Bookmark1995
Banned
Strangely, I think this is one of the reasons why I want him- and why I believe- he will succeed.
A core theme in this timeline, I think, is rebirth and rebuilding from tragedy.
From the tragedy of the Holocaust, comes the State of Israel. From Nazism, comes a strong Germany. From the murder of Jackie Robinson, comes an earlier Civil Rights Movement. From the horrors of the Great Arabian War, comes the fiery birth of a dozen nations and the end of radical Islam. And now from the bloody clutches of Stalinism comes a peaceful and democratic Russia. The author have even hinted that Roman Alliance will get what is due for them.
This timeline is one which believes in two things- the tenacity of hope and the power of redemption. Against all odds, the Jews triumphed in Trieste- buoyed by the hope for a better future. Against all odds, Poland resisted the Communist juggernaut- and eventually succeeded. A southern general fond of racist jokes becomes the Civil Rights movement's greatest champion. A Nazi general helps Israel in her struggle for a homeland. A fascist dictator inadvertently stops a genocide. A man which would be a communist dictator brings democracy and prosperity to Cuba. What is more fitting than a Stalinist sycophant creating a better Russia- a better world- from the ashes of Stalinism?
That is why I think that even if everything does not go to plan- Malenkov will create a better Russia- it highlights the audacity and strength of hope against tragedy.
Man, this is...an unexpectedly powerful statement. I think this is a universal truth in any (realistic) TL.
This is a TL where even the nastiest person is capable of genuinely righteous behavior. Whether its Mussolini risking a war to protect the Jewish people, Malenkov abandoning hardline Stalinism, or Strom Thurmond shaking hands with his enemy to bring peace to his native land.
The part of the TL most emblematic of this was when those Italian and Libyan soldiers, when faced with a brutal enemy, refused to turn over their Jewish comrades. Sure, the Italian army may not be moral, but it shows that even those who fight for tyranny are not completely lost.