If conservatives thought FDR was tyrannical and authoritarian in real life oh boy are the ones in this TL in for a treat LOL
Indeed, probably make the questionable aspects of Reconstruction look dignified.

Speaking of which, where are the Communists and the Socialists in this TL? Obviously they wouldn't be down with the Legion and Klan causing trouble, in spite of the commies being authoritarian.
 
Just remember this wouldn’t happen until 1936 elections since the amendment to replace a vp hasn’t been passed yet.
I wonder: with the coup attempt to bring just this sort of thing into focus, might Congress and the various states be compelled to pass such an amendment sooner than OTL?
 
I believe the left/left-leaning will gain more support since the failed coup were from big businesses that opposed FDR's New Deal policy...
 
Good luck, hope to see these big businesses and corporations get their punishments from this whole affair.
I magine a lot of them are gonan get canned and some folk may get in trouble. Another consequence is that companies and peoples with leanings toward fascism, like Henry Folk, may end up getting in a lot of trouble ITTL.
 
Chapter 10: Silver Scare Part 1
Sorry for the wait, but here’s the next chapter! (Also no, Walter White here isn’t from Breaking Bad)

Chapter: 10: The Silver Scare, Part 1

“Only A Silver Would Betray America!” was a phrase commonly heard in the months/years following the Troubles known today as the Silver Scare. As the Troubles was a volatile event that hadn't been seen since the Civil War, America’s core was shaken and a thirst for revenge was brewing. Across America, people gave out suspicious looks to they’re neighbor’s, friends, and even family.

Both the Federal and State Governments were encouraging this behavior, telling citizens to report any suspected silver (American name for fascist based on the silver shirts American Legion men wore) no matter who they are. Propaganda was starting to get mass produced at a rate not seen since WW1. In rebuilt areas, soldiers posted these posters onto any rebuilt wall, window, pole, and door they could find as a way to keep citizens disgusted by fascism and to strike fear into any hiding silver’s heart. FDR’s administration recruited many artists around the nation to draw these posters, along with even recruiting many foreign artists who wanted to seek refuge in the US. Some of these artists included German artist John Heartfield who wanted to seek temporary refuge while escaping Nazi Germany and to, “Warn the US of the fascists before it’s too late.”



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An example of Heartfield’s original antifascist German posters. This would be translated into english with it saying “Five Fingers has the Hand. With 5, grab the enemy!”


In the North, the KKK’s reputation started to become sour. No matter how many times KKK organizations in the North tried to condemn the attacks down South as “Just a bunch of anti American extremists”, many in the North became very suspicious of the KKK after the attacks. In white Northerner’s eyes, “If the KKK had a few open fascists rebelling down South, how many secret ones are across America.” Civil Rights leaders such as NAACP President Walter F. White saw an opening in this line of thought and hammered it for white Southerners to ensure the KKK would lose its grip on the North and become pariah organizations. It had the effect of softening the reputation of the Civil Rights Movement in the North while making the KKK lose support and members as many didn’t want to be seen as a fascist. Meanwhile, the South went back to status quo with the KKK but with more of an eye on them to ensure they won’t rebel again with fascists.


Meanwhile, congress was ablaze with paranoia since not only was there a rebellion in America, but also fellow congressmen and the VP were also slaughtered in the fighting. Congress quickly went to work to ensure this wouldn’t happen again with a series of acts. First, was gun control. The Senate drafted up a comprehensive bill called the National Firearms Act of 1934. The Act stated that in order for an American to purchase a gun now, they had to register their rifle to the NFA and through a national background check system to see if the citizen is both mentally stable and isn’t part of any terrorist group. The National Background Check system would be apart of the newly founded Bureau of American Item’s and Transport (BAIT) which would not only regulate of the person can have a gun, but monitor the transportation of not only firearms, but alcohol, tobacco, explosive products across state borders and to ensure they wouldn’t get into potentially dangerous militia’s. BAIT would also be founded The act would pass unanimously through both the House and the Senate (Even the ones who opposed the act only abstained as they didn’t want to be suspected to be a silver). Militia’s would also be monitored with the Militia Act of 1934 which would regulate militia and stated militia’s could not engage in any violent actions at all and any militia would have to register with BAIT to see if they could get rifles or not by signing a license saying they couldn’t use their rifles to overthrow any state or federal government under any circumstances. The act would also pass similarly to the National Firearms Act with virtually 0 opposition.

