Pick your poison:


  • Total voters
    329
  • Poll closed .
Patton's Presidency in a nutshell:

Barges in.
Gives the finger to every single commie.
Blasts commies in Korea personally.
Drops the biggest bomb in history just to give the finger to the Krauts.
Leaves.


If that wasnt THE biggest "America F yeah!" COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF in history then I don't know who that would be.
 
So this is how liberty dies, to thunderous applause.

I don't care what veneer that's smeared over, the fundamental institutions of democracy in the country has been weakened, and people are too into their particular issues to give a damn.

But then, they voted for it, and so in a way they are responsible for what's to come, no matter how small a slice of said responsibility on an individual level.
 
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THE IRON EAGLE
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY


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Douglas Edwards, in his years working for Columbia Broadcast, has never announced an event as important as this one. He had to behave professionally, his voice could not show the fear he had for what was a task he did not envy, keeping his hands steady on the desk. He was seated on the studio, rushed out of the peaceful environment that the break room was that afternoon. He had arrived earlier, before introducing the Evening News, he was only chattering with his co-workers over a cup of coffee when suddenly the telephone lines were overloaded all across the country. Everything felt surreal when the break was interrupted by a whirlwind, he had to pick himself up and go to present an emergency broadcast immediately, the President had just been shot in Chicago and some sources claimed it was fatal, others claimed he was already dead, some said it was on the head, others said he was shot on the leg or the chest. The only thing they all had in common is that Huey Long had been shot on his way out of the City Hall by an unknown assaliant that was being taken away as they spoke. Combing his hair was needed to look presentable and so he did on the way to the chair, at least this did not happen during morning News otherwise, he suspected, Cronkite would take the lead with this one. But now it was not the time to think of his co-workers, or even Sara, if she did not know already then she was going to be bursting her heart once she knew. Edwards was far from a Longist, he thought he spoke too much like a communist, but Sara was won over by that man as if he was her lover!

"Good Afternoon, now it is the Fiftieth hour and twenty minutes local time of the Nineteenth of May, 1956, we have received confirmed reports from Chicago that President Huey Long has been shot at and rushed to a hospital, The Secret Service has apprehended the attacker and taken him under custody, we still await for confirmation of the President's health status and pray for his best recovery."

This had to do, he could not say if he was alive or dead, they did not know. Usually Edwards was always on the forefront, heck he should have been in Chicago, with the elections approaching how come they did not have anyone following Huey around? Hopefully they would get more updated news from their correspondents and sources in Chicago, he knew that for the next hours he would be the one to announce to over 40 million Americans that their President could be dead or could have just been grazed. This was not the first time that he had been shot either but one can only wonder if twenty years aged him gracefully or his body could not resist anymore. The camera cut and he was surprised at how steady his hands could remain, especially when he had just given the greatest news report in his life, yes he did and that was dawning on him now, he would be getting an Emmy at last if tonight was big enough, and if there is any occasion where it could be big then this was it.

Miles away, in the White House, George Smith Patton had no idea if he was still Vice-President or if he was about to receive yet another promotion and become President. God knew this country needed a more decisive leader now, the Krauts burning churches! The Commies taking Daegu in Korea! Long was not a man who could deliver them the punching they needed, everything Patton said seemed to go through a filter in that man's earwax and he took half measures with what he was told. But damnit, he did not want the man to die, he was still the President and whoever was the bastard who shot a sitting President of the United States just made the security detail look like buffoons. Hess and his scum would be having a laugh in Germania if they even knew how to smile, whoever was responsible for this humiliation had to pay for it. Patton was receiving news as quickly as they came on Long's health, he knew how men being shot in the field were like, and thats with young men who were at their peak, Huey was not in the age of taking bullets and living to tell the story. Apparently he was rushed to the hospital still conscious and he was being put under surgery, from there onwards it was up to God. For now the General had to think of who WOULDN'T want to assassinate Long in an electoral year, that was easier to think than listing suspects. Krauts? They weren't that stupid, most of times, if they were killing the POTUS as part of a coordinated attack there would have been signs of increased U-Boat activity along the coast and the rockets would be firing now. The commies? They should have loved Huey for all he knew but even that Cajun wouldn't call himself a red and that was enough for these scum, he had seen first hand how Communists could kill one another at the millions for the slightest of differences as if their theory books were the Bible itself! Mayhaps someone from the inside, but who?

"Sir, the President's surgery has removed the bullet, it has bounced on his ribs, but his recovery will still take time as they found shrapnel on his back."

That tough bastard would live, Patton grinned to himself and dismissed the man, these wounds were survivable, but he would be out for a while from the field to recover. He took a puff from a Cigar and entered the Oval office, walking around it and yet not sitting on the chair. Patton could be an ambitious man, he could be brash, he could be rude, he could be stubborn, he could be proud, but he was no mutineer, he was not the President, only the Acting President, he would stay in his own office and run affairs from there, but it does not mean he couldn't take a strool that night on his superior's office. He could sit on the chair, nobody would see or bat an eye, but this chair was cursed, over these last years he had seen a complete loaf, a suicidal old man, a raving southern lunatic, and a man who was now in a hospital bed all sitting in there while the country had it's heights and lows. Sometimes he wondered if Mac would have been better in that seat than them, sure the man was a stubborn moron but he was a military man, he knew how to show strength and if it was up to him they would be raising the star spangled banner over that decrept monument in Germania and spitting on Hitler's corpse, they had the power at the time and did not use it, how many would end up dead because they did not kill the monster when he was weak? Maybe it was not too late now and he could do something about it, even if not a direct war, in his precious little days in charge, he could give a reminder to the world that America was still a damn power and not a pushover.




George S. Patton would be the Acting President of the United States during the period between the 19th of May and the 5th of June when Long was finally transferred back to Washington. The President survived the attack, if only by an inch, but he would carry over a memory of it other than a scar, he would need the help of a cane to walk with his right leg, sometimes using the help of aids to stand in his worst days. Patton's short Presidency was also the most energetic the United States has been in years when facing it's enemies, projects which were being held back were accelerated including the Mark 27 Nuclear device, which would be tested on the 1st of June on the North of Greenland near the North Pole with devastating effects, the largest detonation up until that moment with a 30-Megaton Yield, the "Betsy Ross" bomb which was over the double the expected power, a Thermonuclear device which almost destroyed the delivery bomber. Furthermore, Patton oversaw the famous "Operation Ripper" after reviewing it and more than doubling the firepower (in both artillery and bombers) designed for the operation and seeing Congress approve another act to escalate the number of troops in the Korean conflict. The Communist advance towards Pusan was stopped and Patton became the first President in modern era to personally command the operation. In Late May he would spend a week in Korea and commanded the offensive which shattered the momentum of the Communist forces across the eastern coast of the Peninsula. Patton's classic bold style was a surprise to many who were used to the attritional proxy war approach that had existed up until that moment.

But while the Commander-in-Chief, as Patton preferred to be addressed, was reliving his old days in the battlefield, the electoral campaign at home was picking up speed. Long's survival was a surprise as much as his assassination, many had celebrated in silence, others dreaded in silence, all gave the best wishes and some was disappointed when the wishes became true. Just the danger of Long's death put the Kingfish Party in disarray, the enormous Frankensteinian beast that was made up of everything from Southerners to Northerners, from Pseudo-Socialists to Conservative Populists, was almost tearing itself to win Long's blessing for the Vice-Presidency, when the Presidency itself could be up to grabs there were factions who turned on one another. But thankfully that damage was stopped just as the bleeding in the President's body, at least for now, but it highlighted the problems in the fact a "Longist" Party could not truly define what "Longism" meant other than following the wise leadership of Kingfish Long. Lyndon Johnson, the Shark, was a man who was put under enormous duress in the first days, as the strongest personality of the Party in Congress, the man lived politics, breathed politics, raised from his childhood listening in wonder the stories of his father's political adventures around his region. No wonder that a man like that would have his own ambitions, although he was especially pragmatic ever since he had his failed race in the early 40s. He knew he could never face Long to take over the Party, but he had begun to plan for the succession, and the Shark had been paying attention in his growing southern rivals, two Governors and a Senator.




Alabama Huey, as he came to be known in some circles, was a rising governor in the state of Alabama, who in 2 years had received so much funding that many thought that he was the one supposed to be Long's successor. George Wallace was part of the same wave which elected several new figures into Southern Politics, the "Long" effect was a shakeup of the political establishment and the dominance of the Democratic Party. Wallace came in with a Longist speech and narrowly won the vote for Governor in 1954, joining the ranks of the Populists as a relatively low figure, his rhetoric was allowing him to rise new heights, especially with his policy of "Better Roads, Better Future", which was not different from the main discourse of the Party but was one to the people of Alabama who was seeing a rising wave of populism brought by their sympathy for Long. He had so far refused to engage in racial politics on a large scale, although he did have a certain segregationist bias, many considered it just a consequence of being a politician in Alabama. Others like Governor Sid McMath, known as "Farmer Mac" due to his support for rural communities as Secretary of the Interior in Long's first term, believed that Wallace was a supporter of segregation, a man who hid his true face in a moderate facade and would reveal himself the second coming of the Thurmond Presidency. Sid was the Governor of Arkansas and an old partner of Huey, being greatly inspired by his southern neighbor, he left the government in 1952 in order to run in his Home State, pushing for his policies on a state-level and also receiving a generous amount of funds for his projects. Sid was a liberal, although not to the extent of some northerners, he wanted to continue the focus on welfare policies while slowly pushing to end segregation within the next ten years. That made him unpopular amongst other southern Populists, although he held a very strong sway on the Plains, from Kansas to Montana.

There was also Jimmy "The Trucker" Hoffa, a rising star in Chicago who had managed to grow stronger in the Great Lakes region. Hoffa was a Labor leader who benefitted from the "Long Wave" to become President of the "International Brotherhood of Teamsters" (IBT) one of the largest Unions in North America, that and of course secretive contacts he held with the world of organized crime in Chicago. But Hoffa was a man much like Long, he was a firebrand, one of the President's staunchest supporters in the world of Unions who now had joined the Populists. He was not a politician, but many in the party were not either, and while he had small chance of actually getting a nomination, nobody could deny that his control of the truckers, especially after almost ten years of heavy investments from the government into highways, could be crucial in making him a Kingmaker during the electoral period. But despite all these unorthodox figures all coming together in the party, nobody would be able to carry the heart of the American people if Long died, the only one who could wield that name like it was his own in front of crowds was Huey Long's own son Russell Billiu Long.

Russell had been in Louisiana when his father was shot, it just so happened that he was in there as his Senate career demanded that he went to his Home State to listen to the people. But most times when someone approached Russell it was not to speak to him, but to speak to his uncle, Governor Earl Long, or more likely to his almighty father President Huey. It was an open secret that it was his name that made him Senator, just like it was his father's name back in 1948 that made Earl into a Governor. Huey himself disliked that blatant Nepotism, but how could he stop the people from voting for someone with that prized surname? Sure, Earl was a madman more ways than figurative, but he was loyal and cemented the Dynasty's hold on the State for the next millennia. Russell had joined Politics as a Senator in 1950 after Overton's death, he had lived so far a calm life in the Senate, although he was also a favorite of many to be attacked in order to hit his father. He came into contact with "Shark" Johnson, naturally, as a Senator for the Populists after he defected with his father from the Democratic Party, Lyndon saw a man who represented a New South, he was like a more humane vision of Huey Long, not as dominant, or paranoid, in politics but a man willing to compromise. When Russell heard the news, his first instinct was to fly to Chicago, abstaining from a Senate session in order to accompany the surgical proceedings in his father. He was the natural heir to that Dynasty, no doubt the people would see a grieving son, one more empathetic but also fair, as Presidential material. But Russell was nowhere as experienced in politics, he could not play the Senate like Johnson, the crowds like Wallace, the country like Sid, or the Unions like Hoffa. Sure, he would have many advantages due to his name, but would this be a step too far into nepotism for the American people?





But all these doubts and contesters were to stay on the background of the Kingfish's Kingdom, because the FBI was dealing with a much larger scheme as Attorney General James H. Morrison began to unravel the sheer scale of the attempt in Chicago. Morrison never thought his job as AG would be to this level, sure he graduated, passed bar and even served some time in Congress to familiarize himself into politics, but when Long invited him to the job in 1955 he never thought he would sign up for this. The Department of Justice was in charge of the FBI which naturally was the one responsible to investigate this gruesome assassination attempt. The shooter was detained on site, a man named John Parker Lee, a former manager of the Standard Oil Company in Indiana, a search in his history would find out far more than just the man's occupation. He was a veteran of the Pacific War, returning a very different man from how he used to be before the war, the next ten years would be a series of unfortunate events. Long's attacks on the Standard Oil would lead to him being laid off in an attempt to cut costs due to several Lawsuits and a Court decision condemning the company to pay fines in the early 50s. Furthermore, his son had decided to join the military and serve as one of the advisors in Korea, recently dying in an ambush earlier that year. But that all still would not allow a man like that to get so close to the President of the United States, Lee's interrogatory should clarify more. But that never came, while being transported into a police car to be taken from one building to another, he would be shot fatally by an unknown assailant who emerged from the mass of journalists trying to get a glimpse of the shooter. Morrison was dealing with a troublesome investigation, because there were so many people who would want Huey dead that trying to get a list would arrest half of the country, they had to follow the due process and for that the FBI had to run an investigation on his background and contacts.

