I've been speculating about his on a few other threads. Would it be possible, with a PoD no earlier than the Revolutionary War, for Andrew Jackson to establish himself as a dictator?
My logic for this is that Jackson's character was quite autocratic, even as he was a champion of the people (quite like Hugo Chavez actually). He appointed an administration of cronies, and worked through the people rather than through institutions of governance. As well, many of his decisions increased his own power at the expense of independent institutions (the Bank War, the Nullification Crisis, etc). Finally, he gained access to politics through service in the military, where he was a popular war hero and general. Is it possible, with a different political climate, for Jackson to have become a Bonaparte-style military dictator?