A political committee in the House would be founded called “The House of Unamerican Activities” which was designed to root out “Un-American Behavior” in politics and private citizenship through removing fascists from any position of power. The committee would be founded by Democratic Massachusset’s Representative John W. McCormack and again Democratic New York Representative Samuel Dickstein. The committee’s current main objective was to find out how the Business Plot was founded and who aided it. For days, politicians were investigated from Democrats to Republicans (Usually ones who were more conservative and who despise FDR) but no evidence of their connection to the Plot were ever found and were thus innocent. Then, captured Legion men were interrogated and many admitted to how the whole plot was sett up. From the weapon’s buyouts, to who helped supply the money as they spilled out that it wasn’t just Butler who manned the operation but also Gerald C. MacGuire and Bull Doyle as well. This was concrete evidence for the committee to investigate these two men and to bring them to justice. The Legionmen gave away that Doyle and MacGuire escaped up North to a rural area in Vermont and they would meet with their bosses while the plot went down. The Legionmen also gave away physical descriptions of the men to aid the representatives. So with that, FDR sent out the BOI to arrest Doyle and MacGuire for insurrection and mass murder, and to find out who else was involved in the plot.


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Representatives McCormack (Right) and Dickstein (Left)
 
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This is only part one of the Silver Scare, more will come after this. Next chapter, the buisnessmen part of the plot will be revealed along with some ties to an certain future foreign foe
 
Hey guys, sorry for the delay. I had a busy time with my family going on a short trip. The chapter's date will be postponed to tomorrow. It's almost done though so don't worry too much
 
Chapter 11: The Silver Scare Part 2
Sorry for the numerous delay's, but chapter 11 is now here!

Chapter 11: The Silver Scare Part 2

A few days after the testimony by the Silvers down in Washington, a group of BOI agents were sent to upstate Vermont as harbingers of justice to vanquish the remnants of the Business Plot. After searching the decadent forests of Vermont and trying to wrestle clues out of the locals, they finally hit Jackpot with a group of locals who traced Doyle and MacGuire to Norton. The BOI agents rushed to Norton, with the fear that the duo escaped over to Canada.

After a few last tips from the Norton residents, the agents had tracked the 2 down to a wooden cottage outside of the town in the near forest. The brunette cottage was completely surrounded by BOI agents who began to breach the property after neither Doyle or MacGuire exited the cottage. What they found was not what they expected. Doyle was slouched over a table with a bottle of whiskey clutched in his hand in the living room, with a pile of letters in the corner. Meanwhile, MacGuire was found tucked in one of the beds, deceased from an aggressive case of Pneumonia. Doyle was found to have overdosed on Amphetamines in a case of suicide. With no witnesses to interrogate, the agents sifted through the letters.

What they found was letters sent from industry captains (Mostly Grayston and Murphy) discussing about how to fund the Business Plot and the most recent ones discussed a last ditch escape plot for Doyle and MacGuire with the bosses at Grayston Murphy telling Doyle and MacGuire that they were on their own after the Business Plot failed along with MacGuire’s Pneumonia, which the BOI agents suspect was the root of Doyle’s suicide. The news of this revelation between Grayston Murphy and the Business Plot made its way to Washington with the agents. The news of the connection between the rich and the fascist also reached the public and sent shockwaves through the nation.

Immediately, police down in the NYC area were notified to raid Grayston Murphy to apprehend the main head of the GM. P bank, Grayston M.P Murphy for his involvement in the Business Plot. In the next few hours, Wall Street’s quiet atmosphere was interrupted by roaring police sirens coming down the road. The bank housing GM. P and Co. was completely surrounded by police. It only took around 30 minutes before the police reappeared with M.P Murphy in handcuffs as crowds surrounded the cops to get a look at the people who betrayed America in their eyes. Jeers and cheers were mixed into the crowd as Murphy was taken away by police for him to get the punishment he needed to get.
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Group of onlookers near the GM. P Bank waiting for the police to appear again


The reputation of the rich and big businesses of America was already poor, but the revelation made their reputation rocket down to the center of the Earth. Across America, there was mass outcry to punish the co-conspirators and also more radicalization towards anti corporate policies. Cynicism against businesses and wealthy people was at a record high as the wealthy inequality and now the Business Plot made wealthy people look like selfish villains that only the Bible spoke of in the eyes of poor people. Many New Deal Democrat Politicians heard these cries and many started to ramp their populist rhetoric up a notch to placate the voters. Plenty of anti New Deal Democrats and Republicans also heard about these cries and started to reshape their rhetoric to being pro individualist and saying how the common American should experience the Roaring 20’s again which was what FDR was “hampering”, while not mentioning businesses at all. However, one Louisanan Democratic Senator in particular leaped on this new wave of anti millionaire rhetoric and started to push his own agenda called, “Share Our Wealth”.