What was found is that the list of suspects could be from respectable politicians to the lowest of criminals, the theory of a lone shooter was blown away together with Lee's brains in Chicago. Patton had to return from Korea eventually, his blood was really pumping out of the excitement in living his glory days and being the first President to actively lead troops since Washington, he came back to find out the investigation was dealing with trouble. The AG blamed the FBI, the FBI blamed the CIA, the CIA blamed the local police, and one of the cops blamed the sun for preventing him from seeing the killer. Either way, Huey Long was alive, and Morrison would go to Chicago on the 30th to check on the President after 11 days, he was recovering very well as the hospital had a whole wing sealed off with only vetted personnel allowed, there were more security guards in the Northwestern Memorial than the White House ever had, the Secret Service called for all to make sure the POTUS would not suffer another attempt. In his room, he had received some reports of more urgent matters even if the doctors recommended to keep him away from stressful matters. He had taken a vested interest, as anyone would, about who was trying to kill him, he also dismissed the idea of a lone shooter and claimed that this was some sort of revenge ploy by lobbyists, which was far from a discarded theory but Morrison did not wish to go to conclusions yet. Someone jokingly suggested it was a Kennedy, after all they were great marksmen in shooting heads of state. But in Long's paranoid mind, the idea that the Kennedy family, former democrats who turned to the Republican Party and gained prominence as his opposition in the Northeast, could be behind the shooting was not fully discarded. The AG suggested that Long could have something to lead the investigation in his files but he refused to grant the key.

The Kennedy luck was something that ran through that family, with the exception of the deceased Robert Kennedy. John, his older brother, was a national celebrity after the war for being the man who killed Hirohito, that was the equivalent of a Jew shooting Hitler for most Americans, that allowed him to be elected to Congress in 1948 with great ease, and in 1953 he became Governor of Massachusetts for the Republican Party, riding the wave of McCarthyism. He did not have the same Presidential ambitions of his father, not many had hope for a Catholic President as the Papacy was seen by many as a puppet of Mussolini, and there were other motives, perhaps the experience in killing a Head of State had shocked him away from that. Joseph P. Kennedy, the Patriarch of the Family, would be approached by FBI agents on the 2nd of June, they just wished to ask questions instead of taking him into interrogation. Kennedy would answer them, but he quickly figured out that these questions had the assassination as a background, his behavior changed to accusing the agents of attempting to smear his family's name with their mere presence. Of course they could not seek hostilities with the father of the Governor, they would thank him for his time and leave. The Kennedy's were targets at that moment, at least in the eyes of Huey Long.

After he left the hospital on the 5th with his candidacy to an unprecedented 3rd term, launching a barrage of accusations against the wealthy and powerful, the nation was in uproar, people cheered for Long, they wanted Long, they wanted to continue the Long reign which saw an era of growth not seen since the roaring 20s, but this time it was one that affected the poorest the most, raising living standards to new heights, lowing the costs through new programs and successfully associating Long with this golden age in contrast to the "Warring Wheeler" years and the chaotic "Thurmond Transition". There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Huey would win the election, the bullet wound in his chest ensured that. When he went to the White House he wanted to personally oversee the investigation, especially trying to connect the dots between the Kennedys and Lee, such as the fact both were heavily associated with the Standard Oil corporations, turns out Lee even had a job offer from Massachusetts. He had job offers from other states as well but this one is what truly caught the AG's attention, because that involved acting as an envoy to Lisbon, a job offer which was very much above Lee's paygrade and it involved what was essentially a code for "Black Market" in the CIA's list. If the Standard Oil Company was keeping contacts with Portugal, while technically not illegal, it meant they were involved with commerce inside the Linz Pakt. This meant the CIA would be taking over the investigation to search possible links Lee had with foreign Countries, and the Standard Oil in General, with the power given by the American Protection Act which forbade US companies of engaging in transactions and agreements with Embargoed nations such as the Reich.

The Germans had immediately rejected any association with Lee, Eichmann, one of the heads of the RSHA, made a low level encounter in Lisbon with Donovan, head of the CIA. The two would practically scan one another for any weakness of lie, Donovan came back fully believing Eichmann to be a psychopath and Eichmann returned believing Donovan to be an undisciplined cowboy. But the Reich was certainly not behind any assassination attempts on Huey Long, they had their own problems to deal with when suppressing the Catholic Church while also keeping Catholic States connected towards them. Which other foreign link could it be? The Chinese were discarded from the second one saw Patton and pictured him in the Presidential Chair, in the short time he was in Charge he had shattered a Communist offensive in Korea which has been planned for 8 months. There were other groups, like Separatists from Porto Rico or even Korean infiltrators, but again that was discarded because the very idea Patton would be a more compromising leader than Long was a repellant to any foreign sabotage against the latter.

But the investigation was struck by the Kennedy luck, it is unknown how exactly the whistleblower decided to turn himself in, interrogation would lead to nowhere was the man just did not say anything out of fear. There were theories, some linked to the Bufalinos who ran the most powerful crime family in the Great Lakes, the cousin of the head of the family was literally the attorney of Jimmy Hoffa who would benefit greatly following the attempt in Chicago. However, that is all conjecture based on hearsay, none of that would ever hold up in court, what did hold up in court was what the whistleblower told. With ample evidence he confessed to have been the man who sold an unmarked M1911 to John Parker Lee, the shooter of the President, just a month before the assassination. He had been contacted by a group of "powerful individuals" who wanted to ensure the gun was sold at a low cost to the shooter and told him beforehand that Lee would come. Further conclusions reached to companies that all had something in common: They were donors to the Republican Party. Right that same month, there was a cheerful tone in the nomination of the Republican Party. After months of negotiations and with the decline of the Democrats, some hoped that they would be able to win this year's election. However that all hid what was on the back of their heads, the survival of Huey Long which had made him a Martyr, especially after the speech on the 5th of June:




"My dear Americans, I am afraid due to medical impediments I cannot stay for long so I shall be brief. I must thank the medical team and those who cared for me in these hard weeks, above all I thank God for granting me the opportunity to do much more with my life. When I was shot twenty years ago, I remember praying to the creator that I live longer, so I could do more, so I could give more. That mercy was granted once and it was granted again this last month. I feared for my life, as any human does, even Christ himself sweat blood on the night before his judgment, I feared that this could be the end and America would be mourning. There were many who wanted me to quit, I ran two terms, they said, I gave America far more than was expected of me and I had earned a retirement back in my home in Louisiana. A third term? So many asked me why to continue this effort, why I continue to put myself as a target of slander and bullets. I wondered that myself, I was waiving off from deciding to run again until that day. In this time I realized what is at stake, Americans, it is no secret that I anger many, those in power who have been shaken and broken, great giants like the Rockefellers and Fords all around have done everything to bring me down long before I was even in Politics back in my home. The Democrats and Republicans for a century have controlled the politics of the country, playing us off one another while on the background they party together, while they are paid by the same corrupt bosses, while they play the same dirty tricks, there are very little differences between them. I was a threat to those who play off the people against one another, blacks and whites, silver and gold, dry and wet, liberal and conservative, they made labels for us to forget our common roots as Americans, picking up teams and distracting us with politics while they exploited us.

I was one of the many who was exploited, who was deluded, I used to call myself a Democrat, I used to give myself labels and think politics was about who sits in the White House and does magic to help the people. But when I got to Congress I realized that they were all alike, I saw a congress bribed, I saw a Callous White House who cared little for the people who put them in there. George Washington and the Founders have created a nation with all liberty and opportunity a man needed, but this dream was taken from us along the way by the wealthy, who created an establishment who used Tyranny that would make men like Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson faint in horror at what they created. America was being crushed, which is why I joined politics, which is why I wanted to break this engine who crushed the common man under the tyranny of the wealthy. I reject socialism, those ideals are inherently against the American Spirit, their system crushes the individual. I reject Nazism and their autocracy, of believing a race above others and a leader above them all. I rejected the establishment, the corruption and bargaining that for so long has crushed the common American. Which is why I became their target, because once I was in the White House I was able to do something about it. We have crushed the Monopolies like Roosevelt, we have crushed the Aristocrats like Lincoln and freed the American people, we crushed the Financial system and the debt slavery like Jackson. No more would you spend your life working for a meager of the gains of your boss, now you have the money to prosper by yourself, to be your own boss, to raise your children in this beautiful God-given land. No more do you have to fear that a burn would make you broke in medical bills you could not afford. No more you have to fear your children will go through your difficulties, now they have studies, now they have transportation, teachers, schools, meals, they have a brighter future that we could never have.

That is why I became a target, my dear Americans. I represented to them the rise of you, I was to them this brighter future where we no longer have to toil for them. I repeat, we are not socialists, if you create a company and grow thanks to the Lord's blessings, it is your right to enjoy the fruit of your sweat. But just because you are cooking the meat, doesn't mean you get to keep the barbecue, just because you own the company does not mean you must keep your workers down! The greatness of America is that we are such a wealthy and free land that any man can grow, but if we have the strong crushing the weak, if we have the few smashing the many, then we are no better than those men in jackboots who trample on freedom! Because how can you be free if you must work day and night and still struggle to feed yourself? How can you be free if you must beg for scraps because you were laid off after losing a finger on a machine? How can you be free when you are taxed to the last penny while the wealthy never get to pay their due? I fought for freedom far more than any of those who accuse me, because they speak of the freedom on papers, but I speak of the freedom of reality, I speak of the freedom which you truly need to enjoy the other freedoms! That is why they slander me day and night, that is why they use their corrupt system against me and others of my mind, that is why they attack my family and now they finally resorted to attacking with bullets!


But here I stand before you, the Common men and women of America, the people who build this country, the people who toil day and night and are finally receiving their due! I stand here to tell you that they want to turn back the clock, they want to turn back to the time where they could divide us, weaken us, enoying all their benefits and priviledges while our meager rights and liberties are crushed under Corrpution and Monopolies! But I am here to announce that I will not let them do that while I breathe! They break the law, so the law will come for them, they fight against Justice so Justice will fight back, they fight dirty but we will fight clean and show them that just like our forefathers we will not give up on our Freedom! I will run for a Third Term because the country needs me, I will sacrifice again my health, I will sacrifice my life if I must, but I will fight for you! They are weakening, they are desperate, resorting to breaking the minimum decency of respecting someone's life, this may not be the last time they try it, but I will not let fear stop me from this fight as God is my witness! Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your vigils, thank you for your support, and let us give these Tyrants the Justice they deserve!"



That was a declaration of war, the Party had just nominated Nelson Rockefeller, the peak of ironies of course, with William Knowland, a more hawkish and conservative man to balance Rockefeller, as Vice-Presidential nominee. The very idea of naming the Grandson of the founder of the Standard Oil Company showed that the war with Long took a more personal level to the Republicans as their personality had increasingly shifted towards a big-tent "Anti-Longist" coalition. The Democratic Party had suffered more than any other with Huey's defection, as Richard Russell doubled down on making the Party a defender of Southern Interests against Longist populism which threatened them so much at home, especially after the defeat in Alabama to the "Alabama Huey". There were no delusions that they could win the Presidency, rather they wished to play as Kingmakers by forcing the election into the House, where they still held sway through traditional seats that were more partisan than ideological. But a few days later, a leak to the press would shake the little optimism the Republicans had that year.

Nelson Rockefeller, the epitome of "East Coast" Republican Progressist, who had largely advocated for programs similar to Long's in an attempt to steal his voter base, would see his name indirectly linked to an assassination attempt at a sitting US President. He claimed that he was being a victim of a smear campaign by his adversary and was put on the defensive, refusing to step down to the level of attacks the White House was unleashing against him and the GOP. Meanwhile, The Democrats chose James Eastland from Missouri as their candidate, who ran his campaign on the south by setting fire to it, using the growing Civil Rights movement and speaking out of it as a threat to the Southern way of life. Both of the old "Establisment" Parties knew chances were already low of defeating Long at his peak popularity when the State machine was becoming more and more controlled by the Kingfish himself. Chances became practically null in the aftermath of the failed assassination as the hopes of a Patton Presidency rejuvenating the Establishment while the Populists destroyed one another over the succession sunk into the bayou.





The Populists held their grand rally in Louisiana, needlessly to say why, the event was an enormous and pompous display of power for the Populists, a show of unity as Huey Long appeared before the crowds on the 18th of June, showing himself stronger than ever through the help of makeup to hide his aging and the effects of the shooting. The Party was completely unanimous in it's nomination for him to a Third Term, differently from other parties which usually avoided unanimous nominations of even popular candidates. The Vice-President was a doubt that many had which was settled down when Long picked his VP: Senator Albert "Al" Gore of Tennessee, another one from the State since the failed run of Kefauver. A champion of Long's road system in the Senate and an early arrival in the Populist Party. Gore was opposed to the more segregationist Democrats, although he was not known as a fervorous supporter of Civil Rights either, a middle road that the President was comfortable with. The other Party figures each focused on their own campaigns, either for reelection or to join the Senate as was the case of Sid.

