WI: Business Plot is attempted and fails, what next?

What if the Business Plot was actually plotted out and executed (say this wasn't idle chatter and a genuinely reactionary general was found for it, a good candidate would be George Van Horn Moseley I think), but fails because it still would ultimately be something of a crackpot scheme with little public support?
 
Probably some kind of anti fascist backlash and a lingering mistrust about big business involved in politics.
It seems General Mosely's views on race and politics were well known even then, which would undoubtedly have turned a fair chunk of public opinion against the plotters.
 
Ok, let's look it it in a bit more detail. IOTL Butler testified in November 1934, let's say here, that's when the plot is executed.
General Mosely's time as Deputy Chief of staff ended the preious year, but he may have some contacts he and the plotters
deem useful. If we assume a Valkyrie style flash in the pan, what's the fallout? We're probably looking at one of the most
infamous events of the 20th century, one that will probably be branded into the American public consiousness.

Mosely, being guilty of mutiny and treason, will almost undoubtedly be shot, and the other consiparitors will
probably be tripping over each other in a rush to testify and get themselves off the hook. Either that or close
ranks and hang Mosely out to dry. If we assume that all the senior officers named in Butler's testimony were
active conspirators, they'll probably loose their commissions at the very least.

Fascist organisations would almost certainly be banned, although the definition of such could be extremely broad.
The popular backlash against far right politics could affect views on the new deal (Hey, at least the socialists didn't
try to overthrow the goverment). This could embolden the government itself with regards to economic policy.

Foreign policy however is another matter, the Americans would be extremely wary of fascist governments
within their own sphere of influence, perhaps resulting in an early form of "containment". Maybe a popular,
later official boycott of German, Italian, and later Japanese goods? Taking Jewish refugees?

Relationships between the Roosevelt administration and the fascists governments of Europe will be strained almost
from the very beginning. The antipathy to fascism at home and abroad might even generate sympathy for the League of
Nations, althought this is unlikely.
 
The US Army will need a different Chief of Staff, and the marginal Fascist organizations that existed will probably get banned. I'm not convinced much else changes.
 

Greenville

Banned
How does it fail to begin with? I doubt very much a half a million man army would join in a cou attempt like this. If they do a skirmish occurs in Washington and the ring leaders are arrested for treason and a slew of other charges.
 
Germany behaves far differently knowing that the Americans are unified in anti-fascism and view them as an alien and existential threat to the American way.

Because of the previous Red Scare, it's possible you get a Center-Right and Center-Left with extremism being shot down hard. Or you get a major push left in a "Pinko" way.
 
This results in some sort of hakko ichiu tl, American style. That means there will be purge of fascist from all circles. resulting in some form of "Brown Scare"
 
Last edited:
Top