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Huey Long proposing his Share Our Wealth programs in congress


In the following Congressional Sessions of 1934, Long began to propose his agenda to the Senate along with other senators joining in. The most major of these sets of bills was the Fair Inheritance Bill of 1934 which set maximum inheritance money at 5 million for an individual to receive, the Equal Income Bill which set the maximum amount of income that a person can get to 1 million, the Fortune Act which set people’s fortunes to 50 million maximum, the Free People’s Market Act which set further strengthening the FTC against monopolies and setting tighter restrictions on them, the Air Force Act which establishes the United States Air Force, the Veteran’s Share Act which set out a increased annual pension to veterans of $30 a month, the Social Security Act which establishes a insurance to poor, elderly, and disabled people, and the Healthcare Act of 1934 which establishes a healthcare insurance for disabled young people and elderly.

While some of these acts were passed with almost no resistance such as the Air Force Act, the Veteran’s Share Act, and the Social Security Act, the other more radical parts of the Share Our Wealth agenda were met with slight controversy from the more moderate sections of congress, both Democratic and Republican, as they believed it infringed on the rights of the individuals personal savings. FDR himself had issues with Long’s Free People’s Market Act as it contradicted his National Industrial Recovery Act which supported colluding with monopolies for getting more jobs and better wages to the workers.


Debates began to flare across the Senate as the bills were thrown into a limbo as the pro Share Our Wealth Senators tried to pass the act, the Moderate’s remained skeptical and were questioning some provisions of the act, and the Conservatives tried to send a filibuster to kill the bills. Long himself went to debates against FDR himself over the FPM Act, trying to persuade him into passing the act, but FDR objected as it would overturn the NIRA Act and make business angrier. However, the people started to become restless and many anti-capitalist and monopoly protests would soon sprung up across the nation, demanding these acts get past as Long’s Share Our Wealth Movement exploded in popularity. The protests would begin to turn more violent as national guardsmen and the protests began to beat each other on the streets, even as the cities were rebuilding, and even a few radical protesters tried to harass their local senator or representative's house if they opposed the Share Our Wealth acts. The protests were somewhat effective as the objectives of the more moderate anti Share Our Wealth congressmen turned from killing the bills, to compromising. Long and the other senators/representatives accepted these, however they did try to strongarm it to make sure the compromise was more favorable to the Share Our Wealth movement.

Through compromise, the Equal Income Act’s maximum income rate was increased to 1.5 million, The Fair Inheritance Act maximum inheritance to 6 million, and the Fortune Act was set to 60 million dollars in maximum fortune. These acts were still opposed by more Conservative Democrats and Republicans, however the acts managed to gain enough support from a few moderate Democrats and Republicans to pass the acts through both the Senate and House, and FDR signed off on them. But the FPM Act was still in limbo as FDR tried to argue against it along with other FDR aligned congress members. However, FDR’s own NIRA act fell into controversy as the more populistic Democratic and Republican congressmen argued the act was colluding with rotten monopolies that needed to be regulated and Conservatives were against the Price Control the act implemented along with businessmen. The NIRA program began to face problems as businessmen across America weren’t willing to follow the provisions of the act and many economists said that the market and economy were hindered with collusion of monopolies and cartels. Some businessmen were even willing to take the case to the SCOTUS to overturn the act as a violation of the separation of powers. In the end, FDR reluctantly decided to go along with the FPM Act and overturn his NIRA, but with the inclusion of banning company unions and allowing the workers to have collective bargains and actions such as strikes. The Share Our Wealth Agenda, had managed to pass congress and while conservatives and businessmen cried tyranny over the acts, all the laws enjoyed popularity with the public.

Meanwhile as the acts were getting passed, the sentencing of the Legionmen and Murphy was also happening at the same time. For most of the Legionmen, they confessed everything about how they got their weapons and Camp Doyle. This would lead to increased cracking downs on Mafia’s and more raids to catch the people who funded the Business Plot. After their testimonies, the Legiomen were either sentenced to death by hanging, or life in prison for treason, war crimes, mass murder/terror, and insurrection. Meanwhile, before Murphy was executed by hanging, he dropped a bombshell onto the prosecutors. He revealed a series of notes detailing how he planned to escape from the nation and also a series of letters to an embassy of the nation he wanted to defect to. The nation revealed was familiar to the public and was a sworn enemy at one point during WW1, and it seemed like it was about to become America’s main enemy once again…


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@Red Angel, here you go on the left leaning policies! This is not just the end though, the Business Plot will have long term effects on the perception of Progressivism and wealthy people for decades to come and will influence the policies of the Democrats and Republicans
 
@Red Angel, here you go on the left leaning policies! This is not just the end though, the Business Plot will have long term effects on the perception of Progressivism and wealthy people for decades to come and will influence the policies of the Democrats and Republicans
Will start to read it, glad to see the rich and big businesses get what they had coming for being greedy.
 
Yeah, I think Hitler has explicitly stated he won't bother with US until the Germany is ready to finish them off after remolding Europe to his manic dream.
 
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