The election that year was hardly a contest, in fact it was a Long's greatest victory. His enemies were slandered, with his Republican adversary being the greatest gift he has ever received, the experienced and charismatic POTUS went to a debate on CBS against Rockefeller that took full advantage of his rival's surname, he was the epitome of the Establishment that he fought against in the eyes of the people. Sure, many still disliked Long, but they would not go as far as voting for a Rockefeller after the reveal that the man responsible for the assassination was a literal (former) employee of the Standard Oil Company. Eastland and the Democrats contested the South with Long, trying to play the game of Racial relations, but Long knew also how the southern man felt, the enemy was not the negro but the man using the negro as a distraction to skin their wealth from them. He even campaigned on the Black Community in Vicksburg, promising that they too would see the benefits they won being stripped away if an oligarch from New York or an Aristocrat from Missouri won the election while inflaming racial hatred and breaking the fragile "peace" that existed since 1948, it would be a return to the Thurmond Presidency of racial war and economic recession. He was fighting to change and keep the New America against the enemies that wanted to return to the old one. It was all made better for Long as the investigation advanced and led to a group of radical Republicans inspired by McCarthy who named themselves "Society for the Defense of Liberty". Several men, including two Congressmen, were implicated and arrested, only smearing the image of the Republicans as a "Party of Killers".

With a "Landslide" victory of over 350 electoral votes that swept from Washington to Florida, Huey Long was elected to an unprecedented Third Term with a majority of the electoral vote and a plurality of the popular vote. He had won, the shot in Chicago only ensured that nobody could question the results that year, not only that but the Populists swept in to control at least half of the House of Representatives and a plurality of the Senate. The results couldn't even be contested due to the wide margin, Long's policy and style of ruling were in some way approved and validated by the American people, his enemies tore each other off while he fought for years until the two parties began weakening. Many of the Republican lobby companies were in some way targeted by the Secretary of Commerce and the Attorney General, Rockefeller himself was under investigation over breaching the American Protection Act due to old ongoing contracts between the Standard Oil Company and the German Titan IG Farben, another act which was exposed in his campaign and helped to paint him as an Elitist traitor.

Long would have his farewell with Patton, the two went out on amicable terms for the latter's standards. George S. Patton's legacy in his short presidency is viewed positively, although many are more skeptical of how he would fare actually running a civilian government in the long-term. But as it stands it was essentially a show of Force, with Patton breaking the standard and being one of the few Heads of State to actually command troops directly in a conflict, he had escalated the low-level Korean War which has been stuck in a stalemate since 1953 with much of the East and North of the country under Communist Control while the Nationalists controlled Seoul and much of the west and southern coasts. And of course, in the most "Patton" move expected, he ordered the test of the world's most powerful nuclear device to that date, whose shockwave was felt around the world from Greenland and led to Hess demanding a nuclear device of 30 gigatons, a suggestion that was shelved for sake of human survival by Wegener after the meeting. The former General and Commander-in-Chief would retire back to California where he would write his memoirs, he also met with General MacArthur one day and the two bitter old men lamented over the fate of their country, reflecting that they should have pushed Wheeler, Hull and Thurmond to go all the way in. Patton claimed that his life's greatest regret was to not have continued the march from Siberia into Europe, reflecting just how much worse the situation was under the Reichsadler if millions of Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Belarusians, Estonians, Livonians, and Caucasian groups were risking their lives and were willing to go to the frozen hell Russia was even during the Civil War.

Long would have the first Third Term inauguration Ceremony in American History, it was the largest event that the District of Columbia had seen up to that moment, alongside millions of Americans who listened to every word in Radio and actually saw on TV. It shows the improvement in the quality of life the fact that Tens of Millions were now able to watch their President speak from their homes. Long spoke about the endurance of America, claiming that the fight started in 1949 had evolved to become the greatest change the country had seen since the Civil War. A New Nation had emerged after the decade-long struggle against the elites for Social Welfare and American Values. He spoke of a new Americanism, of a traditional conservative family which was propelled upwards by the hand of the State. The State was not the enemy of freedom, rather it was the definitive expression of the people, free from the manipulations of greed and corruption. He spoke out how the Federal Reserve was broken into the new Bank of America, he spoke how large monopolies were shattered in favor of small and medium business of the common man. Using the great upsurge in religious values thanks to the Reich's attacks on Christian churches, Huey rallied both Conservatives and Progressives, calling for a united struggle of the American people, now embracing the New America, the new Freedom, against the forces of Tyranny, against the forces of hatred and paganism, if not satanism as many of the SSK's fringe occultism under Himmler had been made into a public image of what the Swastika spiritually represented. The enemies of America, both the wealthy who collaborated with these forces out of greed and manipulated the masses with divisive rhetoric, and the forces of Tyranny in Eurasia, would face a renewed and united people. All pretenses of Isolationism once held by the POTUS had been washed away, as if he had never supported the America First movement or as if he had never abandoned Britain and other American allies in the struggle against Nazism. It was as if he did not spend his political career launching his own divisive rhetoric of the masses against the wealthy.

Long's Third Term continued the trend of the second one, as his own party gained more and more influence, and with that more and more his own political machine strengthened, he began abandoning his previous compromises to intensify his pursuit of his vision of American Society. He would become more proactive in foreign policy, especially in Asia and Russia, the latter of which would become far more intense in 1958 once the Ural War started. But as of now he had to deal with the divide in America over the matter of Civil Rights, an issue intensified during the campaign by the Democratic Party throughout the South. Herman Talmadge, the Georgian governor who had just been elected in 1954 after losing his office in the 1950 election due to the Swainsboro debacle in 1948, would spark controversy as he began to challenge the Supreme Court, and by extension the President himself, over the Heatherson case.



The Issue of Racial Integration in Schools was a very sensitive subject to say the least, sure the majority of the country supported it but Long was a southerner and the Populists held a strong sway over most of the South, much of it because they were able to keep the racial rhetoric toned down in comparison to the wealth rhetoric. But the Democrats wanted to force the issue, Richard Russell and Harry F. Byrd, the two largest figures of the "Dixiecrats" that practically took over the old Democratic Party, knew that setting the south aflame with the issue of segregation was the only way to defeat Long and the Populists who gained so much popularity in the country. Ironically the voting system that overwhelmingly supported rural counties had turned against them as the Populists had become the "Farmer's Party" thanks to Huey Long and Sid McMath's agricultural benefits and modernization pushed since 1949. As such, Talmadge decided to act a little earlier than expected, although some considered it later than expected, as the University of Georgia was to receive it's first two African-American students. The National Guard was called up by the Governor and barred the students from entering due to the potential "risk of riots". Ironically this decision itself would cause a protest that began to get national traction. It was been less than a decade since the "Battle of Swainsboro" in that same State and under the same Governor, many had feared that this would lead to yet another racial war in Georgia. Others were more bold, inspired by the men such as Joshua Smith who had received the Capital Punishment as a veteran who defended his home from Klansmen, Civil Rights group began marching and that led to counter marches, all while the students continued to be barred by hundreds of soldiers in the city of Athens.

And then, on the 15th of September, just 4 days after the crisis began, the guards retreated and the students were allowed in much to the celebration of Civil Rights organizers. But the question is why, why did Governor Talmadge have such a sudden change of mind to the point of going back in humiliation, betraying his Senator and White Supremacist supporters? Some say it was a phone call, some say the call was made by Russell, or Lyndon Johnson, or Huey Long, others say it was by the FBI, others by the CIA, others by the Mafia, some say the Governor was bribed with increased funding and money into his own pocket, others say he was threatened to have funding to the state reduced or cut, others say he was threatened that Long would march the Army into Georgia and remove him from office, others say his own life was threatened. In the end it was a mixed bag, while the incident in Athens was a great victory that made a precedent to integrate other Southern Schools, it was also a demonstration of just how powerful the Federal Government became under Long, especially it's more sinister aspects. To which extent was the POTUS linked to organized crime? After all there were a few rumors that his Secretary of Labor, Jimmy "The Trucker" Hoffa, was in close contact with the Crime Families in the Midwest. Either way, the crisis was solved before there was bloodshed with the governor backing down, seemingly under the pressure of Civil Rights groups. Certainly the version for History books was cleaner than what truly happened on the night of the 14th of September 1957.

Huey was on the offensive in Congress with new measures, such as the implementation of a Federal Minimum wage of a dollar an hour, a measure some called Communist, others called just common sense that was long overdue. Some small business grumbled but the reform was seen positively as it increased the purchasing power of the Poor American. The Economy continued on a steady and optimistic growth so far, especially as the Indian Markets grew open to American Products thanks to trade agreements and a detente had been reached with the Brazilian government to distance from it's extreme policy of Autarky. Of course the European Market was still essentially closed except for CIA-backed black market schemes that ran into competition with RSHA-backed ones in Portugal. Next came the approval of his nomination for yet another Supreme Court Justice, giving him a safe supermajority which could start pushing for his own agenda in national court cases. A Law graduate, Huey knew the power that the Supreme Court could enforce through the right case and the right ruling, which is why he spent much of his government ensuring the Judiciary was friendly to his causes.

Congress, Courts, White House, State Governments, State Legislatures, nothing could stop the hold the Longists now held over the Nation, not only in the Populist Party but even Republicans and Democrats who were "convinced" by figures such as "Shark" Johnson in the Senate. His own mortality was the only thing which could possibly stop the Kingfish, who was now in his mid-sixties, which should be a relatively healthy age although it suffered from a decade of Presidential Stress and two assassination attempts. The question was if he would even stop with a Third Term, what about a Fourth one? A Fifth? When would the American people be tired of Long? Or would they ever get tired considering the type of leader he was? He was nicknamed the "American Caudillo" in an ironic way by some, but that would not be far from the style Peron was using in Argentina, a Populist man of the people who pushed for popular legislation and fought a war against the Establishment and powerful corporations, only to use the vacuum of power to place his own agenda, his own personality cult, it was a style which was imitated by others in some way across the Continent. In Cuba, Roberto Agramonte inaugurated the beginning of the rule of the "Orthodox" Party, which was greatly inspired by Long to push for Social reforms. Despite the irritation of old establishment sectors such as the ones represented by former President Fulgencio Baptista. Similarly Jacobo Arbénz in Guatemala would launch his own platform into power based around Land Reform, despite the attempted moved by the CIA to launch a coup in 1954, Long intervened to stop the agency as he had a personal interest in seeing the failure of the United Fruit Company, a known backer of the Republican Party and McCarthy in the previous election which was later targeted by the Attorney General's office over illegal business practices and heavily fined.

Long would be almost targeted by another assassination attempt when a group of armed men attempted to kill him during a visit in Miami, those men would fail to hit the target thanks to the last-minute strike by the Secret Service. They were Puerto Rican Nationalists, who wished for the independence of their Island from Washington. The President's paranoia continued to make him retaliate against enemies, using the FBI to arrest several Puerto Rican nationalists and intelectuals over suspected links to terrorist groups. But his fears were not completely unjustified as years of repression were radicalizing the American right-wing, which received a boost from the growing religious revival which was pushed a lot through Television, Televangelists such as William "Billy" Graham were winning over crowds and speaking of the need for a Christian Great Awakening in America. Long was certainly supportive of such elements, but many of them were also aligned with the American Right, which had grown restless after a decade of disaster under the Long Administration that many saw as a Fascist Takeover, with Long compared to Julius Caesar, Benito Mussolini, Robbespierre and Hitler, comparisons which did not make as much sense if one looked deep enough but that still had several similarities with the Kingfish's style of ruling. Figures such as Robert Welch Jr. began to emerge, a man who saw in horror the destruction of "Classical Liberal Values" in the Long Presidency and was deluded after the Republicans nominated Rockefeller as an attempt to compete with the Progressive vote. The so-called "Society of the Friends of Liberty" was founded in January 1958 with 20 members at first, but it soon began to explode as former McCarthyists and right-wing Republicans, alongside Democrats, began to join this group as they mirroed themselves in the "Sons of Liberty" during the American Revolution. They were not an armed group, but soon began to grow into a form to coalesce the opposition towards Long. From there they began advocating for a New Right, centered around "Americanism" and opposing "Collectivism", from where Communism, Nazism, Fascism and Longism all came from.

But so far these groups were small, not a concern to the FBI which had been weaponized into a machine of political suppression in some ways against the two main opposition Parties. The Republicans and Democrats alike began to think of a coalition, setting aside their differences in favor of a single united front against Long in the midterms and, if he ran again in 1960, in the Presidential Election. But this proposal was an absurd, especially with the volatile environment of civil rights that drove an edge between Democrats and Republicans. Many feared it could be a repeat of the Wheeler Presidency where the compromise led to the South gaining a disproportionate amount of influence over American politics that some claim led to the Long Presidency. The Republicans also had to deal with an identity crisis as they could not decide between returning to the right-wing push of MacArthur and McCarthy or continuing to invest in Rockefeller's Progressivism, especially as many in the Right had felt alienated and the party had it's greatest lost since Hoover lost to Wheeler in 1936. Meanwhile the Populists were united behind their leader, and little else.

