WI: Socialist Texas?

Zioneer

Banned
So what would it take to make Texas become a solidly socialist (or socialist-leaning) state? Or even just far-left leaning? How would this socialist Texas look? What would the politics in the rest of the US (even if this Texas is independent) look like?
 
As a short picture can resume one tought.

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Seriously, the PoD would be so early, that it would likely butterfly socialism as we know it.
 
As a short picture can resume one tought.

zombie%20moth.png


Seriously, the PoD would be so early, that it would likely butterfly socialism as we know it.

My first thought exactly, but after some thinking, I can completely see that happen. Notice that Mexico has had several presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (which sounds suspiciously much like the Industrial Radical Party) which is a member of the Socialist International. Have Mexico take and keep Texas and sooner or later, you can probably make Texas socialist.

I doubt that Texas will become a Cuba-style Communist dictatorship. I mean, imagine that: General Secretary Richard Perry of the Workers' Revolutionary Communist Party of the People's Democratic Republic of Texas.
 
So what would it take to make Texas become a solidly socialist (or socialist-leaning) state? Or even just far-left leaning? How would this socialist Texas look? What would the politics in the rest of the US (even if this Texas is independent) look like?

Hmmm...you would need to somehow get Texas very industrialized and urbanized. Probably a good idea to split it up into various different states so that you get an urbanized, industrialized oil-and-factory state in the eastern part of the state known IOTL as Texas. The Oil can be your starting point for Texan Industrialization.
 
My first thought exactly, but after some thinking, I can completely see that happen. Notice that Mexico has had several presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (which sounds suspiciously much like the Industrial Radical Party) which is a member of the Socialist International. Have Mexico take and keep Texas and sooner or later, you can probably make Texas socialist.

I doubt that Texas will become a Cuba-style Communist dictatorship. I mean, imagine that: General Secretary Richard Perry of the Workers' Revolutionary Communist Party of the People's Democratic Republic of Texas.

Oh yeah i've no doubt that a socialist USA or Mexico is doable. But an independent socialist Texas state...Well everything is doable, but i'm not sure that we'll recongize socialism or even Texas at result.
 
I wonder if there is a good butterfly to get the Forty-Eighters (German political refugees from 1848) to not come to the Midwest but instead to an independent Texas. (OTL central Texas had a vibrant German community until the world wars) Then you have a bunch of liberals and democrats, and a few early socialists and communists, in Texas. In several generations, a more industrial Texas could be a hotbed of socialism. That alone won't necessarily be enough--and indeed it seems to be pretty strong systemic reasons that put Germans in the Midwest--but this could contribute.
 
If oil workers are more active in the Workers' International or much of western Texas and along the southern Rio Grande remains agrarian, I could see Texas becoming pretty left-leaning. Alternatively, if Texas keeps a lot of New Mexico it will have some mining areas which would be a hotbed of progressivism and socialism.
 
It seems to me that by its nature alone, vast available land, availability of oil, and its history, being founded by opportunistic squatters, Texas cannot be socialist. Not only that but the country it is attached to (Mexico the USA, the CSA) would also be similarly affected into a rejection of socialist ideas.

You might need a very early POD, involving an early settlement of Texas. But in such a case this Texas would not be recognizable as Texas at all.

This is AH, and weirder things have existed in OTL.
 
Hmmm...you would need to somehow get Texas very industrialized and urbanized. Probably a good idea to split it up into various different states so that you get an urbanized, industrialized oil-and-factory state in the eastern part of the state known IOTL as Texas. The Oil can be your starting point for Texan Industrialization.


Last time I checked Texas WAS heavily industrialized and urbanized. Texas has Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and the 3rd highest electorial votes in the country.
 
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