What if, instead of the middle east's uptick in religious extremism, neo-nazism flourished in the UK and the US?

[AT0N]

Ok, aside from my previous thesis that lack of 9/11 is a perfect PoD for the further development and radicalization of the 1990s far-right anti-consumerist counterculture, I thought about the 70s-80s period. Because I think that the Italian "Years of Lead" could serve as a model for what the OP wants. If we move back to 1970s, the situation in UK and US wasn't looking stellar- the defeat in Vietnam. Oil Crisis, Club of Rome reporting about the "depletion of natural rescources", stagflation and general feeling that the future is going to be a world with reasource wars and West losing the Cold War. So, I think that prolonging the Oil Crisis (Saddam going after Kuwait in early 80s instead of attacking Iran? Entirely possible without Islamic Revolution or Shah overthrown by different force, perhaps more left-wing) is the key PoD here. Having leftists elected in UK and US in late 70s/early 80s would also help much. Also, if we want to stress the UK-US part of crisis, I think the good option here is to make Western Europe somehow distance itself from NATO and deepen economic ties with the USSR (Oil is even more precious with prolonged Oil crisis). For UK another possible factor is even more chaotic Troubles (maybe more hardline USSR could support the Provos, insted of leavinf Ghaddafi the sole enthusist here). Some other major PoDs to amke situation worse for the anglo-saxons: No Detente (perhaps Khruschev is not ousted or he is replaced by more hardline Shepilov, not Brezhnev.), USSR winning the Lunar race, which forces US to admit the efeat or invest truly astronomic (pun intended) rescources into Space Projects, some insane moves in Vietnam (or other "Vietnam-like country") done by economically left-wing administration (Maybe Nixon elected in 1960 and Henry Scoop Jackson in 1968).

 

[Geon]

What if someone gets the genius idea of making him his VP to win over the south, and then that someone dies?

Any candidate that signs on Wallace as his VP is essentially signing his political death warrant. Most of the northern states will not support him. Black voters will either vote for the opposition or stay away in droves. The only reason Wallace worked in my scenario in How Silent... is that he had his change of heart much earlier.

 

[Fratsup]

I mean the major problem is that Islamic radicals had about decades of colonialism, dictatorship, and mismanagement to call on to rise along with a major flow of support from Saudi Arabia, Iran, and even the US at some points.

You are more likely to get a religious movement since at least there is precedent in the US and it can be extended across the world. Neo-Nazism only would have support in white nations and would be limited.

Honestly it would be easier to have fascism and antisemitism to become a major movement since that at least has precedent in the middle east and could actually spread as an anti communists, anti consumerist, anti corporate ideology.

 

[Ogrelord420]

Islamic extremism was a direct response to Western colonialism and imperialism in the Middle East. There is no nonwhite country that was intervening or influencing the UK and US, supposedly destroying their culture and stealing their land. The closest we got was red scare propaganda about the Soviets, a majority White nation.

The only way I could see this working is if the US and USSR were severely weakened by WW2, to the point where neither could project power beyond their borders or just fractured entirely, while China's industrialization is much more quick. Without the Marshal Plan, the UK would thus be in a similar boat to the US. This could open a door to a situation where fear of Chinese intervention leads the US and UK to turn to Neo-Nazism.

 

[Declan]

The use of Afghanistan as fighting ground proved critical for the exapansion of terrorism in other countries.

An external battle ground wherein you have international fighters coming, possibly being radicalized, and forming a terror cells is one way to male neo nazism a major terrot threat without changing either the US or UK much.

The often popular ATL of a civil war against Apartheid SA provides the perfect analogue to Muslims and Afghanistan.

South Africa would have to fall apart somewhere starting from mid 80s go on. A secondary condition is the nuclear program doesn't happen which rules out last resort nuking. Early in this conflict, the South African government would start a policy of welcoming international volunteers to fight for them.

Nearly a guarantee all who do volunteer are whites. The two main producers of these volunteers would be the US and UK. The UK, as the former colonial power, has a sort of paternalistic view of the whites of their former colonies, seeing them as part of an Anglo family. The US, having such a large white population, would naturally contribute. In both countries, there existed a significant portion of people who are sympathetic at the least to the South African government.

Also driving recruitment would be the fresh memories of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. It's likely some of these volunteers would link up with the more radical Apartheid supporters and end up get radicalized into neonazism.

Win, lose or draw, many of those fighters are going home one day along with their radicalism.

Remember, this is before the 2001 beginnings of the GWOT, the US and the West were unprepared to deal with radicals returning from fighting oversees.