In 1958, there were certain expectations in the Midterms that the Populists had lost momentum, Republicans and Democrats alike hoped that the pendulum could finally shift to their favor, in some places such as Indiana they would even form joint tickets for the local elections. However, as if God (or Satan depending on your political positions) wanted Huey to continue his work, Germania moved to ensure that the Progressives would have a rallying cry for this election. As the Conflict in Korea was ending, another began once millions of soldiers began to fight in the greatest war in Europe since the Treaty of Lisbon. The German attack on Russia served as another "rally around the flag", perhaps even more intense than Catholic persecution as the fears of a new war reached a level not seen since Hitler's rule. Conservatives, Liberals and Progressives alike, radicalized by a decade of "Grey Scare" against anything German, now called for a stop on the Teuton Threat, some even suggesting a war with a first strike to cripple the German Nuclear Arsenal, something the retired MacArthur agreed with. But Long was able to instead direct that to Industry, now reaching out to companies that had become more friendly, although not out of goodwill in their hearts, to Huey's cause, starting the War Machine to a level not reached since the 1940s. The largest merchant fleet of the world was now going to Vladivostock on record levels to deliver weapons, ammunition, planes, industrial machinery, food, medicine and thousands upon thousands of volunteers from recruits to veterans.

There was a certain fear that Russia would fall, especially after the Germans unleashed nuclear weapons in Perm, which provoked a wave of fear in the country that an Atomic War would soon begin. The Midterms had a turnout rate much higher than normal due to this, and while the Populists continued with their majority, there was an interesting upsurge within the three parties, especially the Republicans, of Warhawk politicians. One such example was the election of Knowland as Governor of California with Richard Nixon as Senator in that same state, which feared a return of the Pacific War days when the West Coast could be bombed by Submarines at any moment. The Republican Party would finally embrace it's right-wing that year as many of the remaining progressives either retired or decided to join the Populist ranks as right-wing warhawk figures had come to dominate the GOP. The Democrats had failed in using racial baiting due to Talmadge's humiliation in 1957 and the upsurge in a more foreign-oriented rhetoric that left much of the Dixiecrat leadership of the Party behind, although they won some seats in the south, it was not enough. Russell Long would become Governor of Louisiana as his uncle retired due to health concerns, Wallace would rise to the rank of Senator after a successful term in Alabama, Johnson was re-elected in the Senate, McMath became Senator of Arkansas and Hoffa continued in Long's cabinet.

After the Russians survived the winter, the Americans would only redouble their efforts to score a decisive win against Germania. Meanwhile, in the US the programs made by the President continued to deliver results with literacy rates at a record high in poor communities, an increase in life expectancy, and on the average income of each American Household. Larger business suffered while those at the bottom benefitted, with his programs being financed by increases in his "Share the Wealth" tax programs and through corporate taxes. However, while he enjoyed approval ratings of around 70%, his opposition was only pushed towards a greater radicalization, with many Populists fearing a strong backlash if the pendulum began to swing, but could he have stopped the Pendulum? Never before had the United States had a President like Long, one might argue that he had reshaped politics itself in America. The Long era, also called the Long reign, started with the Motto of "Every Man will be a King", perhaps Huey was more of a "King" than other Americans. As January of 1949 came, it was the first time in American History where one man has held the supreme power of the nation for a decade, with yet two more years to go if not more, certainly Huey, with his popularity and omnipresent political machinery which took control of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, could win another term if nothing drastic were to happen. And yet, even if one may disagree with his methods, no President has been able to have such an impactful legacy except perhaps Lincoln and Washington, but one could argue that Long exceeded them. He expanded the Federal Power and it's influence over the States and the People to levels even Lincoln did not, while he also broke Washington's own precedent on Term Limits and in the Separation of Powers. He went further than Roosevelt in crushing monopolies and great corporations, he went further than Wilson and Wheeler in providing leadership during a testing time in Geopolitics, and he went further than Jackson in crushing the Banks and the Establishment, in fact he essentially made Jackson's party into a regional force at best while Lincoln's party was reduced to a weakened opposition. It is not much of a stretch to say his critics may be right in claiming him as a Caesar, a populist beloved by the people who defeated a rival general and a famous conservative speaker, as the resemblance of MacArthur to Pompey and McCarthy to Cato was called upon, who redistributed wealth and improved the lives of the common man while amassing absolute power over himself, breaking the limits of the consensus, fighting a corrupt establishment and strongarming the legislature to pass his bills.

But unlike Caesar, Long lived, and he reflected about his near death experience in 1935, when a lawyer shot him in the Louisiana State House. In that moment he prayed for God to not take him, that he still had so much to do. He had thought that his career would have ended in the 1940s due to his previous bet in isolationism, but the post-war and the chaotic governments of Hull and Thurmond had given him a chance, and he had done much indeed. But that was not enough, he would see to it that his life was not spared a second time in vain. He saw the future of America in him, he was America, he was just as much from the people as any of the millions who marched and praised him, a young salesman who managed to get a Law Degree, fought against every odd, even death, and yet he won. There was a sense of destiny to any man who has lived and done as much as him, for over 30 years he has been in politics and he went from a complete nobody to be the most powerful and influential man of the Western World. What else did the future reserve for him? As he had said before he would say again, looking out from the Oval Office to America, his beloved America, in thought with a hand holding his cane and the other behind his back.


"I still have much to do."
This Long is basically an American Getúlio Vargas.
 
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XXXIII - ESTADO INTEGRAL
THE IRON EAGLE
ESTADO INTEGRAL





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The Carnaval was perhaps one of the most famous events in the Brazilian cultural calendar, five days, although the celebrations could easily last over a week, where it felt like everything was allowed. That was also one of the most controversial dates in a country that claimed itself as Catholic. While the previous regime was secular, the military rule of Góes Monteiro sometimes even encouraging the event as a great distraction, this new one was not. Integralists have opposed the Carnaval as a symbol of all they opposed, the "cosmopolitan" culture that attracted tourists from all over the world and played the greatest hit songs from the United States, the alcoholism and "degenerate" behaviors being widespread and growing ever since the 1910s, all that was forbidden was allowed and that also increased the criminality around this time. It is no surprise that the Greenshirts were known as "Desmancha Festa", or Party Breakers, there was a fair share of growing incidents in the late 1940s where Integralist militias disrupted the celebrations and, in one occasion in São Paulo, attacked one of the parade cars that was considered insulting of Christianity, considering it "Satanic", the car was set on fire but no one died despite some injuries. It was quite clear that many in Brazil also hated this tradition and the Integralists were seen as the only ones capable of taking action against it.

In 1952, the Carnaval week began in late February under a very tense climate. The Capital had a new leadership and the Catete Palace was just a few miles from the location such celebrations were supposed to be held. Not only did Salgado get elected as President, therefore the Greenshirts were included in the Presidential Guard, but Monteiro, the real power of the country, was dead and the military was now under Mourão Filho, a devout Integralist who was already finishing a new Constitution together with Salgado, Barroso and Miguel Reale, the last being a known Jurist. Some feared what action could be taken and decided to skip the event, spending the holidays at home. Those who went were mostly members of the Liberal middle class of Rio, known musicians and representatives of the most vanguardist movements thought that the Integralists would not be much different from the military once in power, that the money from Tourism generated by the carnaval was going to appease them. One of these was the young singer João Gilberto, who was invited to make a recording on the Copacabana radio, he was walking by the city with an inspiration already in mind when everything started. The parade was not forbidden that year, but some of the organizers thought that was a blank cheque to continue as they always did, and this year there was a particularly insulting piece of the street carnaval that insulted the Integralist Catholicism, one that showed a caricature of Salgado being hit on his back by a man dressed like a red devil with a pitchfork. He knew what was going to happen the moment the cars began arriving and hurried out of the scene. By the time he arrived at the radio, his recording was suspended due to an urgent news being announced that several were wounded and even three died when the Greenshirts came down on that parade. The celebrations, including the traditional contest of allegorical cars, was canceled by the President due to security concerns as bomb threats were made.

That was only the beginning, as the New "Ano Bissexto" Constitution, known as the "Dispositive of the Integral State", would be approved on the 29th of February that year and change the political framework of the nation, showing that this would not be a continuation of the old order. First the Council of Ministers was abolished, which was a popular idea of the time and ironically one of the demands of the newly defunct UDN. But in compensation all powers were now centralized in the "Chefe Nacional", which some compared to the position of Duce and even Führer, a figure above political squabbles that were cracked down upon. All political parties were abolished, ironically even the AIB itself was declared defunct. Congress was organized into a new corporate structure, fully elected by categories instead of an universal suffrage. There would be representatives of the different classes, teachers, urban workers, rural workers, companies, doctors, all were given a designated number of seats. The influence of the military was drastically curtailed compared to the "Stratocracy" which existed before as all were to be commanded by the Head of State, who also chose the commanders of the 3 armed branches, those initially being Mourão Filho in the Army, Augusto Rademaker in the Navy, and Márcio de Sousa Melo in the Air Force. The Greenshirts were officially named as a branch of the Brazilian police in order to curtail the power of the Military Police, being given extensive extra-judicial power as the Chief of State was also head of Police officially. The Judiciary branch was changed as the Supreme Court had it's number changed to just 7 members, all appointed by the Chief of State and while they could still judicially review proposals of the Congress, they could not do so to State Decrees or to a law once approved by Salgado. State governors had their powers even more weakened, but in compensation there was a boon to municipalism as the municipalities gained several new powers including receiving funding directly from the Federal Government, not from the State governments who were essentially reduced to a ceremonial position. Speaking of ceremonies, State traditions also came under assault in some states such as Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Pernambuco, as the date of celebration for them referred to events supporting "Separatism" as the Government claimed.

On the cultural side, there was an odd mix of reactionary and progressive policies to fit Brazil into the Integralist vision. Racism, or as it was called "Promotion racial disunity and hatred", was added to the legal code as a crime with up to 6 years of imprisonment. There were protections given to both black and indigenous peoples against discrimination on several areas including employment, in some ways the Brazilian Constitution of 1952 was used as a model against racial discrimination, although same could not be said of religious discrimination as that was practically enshrined in the Constitution. Catholicism was declared as the single State religion, while there was a certain level of tolerance towards other Christian denominations, most protestants were considered a foreign influence from Northern Europe and the United States. Ironically, while black and indigenous peoples were safe from racial hatred by law, the law forbade their religious traditions. In places such as Bahia, with a strong tradition of religious syncretism with African religions, there was a crackdown by the Greenshirts against religions such as Umbanda and Candomblé, while in the Amazon and indigenous reserves, religious ceremonies were under state scrutiny and missionary work by the Catholic church was heavily encouraged by the State. While the Carnaval was not officially banned, there was a lot of restriction as freedom of speech was tightened under the "Blasphemy Law" and the National Security Act was expanded to include any allusions against members of government to be an incitement of hatred and violence. Foreign music was not exactly banned either, but there were several mentions of opposition to "Cultural Imperialism" that gave the police, and Greenshirts by consequence, a lot of leeway in enforcing this prohibition, for instance there were some states where Jazz was banned, there were also restrictions on alcoholic beverages, although not to the extent of the American prohibition.

The new order was not the first Fascist-style of government in Latin America, although there were some substantial differences between Integralism and Fascism, but it was the first time it was implemented on that scale. Suddenly Brazil was the largest "Fascist" nation on earth, with a territory larger than the Continguous US and a booming population numbering over 50 million people in 1950. The reactions around were mixed, some were condemning as the US, others such as Higino Moínigo's Paraguay were praising Brazil, Peron in Argentina had a cautiously supportive mindset but feared a Brazilian entry into the Linz Pakt. Salgado quickly dismissed the fears of both Peron and Long when he banned the Brazilian branch of the NSDAP, which was once part of the effort established by Hess in the 1930s to connect with German immigrant communities, he would then crackdown on privileges given to some immigrant groups by the Monteiro Junta in order to enforce assimilation through the Portuguese language. Furthermore, a state visit by Mussolini would prove to be underwhelming to the prospects of the Fascists. Salgado would spend much of the meeting locked in an argument with Benito away from cameras, accusing the Italian of "Atheism" and claiming that the spiritual health of a nation depended on traditions that Italian Fascism attempted to replace or destroy. They officially would leave with trade agreements, but clearly both left off with a bitter taste that was reported to the American government by spies with some optimism "We have no reason to fear this new Brazilian government will be anymore closer to Germania than they were before". Anti-Americanism could be survived if it meant the Reich did not have an even greater foothold in the Continent. French Guiana was already a bad enough trouble for Washington which would only grow in time.

The Integralists were not uniform, contrary to what their marches said, Salgado was the leader but he did have different branches growing within the former AIB that continued in the New government: Minister of Education Gustavo Barroso, Minister of Justice Miguel Reale and Minister of War Mourão Filho all had their differences between one another. Barroso was perhaps the most germanophile member of Government, even if that was a low bar, due to his anti-semitism. It was undeniable that the man was an accomplished intellectual, perhaps possessing a sense of superiority that attracted him towards a "Tropical Fascist" movement, among his works was the portuguese translation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. He used to give a more anti-semitic spins on his denouncement of American Imperialism, also wishing for a more German-inspired model such as the creation of a single party, opposing the Anti-politicism of Salgado. Reale was a representative of the young guard of the Integralists, but that did not mean he was a radical in the firebrand revolutionary sense, he was a legalist who was more similar to a "Wegener" than a "Goebbels". He was a jurist above all, who believed in Integralism as a more rational evolution of Brazilian nationalism that was completely divergent from Nazism and Fascism, claiming that by the time the AIB was founded nobody even knew Hitler's doctrines in the country. Reale desired to create what he called the "Integral State" as an organic democracy where corporations were not linked to the State but formed on their own, while also applying his own personal "Integral Theory of Law" to the functioning of the State and the Supreme Court. He was constantly at odds with Barroso, claiming that he was "more obsessed with the symbols, militia and sigma" rather than Theoretical Integralism. Finally there was Mourão Filho and Rademaker, the Minister of War and the Chief of Navy respectively, who advocated for a greater militarization of Integralism, with a greater unity of the Ideology and the Military, with some having expansionistic tendencies although that was a fringe idea.


