What if FDR never was born?

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What if FDR was never born or died as a baby? What would happen? Who would be president in 1929 and would they survive to World War Two, if not who would be president by World War Two? How would this change the Depression, World War Two, and post war? Would America ever enter the war or enter in a different way? What you think?
 
What if FDR was never born or died as a baby? What would happen? Who would be president in 1929 and would they survive to World War Two, if not who would be president by World War Two? How would this change the Depression, World War Two, and post war? Would America ever enter the war or enter in a different way? What you think?

Who would be president in 1929? As in OTL, Herbert Hoover...

Who do the Democrats nominate if FDR is not available in 1932? After 1928, I don't think it will be Al Smith. He might be electable under the very different circumstances of 1932, but why take the chance? Newton Baker is a possibility, even though Hearst hated him for his internationalism. Garner is another possibility.

Most of the Democrats proposed as alternatives to FDR--Smith, Garner, Baker, etc.--were at least somewhat more conservative than him. (Even though FDR was from New York, in both the convention and in the general election he did worst in the Northeast and best among western "radicals".) But there is one western "progressive" alternative who might have a chance with no FDR--McAdoo. See my post at https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=298820
 
Communist or Fascist America, anyone?

Hardly likely. Most western countries with a fairly long history of democracy did not go fascist or communist in the 1930's. They muddled through, often under center-right governments (the UK under the National Governments, Australia under Lyons, even France generally had center or center-right governments, the Popular Front being an interlude).
 

Toraach

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I'm pretty sure that the USA would have been a much richer, less lefty and more peaceful without him.
 
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I'm pretty sure that the USA would have been a much richer, less lefty and peaceful without him.

Why? "The U.S. recovery from the Great Depression was nearly as exceptional as the Depression itself. After falling 27 percent between 1929 and 1933, real GDP rose by 43 percent between 1933 and 1937. Indeed, the economy grew more rapidly between 1933 and 1937 than it has during any other four year peacetime period since at least 1869.1 The most rapid growth came in 1936, when real GDP grew 13.1 percent and the unemployment rate fell 4.4 percentage points.2"
http://behl.berkeley.edu/files/2013/02/WP2013-06_Hausman.pdf

The US economy might have done better under another president--but it also might have done worse or it might have done about the same.
 
You guys are forgetting pre-1932 butterflies that might have happened without his presence. Before he was President, FDR was a member of a political dynasty, cousin to a president, Assistant Secretary of the Navy under Wilson, and Cox's running mate in 1920.
 
You guys are forgetting pre-1932 butterflies that might have happened without his presence. Before he was President, FDR was a member of a political dynasty, cousin to a president, Assistant Secretary of the Navy under Wilson, and Cox's running mate in 1920.

I doubt very much that having a different Assistant Secretary of the Navy will change history very much . However, a different running mate for Cox could make some difference. True, the ticket is doomed to go down to a landslide defeat, anyway--but simply getting the vice-presidential nomination could bring someone to national attention (as it did to FDR in OTL) and enable him to have a better chance at a future presidential nomination. (As with FDR, few people will blame the vice-presidential nominee for the ticket's defeat.)

Thee is also the question of who would be Governor of New York from 1928-1932. The Republican Albert Ottinger almost defeated FDR and would probably defeat any other Democratic candidate for governor of New York in 1928. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ottinger He would become the first Jewish Governor of New York. But with the Depression, he would probably be defeated by Herbert Lehman in 1932 (if not in 1930).
 
I suspect that no FDR = weaker USSR.

Not necessarily. For example, another president may still want to give aid to the USSR to stop Hitler--but hesitate to take the risks a cross-Channel invasion might involve, and confine the US role in Europe to bombing and to attacks on peripheral areas like Italy, etc.. This could result in the USSR taking over all of Germany and France....
 
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