Worst the Great Depression could be...

Have FDR print more money with no backing to support more Govt. make work projects(roads to nowhere) and expand entitlement programs like free health care .
 

Spengler

Banned
At lIf you want to make it worse initially have Calvin Coolidge run for a second full term of office.
 
Money printing --> inflation --> massive economic problems. All it takes is for the government to run out of sources for acquiring debt.
 
FDR, upon elected, goes genuinely insane.

Seriously, I'd love a timeline where FDR starts getting strange, yet realistic, delusions.

I mean, have a look at contemporary figures: William Hale Thompson, the last Republican mayor of Chicago, genuinely believed that the United States' greatest enemy was the British king George V. Stalin wanted actor John Wayne shot, and William Lyon Mackenzie King regularly conversed with spiritual mediums to get political advice from such dead figures as Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Leonardo da Vinci, and his own late mother. Become inspired by that, and have Roosevelt slowly get all these strange tendencies during his presidency.

"Ah, Mr. Secretary of State, I am pleased you could come! I have a matter I need to discuss with you most urgently: Last night, I had a conversation with George Washington and Andrew Jackson, and they raised a point I haven't really thought about: Can we really trust the British royal family? President Jackson fears they could be plotting an attempt on my life... And I wonder, with the Wallis Simpson connection, do you think that Hollywood could be involved as well?"
 
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FDR, upon elected, goes genuinely insane.

Seriously, I'd love a timeline where FDR starts getting strange, yet realistic, delusions.

I mean, have a look at contemporary figures: William Hale Thompson, the last Republican mayor of Chicago, genuinely believed that the United States' greatest enemy was the British king George V. Stalin wanted actor John Wayne shot, and William Lyon Mackenzie King regularly conversed with spiritual mediums to get political advice from such dead figures as Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Leonardo da Vinci, and his own late mother. Become inspired by that, and have Roosevelt slowly get all these strange tendencies during his presidency.

"Ah, Mr. Secretary of State, I am pleased you could come! I have a matter I need to discuss with you most urgently: Last night, I had a conversation with George Washington and Andrew Jackson, and they raised a point I haven't really thought about: Can we really trust the British royal family? President Jackson fears they could be plotting an attempt on my life... And I wonder, with the Wallis Simpson connection, do you think that Hollywood could be involved as well?"

FDR did base an important economic policy decision on his lucky number, contrary to expert advice.
 
The U.S. government announces a national wage and price freeze for all jobs and products. The government announces they are going to focus on cutting the deficit and they cut spending and start printing massive amounts of money.

Then maybe America could come almost as close to as bad a depression as Germany as had.
 

BlondieBC

Banned
FDR has wage and price controls. He also converts the USA to a pure Fiat currency, and prints money wildly. The USA descends to hyper-inflation. Congress brings back the UK concept of debtor prisons, millions are imprisoned.

On Foreign Affairs, he adopts a policy that angers most of the world powers. He does an oil embargo on Japan based on protocol error by Japanese diplomat. He publicly states a desire to conquer Canada, etc. Basically have him pursue a diplomatic policy that isolates the USA from all potential allies.

Then, with the USA economically ruined and with no foreign allies, have WW2 start. Have FDR enter early, on the losing side.
 
FDR has wage and price controls. He also converts the USA to a pure Fiat currency, and prints money wildly. The USA descends to hyper-inflation. Congress brings back the UK concept of debtor prisons, millions are imprisoned.

On Foreign Affairs, he adopts a policy that angers most of the world powers. He does an oil embargo on Japan based on protocol error by Japanese diplomat. He publicly states a desire to conquer Canada, etc. Basically have him pursue a diplomatic policy that isolates the USA from all potential allies.

Then, with the USA economically ruined and with no foreign allies, have WW2 start. Have FDR enter early, on the losing side.
Problem is even with that if the USA is still even half as well off as OTL than whatever side the US joins on will be the winner
 
Even if that side is Stalin make a crazed charge at Germany with Winter war level organisation?
Even killing half the US warmaking capability will still leave it with a quarter of the worlds war-fighting potential and more than anyone else.

Even with the situation described organization will get better over time and the USSR has a lot of manpower. combined just the USA and USSR in this situation could at least stalemate the world if not win, that is assuming the USA takes a 50% hit, more is unlikely and less will leave the USA even better
 
It alright if I ask a related question? Namely -- how bad could the Depression get with Zangara killing FDR in 1933 as the PoD? Could things get worse -- or continue to stay bad -- with Huey Long getting elected in 1936?
 
FDR, upon elected, goes genuinely insane.

Seriously, I'd love a timeline where FDR starts getting strange, yet realistic, delusions.

I mean, have a look at contemporary figures: William Hale Thompson, the last Republican mayor of Chicago, genuinely believed that the United States' greatest enemy was the British king George V. Stalin wanted actor John Wayne shot, and William Lyon Mackenzie King regularly conversed with spiritual mediums to get political advice from such dead figures as Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Leonardo da Vinci, and his own late mother. Become inspired by that, and have Roosevelt slowly get all these strange tendencies during his presidency.

"Ah, Mr. Secretary of State, I am pleased you could come! I have a matter I need to discuss with you most urgently: Last night, I had a conversation with George Washington and Andrew Jackson, and they raised a point I haven't really thought about: Can we really trust the British royal family? President Jackson fears they could be plotting an attempt on my life... And I wonder, with the Wallis Simpson connection, do you think that Hollywood could be involved as well?"

So he'd be Ronald Reagan?
 
Even killing half the US warmaking capability will still leave it with a quarter of the worlds war-fighting potential and more than anyone else.

Even with the situation described organization will get better over time and the USSR has a lot of manpower. combined just the USA and USSR in this situation could at least stalemate the world if not win, that is assuming the USA takes a 50% hit, more is unlikely and less will leave the USA even better

Not if the war is highly unpopular and ends in a coup attempt or something.
 
What about no FDR?
You could get Garner, which is Hoover 2.0. That could lead to Long.
You could get Lindbergh in '40 possibly.

William H. Murray seems the most dystopian President of the period though. It's possible he gets put on the ticket if Garner gives FDR a rough time at the Convention and eventually loses.

Zangara succeeds and BOOM. Pretty much American fascism.
 
Not if the war is highly unpopular and ends in a coup attempt or something.
Even then the USA will not lose or have to give up anything, it just will not win

As for a Coup in the USA, there is something called the Society of Cincannatus that exists in the military to prevent that
 
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