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But even within the movement there were other groups, such as the Catholic Fundamentalists and the Patrianovists The first was organized around the "Catholic Legion" of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, a Zealot catholic inspired in the Romanian Legions and with appraising of the Pope, with the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Olinda D. Hélder Câmara, a fervorous Integralist with close connections to the Vatican. Growing as a part of the Catholic reaction to Socialism and Progressivism, the Legion received support and praising of the Government as "Christ's Warriors", being known for their marches and loud opposition to syncretic religions, who were considered pagan, and especially the "Moral and Spiritual Decadence" of the Brazilian people. Unsurprisingly they were linked to and grew within the Integralist movement, especially after the AIB took over and the Legion was free to pursue direct action with no fear of State reprisals, many of their more extreme actions received a Constitutional blank cheque as Catholicism was the State religion and there was no clause to protect minority religions in law except for Christian churches.

The Patrianovists were a different type of reactionarism, although still linked to Integralism and Catholic tradition, their members did not think as far back as the middle ages, but to a closer time in the 19th century when Brazil had a different leadership. The Brazilian Empire had a certain nostalgic appeal for those who saw the oligarchical old republic and the military dictatorship, the age of Pedro II was considered by many as a golden age, the Royal family were considered champions of Brazilian values and were behind many changes such as the end of slavery, which aligned with the Integralist racial policies to support miscegenation. Led by the black intelectual Arlindo Veiga dos Santos, a known supporter of Black rights in the old republic who refused any political membership out of belief that the Republican system was illegitimate. The Brazilian Republic, he argued, was made out of an unpopular military coup backed by reactionary oligarchs after the abolition of slavery, claiming that the system only brought the deaths of many brazilians both phisically and spiritually through the support of secular positivism in both the Old Republic and the Monteiro regime. The black population in Brazil also had a greater support for the descendants of Princess Isabel "the Redeemer", who abolished slavery and planned to push for a land reform to black citizens when the coup happened a few days before Parliament was opened up again.

The support for Monarchism was not reduced to only the black population of course, as the Integralist victory was a victory of reactionary movements as a whole, allowing relatively fringe groups such as the Catholic Legion and the Patrianovists to rise to a national level of prominence by loudly raising the flag of the victorious movement. Brazil as a whole was being swept by a wave of reaction that would only become far more intense in 1956 when the Catholic church was directly assaulted by the Third Reich and many feared the Fascists could be the next ones to attack the Vactican. In fact the movement in Brazil, as in many times in history, would be reflected by it's neighbors. The nation's status made it almost inevitable that it's influence would be felt by the rest of South America, just like Vargas and Monteiro would later inspire the coup of the Argentine military in 1943.

Internally, many changes would begin in 1952 and the first of them was the destruction of political opposition. The Integralists planned to do so by destroying the means of organization of both the October 3rd Movement and the National Democratic Union. The Democrats was the easiest to deal with, considering they were already a controlled opposition by the last regime, the new Forces of Order arrested several politicians from the UDN in their homes, many under made up charges of corruption, most of them with real charges of corruption. While the prohibition of political parties ended the UDN per se, different organizations and unions linked to the UDN would be targeted using the files captured from raids against the party headquarters. The October 3rd movement was harder, it was more entrenched through regional Oligarchs, sympathies in the military sector, and links of the establishment over the last 20 years. The death of Monteiro and the Integralist takeover of the military leadership would prove to be instrumental in cracking down on such groups, which primarily thanks to the existing sympathies for Salgado's ideology within the Armed Forces especially the Navy. There was already prexisting plans to crack on Liberal groups by the Monteiro government ever since the 1940 election, such plans were put into action with the arrest of several intelectuals. But as for the existing Oligarchs, Salgado had to either appease them or go to a direct confrontation against said elites, he opted for the latter.

The press was silent, most newspapers such as Roberto Marinho's "O Globo" were instead attempting desperately to not be shut down, laying off several editors and employees in order to change their own agenda into becoming from a Liberal to a Reactionary organization almost overnight to appease the government, ironically they began to condemn the Carnaval in 1952 when it was praising the organization of the event in 1951. Assis Chateaubriand's "Associate Diaries", the largest media conglomerate in Latin America, spent years closely connected with the October 3rd Movement and would go through their own "adaptation" process to parrot the ideology of the government while attempting to keep their own reputation and sway over the readers and spectators.

The Liberals were suppressed, the Press was under control, time came for the State apparatus to turn on both the remaining agrarian oligarchies and the growing Industrial interest groups. The fact the Unions were mostly under State control would help Salgado to push for a "Controlled Revolution", using Integralism, rather than Socialism, to radicalize the workers against many groups which opposed his policies in other States. On the 1st of May 1952, a General Strike was launched in Urban areas with workers raising blue and green flags rather than red ones, roads were locked down and factories were halted. Worse of all was the fact the police force stood with the strikers, backing them and even direct their fury for the "Decadence of Brazil" against Salgado's rivals. There were Greenshirt groups which used the mass action day to strike at synagogues and Jewish stores, but these elements were quickly being put down under control. There were elite groups which did side with Salgado, such as the Matarazzo family, owners of the largest Industrial conglomerate of Latin America, founded by Italian Immigrants in the Imperial era and known admirers of Mussolini. The Government used the crisis to enact the "Decreto Nacional II", the Second National Decree, Nationalizing several assets and companies considered "Neglectful" of their workers, with State agents listening to the complaints of the workers, although the fact is that the list of companies had already been made. In fact, before the end of the week only the workers in those companies had continued their strikes.

Plinio wanted Integralism to retake the masses from the idea of Socialism, that Class struggle would be replaced with cooperation, he did so by scapegoating several adversaries such as foreign companies and placing such industries under State Control. The reactions outside were of outrage, but hardly anything could be done other than sanctions being placed until the government eventually compensated such companies. That was a small price to rid the nation of propagators of cosmopolitan ideologies, as Salgado said, he wanted a method that showed the awakening of the Brazilian masses in favor of Integralism, showed the strength of the nation against foreign enemies, without resorting to "German" methods similar to the Night of the Long Knives. It was underhanded, manipulative and dirty, but it was also relatively bloodless and achieved it's propaganda goal of making the foreigner into an enemy. Salgado would use this first scapegoat to his advantage to pursue ideological goals, forbidding any language but Portuguese to be spoken on National territory, a measure from the Monteiro Regime which was driven to such an extent that the remaining American companies had to change their names and titles, even the menu in restaurants was changed and not just in words but content, as restaurants which did not serve "Brazilian food dishes" were considered unpatriotic by Greenshirts.

Furthermore, in that year of repression, Northern and Northeastern Brazil, especially Bahia, would see scenes taken from Salem, with the cult of syncretic and african-origin religions being banned, the Greenshirts were unleashed, with the enthusiastic support of the Catholic Legion, stopping ceremonies and arresting cultists on the spot, labeling them as Satanists to be exposed on the streets as such, in some cases there were incidents of overzealous members branding them with pentagrams or even burning them alive. The New Year of 1953 was put under watch of these zealots for anyone dressed in white on the beach, as it was a superstition of some groups that jumping seven waves on water while dressed in white would bring good luck, the more stubborn ones of these traditions would be arrested for breaching the Blasphemy Law. The Government labeled all these "divergent" religions into a single category, the 1955 Census would see an enormous reduction of worshippers of said religions, either by fear, or because they fled the country.

The Integralists would begin to diverge from Fascism soon after taking power, after the nationalization of Industries there was a great change in focus from the cities to the countryside as the priority was no longer the reckless progressivism of the last government when it came to the economy. There was an idea of Brazil as an Industrial giant in the Monteiro government that just was never the intention of the Integralists, Salgado despised much of that modernist philosophy that led to an enormous urbanization and disorganization of cities, linked to a decline in life-quality in the short term as industries spread across the land with terrible sanitation conditions and housing issues in places such as Rio de Janeiro. The Solution of the Integralists was to focus on Brazil as an Agrarian giant, a nation which could serve as the breadbasket of the world and explore it's enormous potential to plant crops of all types in rich soil. Naturally there would be problems in doing so, especially as much of Central Brazil was still underpopulated, with arid savannas and tropical jungles clashing to make a hostile environment to large plantations, something which would in time be corrected, especially with the adoption of the Borlaug process and new fertilizers between 1950 and 1970.

The foreign relations between Brazil and it's neighbors had a cold start, but in time many countries had started approaching the Integralists with bilateral agreements, namely Peron's Argentina which had a working relationship with Monteiro's junta in the years prior and now the President feared that this soft coup would inspire his own opposition. Meanwhile, the Paraguayans had been elated at fist, Morínigo's Regime, which had tried as much as possible to imitate the aesthetics of the Third Reich and approach the Germans, had the support from the previous government which was crucial to prevent the country's isolation. Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia were considered in 1951 to be the growth of a "Latin Axis", Authoritarian states which held in common a fierce independent atitude towards the US and close relations with the Germans, with Uruguay being an exception due to their closer links with Britain. However the Integralist takeover changed things enormously, first by cutting support towards Hugo Ballivián's regime in Bolivia as the military dictatorship fell apart to the Bolivian Social Revolution of 1952. Then pressure was applied on Paraguay, Morínigo faced the need to condemn Nazism, seeking closer links with the Catholic church and distancing himself from Germania due to the pressure from Rio de Janeiro. Peron and Salgado did not have a very good relationship, Salgado was skeptical of Peron's close links to Labor movements, however the two would grow a working relationship that linked the three nations together, as Paraguay depended on Brazil and Argentina to acess foreign markets from the River basin, a lesson they harshly learned in the previous century. In 1954, the Three States would come to sign, in the small city of Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil where the countries shared a common border. The "Pact of Friendship and Cooperation of the Platinean Basin", also known as the Pacto del Plata, was part of the Integralist beliefs of South American cooperation, and with that agreement the majority of the continent was now linked in common agreement to stand for one another, lowering tariffs and working to build upon their shared "Christian Values of compassion, temperance and diligence".

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There was also a growing cooperation between Brazil and Portugal, as Salazar was a source of inspiration for creating one of the first "Catholic Cooperative" States, and considering the unenviable position held by the Portuguese Minister, a third axis of allies was badly needed. While the Germans attempted pressuring the Portuguese into full membership in the Linz Pakt and the Americans threatened the Portuguese colonial holdings if that were to happen, the last time something similar happened in Lisbon resulted in the Portuguese government fleeing to Brazil of all places. Certainly there was some sympathy, both were regimes with authoritarian, although Anti-Nazism, tendencies that condemned Germania's "paganism" in favor of a less ambitious project of a nation allied with Catholic principles and ideals. Salgado went to Lisbon in 1953, the meeting being considered one of the greatest shows of Lusotropicalism, the idea of a close relationship between Portuguese-speaking nations. The two would come into new commercial agreements that allowed for Brazilian investment on Angola and Mozambique at new levels, while the Portuguese were afforded exceptions in the "Autarquia", the Autarky economical policies. Salgado refused to go to Spain after the rise of the Falange, while he did praise Franco before this was not the case with the more Linz-alligned Secular Fascists under Rivera. He did not go as far as cutting relationships with Germany until 1956.

When the Germans unleashed their purge and anti-catholic rhetoric in 1956, the first nation to react, before even Italy of the Vatican itself, was Brazil. Salgado ordered all former members of the Brazilian cell of the NSDAP to be arrested, despite the fact they were dissolved years ago. He cut all diplomatic ties and fiercely condemned Germania, also openly provoking Mussolini, alongside the Spanish and the French, who "Claimed to follow the Holy Church and yet sit idle while the forces of Satan strike it". Brazilian troops had even conducted a military exercise in French Guiana and offered to Pope Pius XII to shelter and protect the Catholic Church in Brazil if worst came to Rome. That was a radical response, perhaps this show was what decisively separated Integralism from Fascism in the eyes of the world, the fact that Brazil also cut several agreements to sell agricultural goods to Europe was also an unnerving prospect to the Reich who saw their influence in Latin America almost vanish overnight once Peron and Morínigo followed their ally and many other nations distanced themselves from Rudolf Hess to avoid the wrath of their populations. This distancing from the Germans lead to a settlement of sorts with the United States, Huey Long was seen as a lesser evil and Peron greatly admired the American President, suggesting to Salgado that the Americans would be a viable market to sell their products to. Previous barriers erected in 1952 were reduced, indemnities for the nationalization of American assets were paid (not to the companies of course, but to Long's Federal Government) and Salgado even gave Huey a public support over his health, claiming that the whole nation was praying for him.


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Another factor that influenced the anti-germanism was the death of Gustavo Barroso, one of the main leaders of the Integralists who was also a germanophile inside Salgado's cabinet. Barroso, an admirer of Hitler's anti-semitism and the discipline of the SS parades in the 1930s, greatly influenced the creation of the Greenshirts, he would be an important member of the AIB ranks and was also a prestigious writer and member of the Brazilian Academia. But there were not many tears when his funeral came, Salgado and Reale both saw it as a positive that the movement could be rooted out of his influence. Severino Sombra, a former lieutenant and known Integralist who had been a member of the organization since it's early days, was named as the chief of the Greenshirts, or as they called themselves now "Policia da Moral e Civismo" (Morality and Civics Police) as they became a part of the Brazilian police at the beginning of the government.

