Taft ran for the Republican nomination in 1948 but lost to Dewey. What happens if he succeeds getting on the ticket and beats Truman? Will there still be a Cold War?
Actually, Robert Taft was a piss-poor campaigner. He was very uncomfortable soliciting donations at fundraisers and such and was nowhere near what anybody would call "charismatic." Dewey sitting on his ass is the equivalent of Taft campaigning his heart out.Interesting and not so obvious questions. IRL, Dewey, a total favorite, took all for granted, didn't moved his ass to campaign and lost in an upset. I can easily imagine Taft would do really active campaigning, yet even in 1952, when basically every Republican would win, many party leaders worked to sabotage his campaing due to fear of his inelectability.
In 1948 I'd still say narrow Truman re-election.
Well, with no NATO, or a weaker equivalent, there would likely be no Warsaw Pact. (Remember, they came along a number of years later.) The US wouldn't be interfering in the affairs of other countries- so we'd have a better image.
I'm not so sure that the wrecked European countries where Soviet-style communism could become a reality would agree. If Taft is elected (which is a huge stretch), Western Europe is going to quickly find that it has no friend in the United States, which is going to turn its back on the democratic capitalist powers there. I assume that Taft will cut off the Marshall Plan completely, bleeding the recovery and risking that other western powers too fall under the Iron Curtain (Italy, maybe?)
I think Taft eventually got on board with the Marshall Plan but argued less money should be put into the project.
I think Taft eventually got on board with the Marshall Plan but argued less money should be put into the project.