933 after his supporters opened fire on the Police - who fired back and many of the other leaders are imprisoned.
Consolidating power through the mid 30s he slowly but surely leads Germany out of the doldrums and restores meaningful political and industrial relations with both the UK and France with the 1936 AGFA (Anglo-German-French-Agreement) that allowed the ending of the various restrictions limiting the German military and allowing for an air force.
The Agreement allowed for the German army to expand to 50% the strength of the French army and its Navy 35% of the Royal Navy
His successes in expanding the middle classes and restoring Germanys place in the international community pretty much relegate the Nazis to an opposition party.
LOL not sure what happens next....
Well, yes. But I don't think it's wildly out of the question that his health could have been different