The Integralists continued to make changes in the domestic scenario that began to be felt, although it was not the radical increase in life quality that some expected. Inflation was greatly decreased as well as the deficit spending of the Government, thanks to the reduced priority of mass industrialization. Agricultural output was increased, a new capital project began to be drafted by the Government, Education became more ideological and Christianity was given a much greater influence in the politics of the nation, in opposition to the previous secular Republic. But overrall there was no mass revolution or change from the previous order as there was from the Weimar Republic to Hitler's regime, Brazil had already been a centralized authoritarian state before with nothing but a sham democracy that meant little in the grand scheme. All the Integralists did was to be rid of the political parties and switch the "Sword" to the "Cross", although there was always the element of Force. Could it be called a Totalitarian State? There were certainly many elements to it that did link Brazil towards Totalitarianism, but the government became more decentralized, there was the lack of a central formal party structure, the State was placed in a less prominent role compared to the Catholic Church, there were still relatively free elections on a local level due to the Integralist belief in Municipalism, although candidated had to be vetted by Government officers. It was a very Authoritarian State, but one more in line with Salazarist Portugal than with Hitler or Mussolini, there was much influence and propaganda inside the State to change the thoughts and beliefs of the people, but it was largely an encouragement to many beliefs the Brazilians already held at the time.

When the Ural War happened, Brazil was eager to support the Russians against the Germans, although the Orthodox church was still a schismatic Church, it was painted as a shared Christian struggle against a Heathen enemy, some may even call it a Crusade. There were over 7.000 Brazilian volunteers in Russia, alongside vital shipments of food, with Brazilian coffee becoming a known commodity amongst Russian soldiers that helped to fight off the cold winters. By 1959 nearly a decade had passed of Integralist rule, Industrialization followed a more steady growth, although surpassed by a growing agricultural boom, inflation was contained and there was still a certain optimism towards the future. Salgado also pushed towards the values of "Pity and Charity", which included some degree of Social Welfare. Culturally is perhaps the one place where Integralism had truly come to revolutionize Brazil, as the Carnaval slowly dwindled to practically fade out by the 1960s, as representation in the change of atitudes by the government which condemned sexual liberation movements (one particularly known measure being the banning of bikinis), as well as the bans to gambling and drugs, the restrictions in alcohol consumption, and the overwhelming propaganda driven to increase church attendance and promote Catholic events. One example was the ban in the internal sale of meat during Easter Week and restrictions during Lent, as well as government charity programs during Christmas. Several songs were banned, while other types were promoted, with young singers such as João Gilberto either having to readequate themselves and their songs or go into exile. Soon singers who attempted to go around censorship would find out that their messages were not well received to the people either, as a decade encouraging Catholic values which were inherent to most Brazilians, as well as the ongoing movement of religious revival on the Western world, led to many being almost chased out of the country for controversial songs.

Some may claim Brazil became an embodiment of a fusion between values of the Middle Ages and the Modern State, and only time would tell if such project could be successful.
 
Please, I want this to happen so much and it's absolutely in line with his personality.
Patton's short Presidency was also the most energetic the United States has been in years when facing it's enemies, projects which were being held back were accelerated including the Mark 27 Nuclear device, which would be tested on the 1st of June on the North of Greenland near the North Pole with devastating effects, the largest detonation up until that moment with a 30-Megaton Yield, the "Betsy Ross" bomb which was over the double the expected power, a Thermonuclear device which almost destroyed the delivery bomber. Furthermore, Patton oversaw the famous "Operation Ripper" after reviewing it and more than doubling the firepower (in both artillery and bombers) designed for the operation and seeing Congress approve another act to escalate the number of troops in the Korean conflict. The Communist advance towards Pusan was stopped and Patton became the first President in modern era to personally command the operation. In Late May he would spend a week in Korea and commanded the offensive which shattered the momentum of the Communist forces across the eastern coast of the Peninsula. Patton's classic bold style was a surprise to many who were used to the attritional proxy war approach that had existed up until that moment.
 
So this is how liberty dies, to thunderous applause.

I don't care what veneer that's smeared over, the fundamental institutions of democracy in the country has been weakened, and people are too into their particular issues to give a damn.

But then, they voted for it, and so in a way they are responsible for what's to come, no matter how small a slice of said responsibility on an individual level.
Imagine the people who are cheering for Long now when they realize the enormous power and political machine he left can be picked up by people for worse than him.
 
Nice chapter on Brazil, it's spreading it's wings and forming a new identity/ideology in the face of Germanic insanity. I do hope that the Brazilian Empire somehow returns, it would be amazing to see. Keep up the good work.
 
Nice chapter on Brazil, it's spreading it's wings and forming a new identity/ideology in the face of Germanic insanity. I do hope that the Brazilian Empire somehow returns, it would be amazing to see. Keep up the good work.
It's a common myth that the Integralists were Monarchists just because they were nostalgic and didn't shun monarchism like most of it's contemporary movements. But for the Brazilian Empire to return you would need the Patrianovistas to take over the country.
 
Imagine the people who are cheering for Long now when they realize the enormous power and political machine he left can be picked up by people for worse than him.
Thing is, are any of Long’s main potential successors (his brother, LBJ, Wallace, Sid, and Hoffa) people worse than him?
Anyways, the Brazil chapter was, to quote Palpatine “a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one”, even if, like the last chapter on the Ural War, it felt a tad too short. Assuming the next chapter is gonna be on either Italy, Algeria, or Korea.
 
It's a common myth that the Integralists were Monarchists just because they were nostalgic and didn't shun monarchism like most of it's contemporary movements. But for the Brazilian Empire to return you would need the Patrianovistas to take over the country.
Maybe the monarchy would return in an Integralist out-of-spite last effort to prevent the return of the old republican liberal order, something like what Franco did in Spain during his last days. Even if the Integralists weren't monarchist, I believe they would prefer a Catholic Empire of Brazil as their successor instead of a secular republican government which would undo everything they did.

The Brazilian Military during the 50s or 60s contemplated the idea of restoring the Empire of Brazil, and they were positivists much more removed from the notion of monarchy than the more traditional integralists.
 
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Thing is, are any of Long’s main potential successors (his brother, LBJ, Wallace, Sid, and Hoffa) people worse than him?
Anyways, the Brazil chapter was, to quote Palpatine “a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one”, even if, like the last chapter on the Ural War, it felt a tad too short. Assuming the next chapter is gonna be on either Italy, Algeria, or Korea.
Hoffa is connected with the mobsters to a level not even Long is, and we all know that George Wallace is... George Wallace, he can easily fall into race baiting to benefit himself. And Johnson is largely responsible for Vietnam as well, especially in escalating it.

Also Russell isn't Long's brother, that would be Earl and nobody will vote in a lunatic as President... I hope. Russell is Long's son.

I have been thinking about chapter lengths and it's not something that can be fully sustained in the long run. Sure it made sense at the start because the background of Nations had to be exposed, but I can end up risking it becoming too repetitive if I do that treatment to everyone. Sure there is a lot to talk about in, say, a German chapter, but I don't think I can do a 10-thousand word chapter about South Africa as I do not know of their history and system in depth enough. The US and Germany are the main protagonists in this story so its logical they would have more expansive chapters to talk about, maybe China can have a similar treatment one day but for now don't expect the standard to be academic-sized essays.
 
Maybe the monarchy would return in an Integralist out-of-spite last effort to prevent the return of the old republican liberal order, something like what Franco did in Spain during his last days. Even if the Integralists weren't monarchist, I believe they would prefer a Catholic Empire of Brazil as their successor instead of a secular republican government which would undo everything they did.

The Brazilian Military during the 50s or 60s contemplated the idea of restoring the Empire of Brazil, and they were positivists much more removed from the notion of monarchy than the more traditional integralists.
Well, contrary to Franco's move, it might even work considering the Braganza are much more traditionalist than Juan Carlos. Although it would require a lot of factors that aren't present at the moment.
 
Hoffa is connected with the mobsters to a level not even Long is, and we all know that George Wallace is... George Wallace, he can easily fall into race baiting to benefit himself. And Johnson is largely responsible for Vietnam as well, especially in escalating it.
And, what about Sid Mcmath?
Also Russell isn't Long's brother, that would be Earl and nobody will vote in a lunatic as President... I hope. Russell is Long's son.
Ah, apologies for my mistake here,
I have been thinking about chapter lengths and it's not something that can be fully sustained in the long run. Sure it made sense at the start because the background of Nations had to be exposed, but I can end up risking it becoming too repetitive if I do that treatment to everyone. Sure there is a lot to talk about in, say, a German chapter, but I don't think I can do a 10-thousand word chapter about South Africa as I do not know of their history and system in depth enough. The US and Germany are the main protagonists in this story so its logical they would have more expansive chapters to talk about, maybe China can have a similar treatment one day but for now don't expect the standard to be academic-sized essays.
Fair point. It might just be because I feel the chapters that aren’t America/Germany centric have the potential to cover more but don’t do that.
A 10k word chapter on China is an interesting idea though, but I think you should wait a bit before you shift the focus back to them.
 
And, what about Sid Mcmath?

Ah, apologies for my mistake here,

Fair point. It might just be because I feel the chapters that aren’t America/Germany centric have the potential to cover more but don’t do that.
A 10k word chapter on China is an interesting idea though, but I think you should wait a bit before you shift the focus back to them.
Sid is certainly someone who would take Longism in a better direction and isn't as corrupt, but he is an underdog in much of the competition. He does have a strong base with farmers but he is not as skilled in politics or the masses like Johnson and Wallace are.
 
THE IRON EAGLE
ESTADO INTEGRAL





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The Carnaval was perhaps one of the most famous events in the Brazilian cultural calendar, five days, although the celebrations could easily last over a week, where it felt like everything was allowed. That was also one of the most controversial dates in a country that claimed itself as Catholic. While the previous regime was secular, the military rule of Góes Monteiro sometimes even encouraging the event as a great distraction, this new one was not. Integralists have opposed the Carnaval as a symbol of all they opposed, the "cosmopolitan" culture that attracted tourists from all over the world and played the greatest hit songs from the United States, the alcoholism and "degenerate" behaviors being widespread and growing ever since the 1910s, all that was forbidden was allowed and that also increased the criminality around this time. It is no surprise that the Greenshirts were known as "Desmancha Festa", or Party Breakers, there was a fair share of growing incidents in the late 1940s where Integralist militias disrupted the celebrations and, in one occasion in São Paulo, attacked one of the parade cars that was considered insulting of Christianity, considering it "Satanic", the car was set on fire but no one died despite some injuries. It was quite clear that many in Brazil also hated this tradition and the Integralists were seen as the only ones capable of taking action against it.

In 1952, the Carnaval week began in late February under a very tense climate. The Capital had a new leadership and the Catete Palace was just a few miles from the location such celebrations were supposed to be held. Not only did Salgado get elected as President, therefore the Greenshirts were included in the Presidential Guard, but Monteiro, the real power of the country, was dead and the military was now under Mourão Filho, a devout Integralist who was already finishing a new Constitution together with Salgado, Barroso and Miguel Reale, the last being a known Jurist. Some feared what action could be taken and decided to skip the event, spending the holidays at home. Those who went were mostly members of the Liberal middle class of Rio, known musicians and representatives of the most vanguardist movements thought that the Integralists would not be much different from the military once in power, that the money from Tourism generated by the carnaval was going to appease them. One of these was the young singer João Gilberto, who was invited to make a recording on the Copacabana radio, he was walking by the city with an inspiration already in mind when everything started. The parade was not forbidden that year, but some of the organizers thought that was a blank cheque to continue as they always did, and this year there was a particularly insulting piece of the street carnaval that insulted the Integralist Catholicism, one that showed a caricature of Salgado being hit on his back by a man dressed like a red devil with a pitchfork. He knew what was going to happen the moment the cars began arriving and hurried out of the scene. By the time he arrived at the radio, his recording was suspended due to an urgent news being announced that several were wounded and even three died when the Greenshirts came down on that parade. The celebrations, including the traditional contest of allegorical cars, was canceled by the President due to security concerns as bomb threats were made.

That was only the beginning, as the New "Ano Bissexto" Constitution, known as the "Dispositive of the Integral State", would be approved on the 29th of February that year and change the political framework of the nation, showing that this would not be a continuation of the old order. First the Council of Ministers was abolished, which was a popular idea of the time and ironically one of the demands of the newly defunct UDN. But in compensation all powers were now centralized in the "Chefe Nacional", which some compared to the position of Duce and even Führer, a figure above political squabbles that were cracked down upon. All political parties were abolished, ironically even the AIB itself was declared defunct. Congress was organized into a new corporate structure, fully elected by categories instead of an universal suffrage. There would be representatives of the different classes, teachers, urban workers, rural workers, companies, doctors, all were given a designated number of seats. The influence of the military was drastically curtailed compared to the "Stratocracy" which existed before as all were to be commanded by the Head of State, who also chose the commanders of the 3 armed branches, those initially being Mourão Filho in the Army, Augusto Rademaker in the Navy, and Márcio de Sousa Melo in the Air Force. The Greenshirts were officially named as a branch of the Brazilian police in order to curtail the power of the Military Police, being given extensive extra-judicial power as the Chief of State was also head of Police officially. The Judiciary branch was changed as the Supreme Court had it's number changed to just 7 members, all appointed by the Chief of State and while they could still judicially review proposals of the Congress, they could not do so to State Decrees or to a law once approved by Salgado. State governors had their powers even more weakened, but in compensation there was a boon to municipalism as the municipalities gained several new powers including receiving funding directly from the Federal Government, not from the State governments who were essentially reduced to a ceremonial position. Speaking of ceremonies, State traditions also came under assault in some states such as Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Pernambuco, as the date of celebration for them referred to events supporting "Separatism" as the Government claimed.

