In universities,there's this program where everything you sent gets scanned and entire paragraphs from certain works gets highlighted.It also tells you the percentage of similarity your assignment is from another work.The tutors and lecturers use this to check if there's any plagiarism.
Was a military coup possible at all in the US between the 1930s and the 1940s?
- Thread starter darthfanta
- Start date
Ah, right, that thing. Carry on.
(I wish I had something intelligent to say about the actual topic of this thread, but others have summed the issue up quite well before me)
deathscompanion1
Banned
Didn't the Business plot not only consist of old rich dudes too afraid to actually do anything themselves but also fonder when the very first General they tried to recruit reported them all greatly exaggerating the threat they posed to the country?
I mean I can only think of one man with enough ego and disrespect for the government and institutions of the USA to actually go along with such a move and I like to think even he would probably draw the line long before setting up an actual dictatorship.
200 years of democracy and rule of law (for white people anyway) is very hard to overturn in just a couple of decades. Especially when half the time the government and people view the military with suspicion in case it actually does try to make a dictatorship.
I mean I can only think of one man with enough ego and disrespect for the government and institutions of the USA to actually go along with such a move and I like to think even he would probably draw the line long before setting up an actual dictatorship.
200 years of democracy and rule of law (for white people anyway) is very hard to overturn in just a couple of decades. Especially when half the time the government and people view the military with suspicion in case it actually does try to make a dictatorship.
the bonus army massacre proved other wise, not only did they have no problems firing at fellow citizens, they had absolutely no qualms at firing at their retired brethren in arms the Veterans
I have to say that the same thing happened in the French and Russian revolution,but after a while,the soldiers got sick of doing it and refused to continue--leading to the mutinies that toppled their regime.
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shiftygiant
Gone Fishin'
I'm going to point to the It Can't Happen Here model, despite a voice telling me that it'll be a bad idea. America democratically elects a dictator (Take your pick, the 20's and 30's were littered with them) in a worse depression, but things go bad and he goes mad with power, and builds a massive army to manifest destiny the rest of the Americas. The Army overthrow him after a year or so, realizing how insane he is, setting up a military Junta out of Washington to reform the American Government (Let's say John J. Pershing). Pershing keeps the Junta running until his death in '48 (or earlier), during which he slowly phases Civilians back into the Government. Upon his death, a new election is held. I know it's not exactly what you wanted, but it does give a reason for the Coup, and it's the best I got.
The writer with the bird-themed name just gave us a book in which Joseph Stalin's parents move to the U.S. before he's born and he grows up to become president by wielding the weapon of assassination and establishes an authoritarian regime. Inexplicably the majority voters of white Western European descent tolerate a government composed of Eastern European and Russian immigrant thugs (alternate world versions of actual Stalin cronies). When Stalin dies, J. Edgar Hoover takes over. The book is the most unrealistic and indeed the all-round worst AH scenario I've encountered in a long time. I've decided to stop reading the bird-theme guy; it seems he always disappoints.
TFSmith121
Banned
Actually, both gunshot deaths were the result of
Actually, both gunshot deaths were the result of the actions involving civilian police (DC municipal, IIRC); the Army used tear gas, which was certainly nasty enough, but as brutal as the action was, the Army did not "massacre" anyone. There was one death of a child that was partly attributed to the gas, and a lot of of the Marchers were injured, but in terms of these sort of incidents, the Bonus Marchers was hardly a massacre. Ludlow was a massacre.
Likewise, as was said, "Hoover sent the Army; Roosevelt sent his wife."
Something to be said for how robust American democracy was in the 1930s that FDR was elected overwhelmingly; there was room in the political universe for a Democratic reformer who would try anything, and who did, as a response to the conservatism of Hoover and the post-WWI era GOP. It was not bloodshed, however.
Best,
Actually, both gunshot deaths were the result of the actions involving civilian police (DC municipal, IIRC); the Army used tear gas, which was certainly nasty enough, but as brutal as the action was, the Army did not "massacre" anyone. There was one death of a child that was partly attributed to the gas, and a lot of of the Marchers were injured, but in terms of these sort of incidents, the Bonus Marchers was hardly a massacre. Ludlow was a massacre.
Likewise, as was said, "Hoover sent the Army; Roosevelt sent his wife."
Something to be said for how robust American democracy was in the 1930s that FDR was elected overwhelmingly; there was room in the political universe for a Democratic reformer who would try anything, and who did, as a response to the conservatism of Hoover and the post-WWI era GOP. It was not bloodshed, however.
Best,
Bird-themed guy has some interesting ideas, but for some reason he always makes the story an exact parallel to something that happened IOTL. Nazi Germany survives, and then collapses like the USSR after a Gorbachev reformer comes in. The CSA wins the war, then becomes Nazi Germany. Etc. Part of the fun of alternate history is seeing a world that is different than our own. If I wanted to read history I would pick up a history book, not a story with the serial numbers filed off.
Get a real radical into office during the Depression; someone like Huey Long who would disregard the Constitution and rule by decree.
Some people are talking about Harry Turtledove, some people are talking about a Timeline on this site, I think there could be a third author in the discussion as well.
I honestly have to think that the pillars of the American system of government have until now made the likely hood of a Coup being successful absolutely zero . The individual states have the ability to resist any overt power grab by the Federal government with the full force of the constitution behind them . The people themselves have more rights then in any other country , especially the first and second amendments . Unless you managed to completely subvert the Judiciary of the Supreme Court of the United States and got them to legislate from that same Judiciary it is impossible . Even if the SCOTUS did that the Congress and Senate can overrule the President themselves if needed .
Even with the current political climate I think a hundred years of systematic weakening of the political process would be needed to make a coup even remotely possible . A Coup in Great Britain actually has more chance of succeeding in my opinion and even them it's a 1 in a billion chance .
Even with the current political climate I think a hundred years of systematic weakening of the political process would be needed to make a coup even remotely possible . A Coup in Great Britain actually has more chance of succeeding in my opinion and even them it's a 1 in a billion chance .
His name was George Van Horn Moseley.
lol imagine a timeline where he becomes Supreme Commander of the government after purging the business plot cabal, and Oswald Mosley rises to power in Britain. The new Anglo-American Authoritarian Hegemony, brought to you by Moseley & Mosley.
Lateknight
Banned
I don't know why people are being cute the names, the names of TL author here Epharim Ben Raphael. The author is Harry turtledove and they are talking about his new book.
Beat me to it...
Sinclair Lewis's novel described above sums it up. A elected President contrives a minor crisis into a fake emergency & stampedes Congress into giving him dictatorial powers. Under his mismanagement the Federal government falls apart & eventually the Army cleans out the White House to restore order.
Sinclair Lewis's novel described above sums it up. A elected President contrives a minor crisis into a fake emergency & stampedes Congress into giving him dictatorial powers. Under his mismanagement the Federal government falls apart & eventually the Army cleans out the White House to restore order.