In this scenario mao’s parents immigrate to the United States just before Mao Zedong was born. Mao Zedong was then born in the US. If Mao Zedong does enter politics what do you think would have happened?
What if Mao Zedong was president of the United States
- Thread starter Karlmarx900
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chankljp
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Considering that the US still hasn't had its first Chinese-American POTUS yet as of 2020, and that Mao died in OTL in 1976, how is this supposed to happen?
Plus, a Mao that grew up in the United States his entire life would have an entirely different life experience, meaning that besides genetics, he would have nothing in common with the Mao in OTL.
How so? I doubt that Mao would have been a communist in America. Had Mao Zedong been president of the United States Mao would need to select either the democratic or republican parties none of which are communists. Could you imagine Mao Zedong as a republican and an American version of the Great Leap Forward? Besides an American president might not have simply become a dictator like that because of congress.
Yeah, the American Constitution was here before Mao and it will be here long after. Whatever kind of leader he is, he will not become a dictator.
Really implausible. In OTL there hasn't been Sino-American president by 2020 not even close. He might create some political career but I highly doubt that he could reach presidency. And Mao would grow up in really different country. Mao wasn't destined to become murederous communist dictator. Different plitical system, culture and different history compared to China would make Mao very different person.
In the first place, growing up in a totally different milieu, there is no reason to think that he would have politics similar to those he had in OTL (or even that he would necessarily be interested in politics ar all). [1] In the second place, the US during Mao's lifetime is unlikely to elect a Chinese-American president, anyway. OK, maybe by the 1970s a Nixon/Hiram Fong ticket is just conceivasble, although very unlikely, and that could lead to a Chinese-American POTUS but Mao would be too old to be considerd on a national ticket by that time.
[1] See https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/hitler-as-a-u-s-politician.500188/#post-21304975 making the same point with regard to Hitler.
[1] See https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/hitler-as-a-u-s-politician.500188/#post-21304975 making the same point with regard to Hitler.
If he could become Secretary of Labor and then my some massive misfortune/amazing accident/nuclear headshot the; President, Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, President pro tempore of the Senate, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce all get popped off then Secretary of Labor Mao Zedong gets made President.
A secretary position or someone up in the hierarchy of the senate or house is probably the best he could have aspired to in that time frame. No one is *electing* a sino-American president in the 50s to 70s. And I suspect he’d be unlikely to be selected as the sole survivor for similar reasons. Now if on the other hand, he’s in one of those positions and some unexpected decapitation effort or massive scandal strikes, we could have president Mao. Speaker is probably best, since it’d only require two individuals to be taken out of the picture, much less difficult to arrange then something like a secretary post inheriting the job.
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That a person named Mao Zedong whose parents took him to the US just before he was born may someday become POTUS is extremely unlikely but not ASB. That such a person would have similar politcal views to the Mao of OTL *and* become POTUS is *less* likely than alien space bats, which may after all exist.
But the Great Leap Forward is something that Mao came up as a result of his growing up in China, his observations of that nation's social conditions, his exposure to Communist ideology, AND his disenchantment with Soviet economic methods.
None of those are likely to be part of his character if he's raised as an American.
He goes into academia, and thence into university administration. Amidst the turmoil of 1968, he uses student disaffection to purge the existing dean of his institution, and complete his ascencion to the top of the academic greasy pole. "The game is so vicious because the stakes are so small".
No. Only just very implausible. It would be ASB if Mao would just suddenly appear to Oval Office as president replacing someone OTL POTUS.
Still, not ASB. Only just very implausible. ASB is something which would require magic. OP has clearly stated that on this scenario Mao's parents move to China and he enters to politics.
Entering =/= succeeding
The first Chinese American Governor wasn't elected until 1996. The number of big city mayors can be counted on one hand.
Moreover, any theoretical Mao in the U.S. would be an entirely different person. Probably a Republican based on community trends in the 1930s-1960s.
en.wikipedia.org
The first Chinese American Governor wasn't elected until 1996. The number of big city mayors can be counted on one hand.
Moreover, any theoretical Mao in the U.S. would be an entirely different person. Probably a Republican based on community trends in the 1930s-1960s.
Gary Locke - Wikipedia
'Mao Zedong' would have a completely different life experience. First of all, one has to think about how his parents even get to the USA before the passage of the Chinese exclusion acts. It is possible that Mao's his father would have been laborer in the West coast building railroads, and his mother likely a 'mail-order bride's, as that was one of the only ways to get Chinese women into the United States in the late 19th century. Most likely, they would live in California, the US state in the lower 48 which has the largest Chinese American community.
When Mao is born, he would likely have an Americanized name (John, James, William, Charles, Robert, Brian, Daniel, etc), with only scattered use of his Chinese name 'Tse-Tung' used at home to avoid scrutiny and racism that hed experience. If he is intelligent enough to get into a great university, I could see Mao really succeeding as an academic or a scholar - Mao in OTL had a keen mind, a dummy would not have been able to come up with the political ideas he did, even if those ideas got twisted by his megalomania. But lets say he gets into politics, it would probably be local politics, and unless he proves to be a genius that can transcend the racial bigotry of the time, local politics is probably the highest he gets. But let's say he becomes talented enough to become a representative - it is hard to determine what party he would join, but he could end up a New-Dealer type by the 30s. He could be influential enough to say key votes, and when WWIi rolls along, could be the ideal person who could help raise awareness in the US what the Japanese are doing in China as well as help rally the Chinese American population to fight in WWII. Perhaps he could help get rid of some of the exclusionary anti-Chinese laws that were passed in the late 19th century earlier.
If he does that, hed already be one of the most accomplished Chinese-Americans who had ever lived, a pioneer of sorts who showed that Chinese Americans can succeed in the political arena, and by the time the Cold War comes along, he would be a respected elder statesman that presidents of that era turn to when it comes to managing the US relationship with China.
Of course, with Mao here, there is no way to know if some equivalent revolution takes place in China, but I would imagine that ATL Mao, having lived in the US his entire life would be deeply against Communism.
Would be an interesting story, to say the least.
When Mao is born, he would likely have an Americanized name (John, James, William, Charles, Robert, Brian, Daniel, etc), with only scattered use of his Chinese name 'Tse-Tung' used at home to avoid scrutiny and racism that hed experience. If he is intelligent enough to get into a great university, I could see Mao really succeeding as an academic or a scholar - Mao in OTL had a keen mind, a dummy would not have been able to come up with the political ideas he did, even if those ideas got twisted by his megalomania. But lets say he gets into politics, it would probably be local politics, and unless he proves to be a genius that can transcend the racial bigotry of the time, local politics is probably the highest he gets. But let's say he becomes talented enough to become a representative - it is hard to determine what party he would join, but he could end up a New-Dealer type by the 30s. He could be influential enough to say key votes, and when WWIi rolls along, could be the ideal person who could help raise awareness in the US what the Japanese are doing in China as well as help rally the Chinese American population to fight in WWII. Perhaps he could help get rid of some of the exclusionary anti-Chinese laws that were passed in the late 19th century earlier.
If he does that, hed already be one of the most accomplished Chinese-Americans who had ever lived, a pioneer of sorts who showed that Chinese Americans can succeed in the political arena, and by the time the Cold War comes along, he would be a respected elder statesman that presidents of that era turn to when it comes to managing the US relationship with China.
Of course, with Mao here, there is no way to know if some equivalent revolution takes place in China, but I would imagine that ATL Mao, having lived in the US his entire life would be deeply against Communism.
Would be an interesting story, to say the least.