On the cultural side, there was an odd mix of reactionary and progressive policies to fit Brazil into the Integralist vision. Racism, or as it was called "Promotion racial disunity and hatred", was added to the legal code as a crime with up to 6 years of imprisonment. There were protections given to both black and indigenous peoples against discrimination on several areas including employment, in some ways the Brazilian Constitution of 1952 was used as a model against racial discrimination, although same could not be said of religious discrimination as that was practically enshrined in the Constitution. Catholicism was declared as the single State religion, while there was a certain level of tolerance towards other Christian denominations, most protestants were considered a foreign influence from Northern Europe and the United States. Ironically, while black and indigenous peoples were safe from racial hatred by law, the law forbade their religious traditions. In places such as Bahia, with a strong tradition of religious syncretism with African religions, there was a crackdown by the Greenshirts against religions such as Umbanda and Candomblé, while in the Amazon and indigenous reserves, religious ceremonies were under state scrutiny and missionary work by the Catholic church was heavily encouraged by the State. While the Carnaval was not officially banned, there was a lot of restriction as freedom of speech was tightened under the "Blasphemy Law" and the National Security Act was expanded to include any allusions against members of government to be an incitement of hatred and violence. Foreign music was not exactly banned either, but there were several mentions of opposition to "Cultural Imperialism" that gave the police, and Greenshirts by consequence, a lot of leeway in enforcing this prohibition, for instance there were some states where Jazz was banned, there were also restrictions on alcoholic beverages, although not to the extent of the American prohibition.

The new order was not the first Fascist-style of government in Latin America, although there were some substantial differences between Integralism and Fascism, but it was the first time it was implemented on that scale. Suddenly Brazil was the largest "Fascist" nation on earth, with a territory larger than the Continguous US and a booming population numbering over 50 million people in 1950. The reactions around were mixed, some were condemning as the US, others such as Higino Moínigo's Paraguay were praising Brazil, Peron in Argentina had a cautiously supportive mindset but feared a Brazilian entry into the Linz Pakt. Salgado quickly dismissed the fears of both Peron and Long when he banned the Brazilian branch of the NSDAP, which was once part of the effort established by Hess in the 1930s to connect with German immigrant communities, he would then crackdown on privileges given to some immigrant groups by the Monteiro Junta in order to enforce assimilation through the Portuguese language. Furthermore, a state visit by Mussolini would prove to be underwhelming to the prospects of the Fascists. Salgado would spend much of the meeting locked in an argument with Benito away from cameras, accusing the Italian of "Atheism" and claiming that the spiritual health of a nation depended on traditions that Italian Fascism attempted to replace or destroy. They officially would leave with trade agreements, but clearly both left off with a bitter taste that was reported to the American government by spies with some optimism "We have no reason to fear this new Brazilian government will be anymore closer to Germania than they were before". Anti-Americanism could be survived if it meant the Reich did not have an even greater foothold in the Continent. French Guiana was already a bad enough trouble for Washington which would only grow in time.

The Integralists were not uniform, contrary to what their marches said, Salgado was the leader but he did have different branches growing within the former AIB that continued in the New government: Minister of Education Gustavo Barroso, Minister of Justice Miguel Reale and Minister of War Mourão Filho all had their differences between one another. Barroso was perhaps the most germanophile member of Government, even if that was a low bar, due to his anti-semitism. It was undeniable that the man was an accomplished intellectual, perhaps possessing a sense of superiority that attracted him towards a "Tropical Fascist" movement, among his works was the portuguese translation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. He used to give a more anti-semitic spins on his denouncement of American Imperialism, also wishing for a more German-inspired model such as the creation of a single party, opposing the Anti-politicism of Salgado. Reale was a representative of the young guard of the Integralists, but that did not mean he was a radical in the firebrand revolutionary sense, he was a legalist who was more similar to a "Wegener" than a "Goebbels". He was a jurist above all, who believed in Integralism as a more rational evolution of Brazilian nationalism that was completely divergent from Nazism and Fascism, claiming that by the time the AIB was founded nobody even knew Hitler's doctrines in the country. Reale desired to create what he called the "Integral State" as an organic democracy where corporations were not linked to the State but formed on their own, while also applying his own personal "Integral Theory of Law" to the functioning of the State and the Supreme Court. He was constantly at odds with Barroso, claiming that he was "more obsessed with the symbols, militia and sigma" rather than Theoretical Integralism. Finally there was Mourão Filho and Rademaker, the Minister of War and the Chief of Navy respectively, who advocated for a greater militarization of Integralism, with a greater unity of the Ideology and the Military, with some having expansionistic tendencies although that was a fringe idea.





But even within the movement there were other groups, such as the Catholic Fundamentalists and the Patrianovists The first was organized around the "Catholic Legion" of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, a Zealot catholic inspired in the Romanian Legions and with appraising of the Pope, with the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Olinda D. Hélder Câmara, a fervorous Integralist with close connections to the Vatican. Growing as a part of the Catholic reaction to Socialism and Progressivism, the Legion received support and praising of the Government as "Christ's Warriors", being known for their marches and loud opposition to syncretic religions, who were considered pagan, and especially the "Moral and Spiritual Decadence" of the Brazilian people. Unsurprisingly they were linked to and grew within the Integralist movement, especially after the AIB took over and the Legion was free to pursue direct action with no fear of State reprisals, many of their more extreme actions received a Constitutional blank cheque as Catholicism was the State religion and there was no clause to protect minority religions in law except for Christian churches.

The Patrianovists were a different type of reactionarism, although still linked to Integralism and Catholic tradition, their members did not think as far back as the middle ages, but to a closer time in the 19th century when Brazil had a different leadership. The Brazilian Empire had a certain nostalgic appeal for those who saw the oligarchical old republic and the military dictatorship, the age of Pedro II was considered by many as a golden age, the Royal family were considered champions of Brazilian values and were behind many changes such as the end of slavery, which aligned with the Integralist racial policies to support miscegenation. Led by the black intelectual Arlindo Veiga dos Santos, a known supporter of Black rights in the old republic who refused any political membership out of belief that the Republican system was illegitimate. The Brazilian Republic, he argued, was made out of an unpopular military coup backed by reactionary oligarchs after the abolition of slavery, claiming that the system only brought the deaths of many brazilians both phisically and spiritually through the support of secular positivism in both the Old Republic and the Monteiro regime. The black population in Brazil also had a greater support for the descendants of Princess Isabel "the Redeemer", who abolished slavery and planned to push for a land reform to black citizens when the coup happened a few days before Parliament was opened up again.

The support for Monarchism was not reduced to only the black population of course, as the Integralist victory was a victory of reactionary movements as a whole, allowing relatively fringe groups such as the Catholic Legion and the Patrianovists to rise to a national level of prominence by loudly raising the flag of the victorious movement. Brazil as a whole was being swept by a wave of reaction that would only become far more intense in 1956 when the Catholic church was directly assaulted by the Third Reich and many feared the Fascists could be the next ones to attack the Vactican. In fact the movement in Brazil, as in many times in history, would be reflected by it's neighbors. The nation's status made it almost inevitable that it's influence would be felt by the rest of South America, just like Vargas and Monteiro would later inspire the coup of the Argentine military in 1943.

Internally, many changes would begin in 1952 and the first of them was the destruction of political opposition. The Integralists planned to do so by destroying the means of organization of both the October 3rd Movement and the National Democratic Union. The Democrats was the easiest to deal with, considering they were already a controlled opposition by the last regime, the new Forces of Order arrested several politicians from the UDN in their homes, many under made up charges of corruption, most of them with real charges of corruption. While the prohibition of political parties ended the UDN per se, different organizations and unions linked to the UDN would be targeted using the files captured from raids against the party headquarters. The October 3rd movement was harder, it was more entrenched through regional Oligarchs, sympathies in the military sector, and links of the establishment over the last 20 years. The death of Monteiro and the Integralist takeover of the military leadership would prove to be instrumental in cracking down on such groups, which primarily thanks to the existing sympathies for Salgado's ideology within the Armed Forces especially the Navy. There was already prexisting plans to crack on Liberal groups by the Monteiro government ever since the 1940 election, such plans were put into action with the arrest of several intelectuals. But as for the existing Oligarchs, Salgado had to either appease them or go to a direct confrontation against said elites, he opted for the latter.

The press was silent, most newspapers such as Roberto Marinho's "O Globo" were instead attempting desperately to not be shut down, laying off several editors and employees in order to change their own agenda into becoming from a Liberal to a Reactionary organization almost overnight to appease the government, ironically they began to condemn the Carnaval in 1952 when it was praising the organization of the event in 1951. Assis Chateaubriand's "Associate Diaries", the largest media conglomerate in Latin America, spent years closely connected with the October 3rd Movement and would go through their own "adaptation" process to parrot the ideology of the government while attempting to keep their own reputation and sway over the readers and spectators.

The Liberals were suppressed, the Press was under control, time came for the State apparatus to turn on both the remaining agrarian oligarchies and the growing Industrial interest groups. The fact the Unions were mostly under State control would help Salgado to push for a "Controlled Revolution", using Integralism, rather than Socialism, to radicalize the workers against many groups which opposed his policies in other States. On the 1st of May 1952, a General Strike was launched in Urban areas with workers raising blue and green flags rather than red ones, roads were locked down and factories were halted. Worse of all was the fact the police force stood with the strikers, backing them and even direct their fury for the "Decadence of Brazil" against Salgado's rivals. There were Greenshirt groups which used the mass action day to strike at synagogues and Jewish stores, but these elements were quickly being put down under control. There were elite groups which did side with Salgado, such as the Matarazzo family, owners of the largest Industrial conglomerate of Latin America, founded by Italian Immigrants in the Imperial era and known admirers of Mussolini. The Government used the crisis to enact the "Decreto Nacional II", the Second National Decree, Nationalizing several assets and companies considered "Neglectful" of their workers, with State agents listening to the complaints of the workers, although the fact is that the list of companies had already been made. In fact, before the end of the week only the workers in those companies had continued their strikes.

Plinio wanted Integralism to retake the masses from the idea of Socialism, that Class struggle would be replaced with cooperation, he did so by scapegoating several adversaries such as foreign companies and placing such industries under State Control. The reactions outside were of outrage, but hardly anything could be done other than sanctions being placed until the government eventually compensated such companies. That was a small price to rid the nation of propagators of cosmopolitan ideologies, as Salgado said, he wanted a method that showed the awakening of the Brazilian masses in favor of Integralism, showed the strength of the nation against foreign enemies, without resorting to "German" methods similar to the Night of the Long Knives. It was underhanded, manipulative and dirty, but it was also relatively bloodless and achieved it's propaganda goal of making the foreigner into an enemy. Salgado would use this first scapegoat to his advantage to pursue ideological goals, forbidding any language but Portuguese to be spoken on National territory, a measure from the Monteiro Regime which was driven to such an extent that the remaining American companies had to change their names and titles, even the menu in restaurants was changed and not just in words but content, as restaurants which did not serve "Brazilian food dishes" were considered unpatriotic by Greenshirts.

Furthermore, in that year of repression, Northern and Northeastern Brazil, especially Bahia, would see scenes taken from Salem, with the cult of syncretic and african-origin religions being banned, the Greenshirts were unleashed, with the enthusiastic support of the Catholic Legion, stopping ceremonies and arresting cultists on the spot, labeling them as Satanists to be exposed on the streets as such, in some cases there were incidents of overzealous members branding them with pentagrams or even burning them alive. The New Year of 1953 was put under watch of these zealots for anyone dressed in white on the beach, as it was a superstition of some groups that jumping seven waves on water while dressed in white would bring good luck, the more stubborn ones of these traditions would be arrested for breaching the Blasphemy Law. The Government labeled all these "divergent" religions into a single category, the 1955 Census would see an enormous reduction of worshippers of said religions, either by fear, or because they fled the country.

The Integralists would begin to diverge from Fascism soon after taking power, after the nationalization of Industries there was a great change in focus from the cities to the countryside as the priority was no longer the reckless progressivism of the last government when it came to the economy. There was an idea of Brazil as an Industrial giant in the Monteiro government that just was never the intention of the Integralists, Salgado despised much of that modernist philosophy that led to an enormous urbanization and disorganization of cities, linked to a decline in life-quality in the short term as industries spread across the land with terrible sanitation conditions and housing issues in places such as Rio de Janeiro. The Solution of the Integralists was to focus on Brazil as an Agrarian giant, a nation which could serve as the breadbasket of the world and explore it's enormous potential to plant crops of all types in rich soil. Naturally there would be problems in doing so, especially as much of Central Brazil was still underpopulated, with arid savannas and tropical jungles clashing to make a hostile environment to large plantations, something which would in time be corrected, especially with the adoption of the Borlaug process and new fertilizers between 1950 and 1970.

The foreign relations between Brazil and it's neighbors had a cold start, but in time many countries had started approaching the Integralists with bilateral agreements, namely Peron's Argentina which had a working relationship with Monteiro's junta in the years prior and now the President feared that this soft coup would inspire his own opposition. Meanwhile, the Paraguayans had been elated at fist, Morínigo's Regime, which had tried as much as possible to imitate the aesthetics of the Third Reich and approach the Germans, had the support from the previous government which was crucial to prevent the country's isolation. Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia were considered in 1951 to be the growth of a "Latin Axis", Authoritarian states which held in common a fierce independent atitude towards the US and close relations with the Germans, with Uruguay being an exception due to their closer links with Britain. However the Integralist takeover changed things enormously, first by cutting support towards Hugo Ballivián's regime in Bolivia as the military dictatorship fell apart to the Bolivian Social Revolution of 1952. Then pressure was applied on Paraguay, Morínigo faced the need to condemn Nazism, seeking closer links with the Catholic church and distancing himself from Germania due to the pressure from Rio de Janeiro. Peron and Salgado did not have a very good relationship, Salgado was skeptical of Peron's close links to Labor movements, however the two would grow a working relationship that linked the three nations together, as Paraguay depended on Brazil and Argentina to acess foreign markets from the River basin, a lesson they harshly learned in the previous century. In 1954, the Three States would come to sign, in the small city of Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil where the countries shared a common border. The "Pact of Friendship and Cooperation of the Platinean Basin", also known as the Pacto del Plata, was part of the Integralist beliefs of South American cooperation, and with that agreement the majority of the continent was now linked in common agreement to stand for one another, lowering tariffs and working to build upon their shared "Christian Values of compassion, temperance and diligence".




There was also a growing cooperation between Brazil and Portugal, as Salazar was a source of inspiration for creating one of the first "Catholic Cooperative" States, and considering the unenviable position held by the Portuguese Minister, a third axis of allies was badly needed. While the Germans attempted pressuring the Portuguese into full membership in the Linz Pakt and the Americans threatened the Portuguese colonial holdings if that were to happen, the last time something similar happened in Lisbon resulted in the Portuguese government fleeing to Brazil of all places. Certainly there was some sympathy, both were regimes with authoritarian, although Anti-Nazism, tendencies that condemned Germania's "paganism" in favor of a less ambitious project of a nation allied with Catholic principles and ideals. Salgado went to Lisbon in 1953, the meeting being considered one of the greatest shows of Lusotropicalism, the idea of a close relationship between Portuguese-speaking nations. The two would come into new commercial agreements that allowed for Brazilian investment on Angola and Mozambique at new levels, while the Portuguese were afforded exceptions in the "Autarquia", the Autarky economical policies. Salgado refused to go to Spain after the rise of the Falange, while he did praise Franco before this was not the case with the more Linz-alligned Secular Fascists under Rivera. He did not go as far as cutting relationships with Germany until 1956.

When the Germans unleashed their purge and anti-catholic rhetoric in 1956, the first nation to react, before even Italy of the Vatican itself, was Brazil. Salgado ordered all former members of the Brazilian cell of the NSDAP to be arrested, despite the fact they were dissolved years ago. He cut all diplomatic ties and fiercely condemned Germania, also openly provoking Mussolini, alongside the Spanish and the French, who "Claimed to follow the Holy Church and yet sit idle while the forces of Satan strike it". Brazilian troops had even conducted a military exercise in French Guiana and offered to Pope Pius XII to shelter and protect the Catholic Church in Brazil if worst came to Rome. That was a radical response, perhaps this show was what decisively separated Integralism from Fascism in the eyes of the world, the fact that Brazil also cut several agreements to sell agricultural goods to Europe was also an unnerving prospect to the Reich who saw their influence in Latin America almost vanish overnight once Peron and Morínigo followed their ally and many other nations distanced themselves from Rudolf Hess to avoid the wrath of their populations. This distancing from the Germans lead to a settlement of sorts with the United States, Huey Long was seen as a lesser evil and Peron greatly admired the American President, suggesting to Salgado that the Americans would be a viable market to sell their products to. Previous barriers erected in 1952 were reduced, indemnities for the nationalization of American assets were paid (not to the companies of course, but to Long's Federal Government) and Salgado even gave Huey a public support over his health, claiming that the whole nation was praying for him.





Another factor that influenced the anti-germanism was the death of Gustavo Barroso, one of the main leaders of the Integralists who was also a germanophile inside Salgado's cabinet. Barroso, an admirer of Hitler's anti-semitism and the discipline of the SS parades in the 1930s, greatly influenced the creation of the Greenshirts, he would be an important member of the AIB ranks and was also a prestigious writer and member of the Brazilian Academia. But there were not many tears when his funeral came, Salgado and Reale both saw it as a positive that the movement could be rooted out of his influence. Severino Sombra, a former lieutenant and known Integralist who had been a member of the organization since it's early days, was named as the chief of the Greenshirts, or as they called themselves now "Policia da Moral e Civismo" (Morality and Civics Police) as they became a part of the Brazilian police at the beginning of the government.

The Integralists continued to make changes in the domestic scenario that began to be felt, although it was not the radical increase in life quality that some expected. Inflation was greatly decreased as well as the deficit spending of the Government, thanks to the reduced priority of mass industrialization. Agricultural output was increased, a new capital project began to be drafted by the Government, Education became more ideological and Christianity was given a much greater influence in the politics of the nation, in opposition to the previous secular Republic. But overrall there was no mass revolution or change from the previous order as there was from the Weimar Republic to Hitler's regime, Brazil had already been a centralized authoritarian state before with nothing but a sham democracy that meant little in the grand scheme. All the Integralists did was to be rid of the political parties and switch the "Sword" to the "Cross", although there was always the element of Force. Could it be called a Totalitarian State? There were certainly many elements to it that did link Brazil towards Totalitarianism, but the government became more decentralized, there was the lack of a central formal party structure, the State was placed in a less prominent role compared to the Catholic Church, there were still relatively free elections on a local level due to the Integralist belief in Municipalism, although candidated had to be vetted by Government officers. It was a very Authoritarian State, but one more in line with Salazarist Portugal than with Hitler or Mussolini, there was much influence and propaganda inside the State to change the thoughts and beliefs of the people, but it was largely an encouragement to many beliefs the Brazilians already held at the time.

When the Ural War happened, Brazil was eager to support the Russians against the Germans, although the Orthodox church was still a schismatic Church, it was painted as a shared Christian struggle against a Heathen enemy, some may even call it a Crusade. There were over 7.000 Brazilian volunteers in Russia, alongside vital shipments of food, with Brazilian coffee becoming a known commodity amongst Russian soldiers that helped to fight off the cold winters. By 1959 nearly a decade had passed of Integralist rule, Industrialization followed a more steady growth, although surpassed by a growing agricultural boom, inflation was contained and there was still a certain optimism towards the future. Salgado also pushed towards the values of "Pity and Charity", which included some degree of Social Welfare. Culturally is perhaps the one place where Integralism had truly come to revolutionize Brazil, as the Carnaval slowly dwindled to practically fade out by the 1960s, as representation in the change of atitudes by the government which condemned sexual liberation movements (one particularly known measure being the banning of bikinis), as well as the bans to gambling and drugs, the restrictions in alcohol consumption, and the overwhelming propaganda driven to increase church attendance and promote Catholic events. One example was the ban in the internal sale of meat during Easter Week and restrictions during Lent, as well as government charity programs during Christmas. Several songs were banned, while other types were promoted, with young singers such as João Gilberto either having to readequate themselves and their songs or go into exile. Soon singers who attempted to go around censorship would find out that their messages were not well received to the people either, as a decade encouraging Catholic values which were inherent to most Brazilians, as well as the ongoing movement of religious revival on the Western world, led to many being almost chased out of the country for controversial songs.

Some may claim Brazil became an embodiment of a fusion between values of the Middle Ages and the Modern State, and only time would tell if such project could be successful.
With a more catholic outlook on culture issues, Brazil is probably looking to have something close to 240M people by 2023 ITTL, if no major war occurs.

What's the Integralists' position on big industrial state companies like Petrobrás, CSN and Eletrobrás?
 
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With a more catholic outlook on culture issues, Brazil is probably looking to have something close to 240M people by 2023 ITTL, if no major war occurs.

What's the Integralists' position on big industrial state companies like Petrobrás, CSN and Eletrobrás?
I'd say more. Just think that if Germania probably already has over 100 million people by 1960 due to its pro-natality policies, I think Brazil could have something closer to 270 or more, especially if the industrialization and urbanization process is slowed down (which is what seems to be happening, according to this chapter)
 
especially if the industrialization and urbanization process is slowed down (which is what seems to be happening, according to this chapter)
The Integralists have tons of bad ideological takes, but being more or less against heavy industrialization as a priority must be their one sincerely foolish idea. What do they think they are going to do to compete against industrial juggernauts like Germany or the US if push comes to shove? Idiots. If Germany falls Brazil would be in a position akin to Yugoslavia after the Cold War, new public enemy number 1.

Maybe Reale, due to being more moderate, or Mourão Filho, due to the need to industrialize for militaristic purposes, will have the hindsight to abandon this ruralist agenda when Plinio dies.

Still, I would worry about Mourão Filho's expansionist designs for Brazil. To my knowledge, this can only mean two places: Uruguay or French Guyana. This first path would be a disaster for the diplomatics alignments in Latin America and couldn't be kept in the long run, absolute madness with no real gain. The second may work (our neighbours wouldn't be too disturbed by it) if done at the right moment and with the right preparation. Are you planning on a war involving Integralist Brazil, @Kaiser of Brazil? If Quadros can invade Guyana, why not Plinio?
 
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Well, Brazil isn't a Hellscape and in some ways better than Nazi Germany and Maoist China.
That's a surprise!
What's the Human Rights situation in Brazil?
When will Fictional Charecters begin to turn up?
I mean, is it really an achievement to be better than Mao or Nazism? They do have Concentration camps just like the Brazilian government had with Arthur Bernades and Vargas, they just don't round up groups in mass but they do have something akin to Gulags in the Amazon.

Brazil is a living contradiction, for instance, they are probably the most progressive nation when it comes to racial legislation and many prominent Integralists are Black activists such as Abadias Nascimento, their foremost monarchist is also a black man. But at the same time they are zealots when it comes to crushing African and African-syncretic religions brought by the Slaves.

You can expect the Fictional Characters to gain more and more prominence in the 1960s as the major differences from the war will have an effect and the people from the 40s will reach an active age.

With a more catholic outlook on culture issues, Brazil is probably looking to have something close to 240M people by 2023 ITTL, if no major war occurs.

What's the Integralists' position on big industrial state companies like Petrobrás, CSN and Eletrobrás?

They aren't primitivists, better in national hands than not. The Integralists are not stupid, in fact many of them were known Brazilian intellectuals (never ask 1960 Brazilian intellectuals who they were supportive of during the Second Republic). The companies made by Monteiro are kept, and so do investments, but they aren't going with the level of industrialization that Brazil historically had under Vargas and Juscelino because of the hyperinflation and deficit that it generated.

I'd say more. Just think that if Germania probably already has over 100 million people by 1960 due to its pro-natality policies, I think Brazil could have something closer to 270 or more, especially if the industrialization and urbanization process is slowed down (which is what seems to be happening, according to this chapter)

Don't underestimate what generations of pro-fertility thought from a worshipped government can make, just from the fact even Hitler had a daughter you can have tens of thousands of fanatical families having children now. That's not even including the SS and their darwinian programs.

Brazil is again a strange country, we have a growth rate below replacement and yet the government keeps promoting contraceptives and surgeries. That certainly won't be happening in a "Catholic State".

The Integralists have tons of bad ideological takes, but being more or less against heavy industrialization as a priority must be their one sincerely foolish idea. What do they think they are going to do to compete against industrial juggernauts like Germany or the US if push comes to shove? Idiots. If Germany falls Brazil would be in a position akin to Yugoslavia after the Cold War, new public enemy number 1.

Maybe Reale, due to being more moderate, or Mourão Filho, due to the need to industrialize for militaristic purposes, will have the hindsight to abandon this ruralist agenda when Plinio dies.

Still, I would worry about Mourão Filho's expansionist designs for Brazil. To my knowledge, this can only mean two places: Uruguay or French Guyana. This first path would be a disaster for the diplomatics alignments in Latin America and couldn't be kept in the long run. The second may work (our neighbours wouldn't be too disturbed by it) if done at the right moment and with the right preparation.
Salgado isn't stupid enough to oppose industry, he just won't be having the same mindset of industrialization at all costs that men like Juscelino or the military regime during the 60s-70s economic miracle.

If Germany falls then the enemy will be China, unless Brazil achieves a comparable level of power (which they certainly are capable of with enough natural resources and connections), it's just natural that the US will go back to fighting the Red enemy as they are natural opposites. But Brazil won't stay far behind in military terms.

The problem of French Guiana is the fact they are from a member state of the Linz Pakt, there are also important bases of the Reich for their U-Boats and missiles in the area. But you might be on to something.
 
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