XX-XXI Century Alternate History Clichés

[Hipster Stalin]

I've seen the Civil War thread and I think this could also be a good idea.

I'd say MacArthur as the "American Führer"

Post your b̶e̶s̶t̶ worst clichés

 

[BBadolato]

Let's see the Showa era Japanese are itching for war and will invade anywhere, even if their China situation is more optimal.

The U.S is destined to lose the Vietnam War.

Mao's China is belligerent to the point to fighting irrational wars, or just Mao's China is irrational anyway.

Stalin was a shrewd genius of foreign policy.

 

[Exitstencil]

John F. Kennedy is always a good President, and Nixon is either the worst or the best President.

Chamberlain is the worlds biggest dumbass.

Ho Chi Minh is a certifiable Genius.

 

[TRH]

Unless they fight a WW2 or equivalent and lose, Japan will retain its empire long after Europeans are forced to pack it in.

Austria-Hungary is always doomed.

Despite the widespread pessimism after winning WWI, France would surely go irredentist again after losing it.

WW1 is inevitable.

 

[keep]

That's strange, I always heard as JFK being the best president, while Nixon is good at most.

 

[Hipster Stalin]

Austria-Hungary is always doomed.

This. I've never seen a TL where A-H survives past 1950

 

[Nivek]

WW1 is inevitable.

The U.S is destined to lose the Vietnam War.

This and the later as seeems a fucking vietnam or a equivalent is like destined to happen when vietnam like korea were accidents of the story.

This. I've never seen a TL where A-H survives past 1950

@Onkel Willie Have make a few one A-H Survives a reform, either with FF or without him. but is pretty rare among mainstream AH itself

 

[creighton]

I was about to write that Bobby Kennedy always wins the primary and his Presidency is always better than OTL, but forgot the greatest TL ever made:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/rfk-if-he-wasnt-killed.340352/

 

[Napoleon IV]

The Notzis. They act the exact same as the Nazis, except they're both smarter than the Nazis and also not insane racists. It's a way for Wehraboos to wank the Nazis without having to consider the horrible costs of such a victory.

 

[dandan_noodles]

Ho Chi Minh is a certifiable Genius.

'Ho Chi Minh actually matters [post 1963]' trope.

 

[Lalli]

- If France lost WW1 it will goes alway as authotarian right-wing regime or even fascist.
- If Joseph Kennedy survives, him becomes president of USA. And generally even if POD is on January 1st of 1900 you get someone Kennedy as president on 1960's.
- India ends being one nation.
- Surviving Russian monarchy/USSR.

 

[TRH]

This. I've never seen a TL where A-H survives past 1950

I have a plan for a TL where it makes it to the early 40's, though I don't know if I'll ever get around to doing it.

 

[Asami]

- If France lost WW1 it will goes alway as authotarian right-wing regime or even fascist.

I prefer red-shaded France myself.

 

[Octosteel]

China getting nuked

A random third party winning a single election and then never winning one again with things returning back to the normal Democrat vs Republican mold

Soviets. Always. Win.

Ridiculously prominent third parties.

Great Depression + John Nance Garner = Civil War/Dictatorship/More Third Parties

And FDR being the only one who can save us from the Great Depression

 

[Magyarország]

I second the Austria-Hungary-is-destined-to-collapse crap.

Or that Franz Ferdinand was a reformist or, even more laughably, liberal.

 

[Asami]

Ridiculously prominent third parties.

A random third party winning a single election and then never winning one again with things returning back to the normal Democrat vs Republican mold

Great Depression + John Nance Garner = Civil War/Dictatorship/More Third Parties

Does it count if you have the two mainstream parties effectively die and be replaced by a new two-party system?

 

[TRH]

Does it count if you have the two mainstream parties effectively die and be replaced by a new two-party system?

I think that's different because you'd still only have two parties in the long run. Anyways, I can't think of one where both the Democrats and Republicans got done away with.

 

[Asami]

Anyways, I can't think of one where both the Democrats and Republicans got done away with.

Shameless self-plug here.

Though it's more about Showa-era Japan than it is about the US.

 

[Octosteel]

Shameless self-plug here.

Though it's more about Showa-era Japan than it is about the US.

Could you give us a spoiler boxed list of presidents in your timeline?

 

[Asami]

Could you give us a spoiler boxed list of presidents in your timeline?

Spoiler

This only goes up to the current year-- around 1945. Note that the Democratic ticket for 1940 is not 100% concrete yet. I'm still thinking of a better ticket to balance out FDR and Chancey.

1909 - 1913: William Howard Taft / James Sherman (Republican)
1908 def. William Jennings Bryan / John Kern (Democratic)
1913 - 1917: Woodrow Wilson / Thomas R. Marshall (Democratic)
1912 def. William H. Taft / Nicholas Butler (Republican), Hiram Johnson / Robert La Folette, Sr. (Progressive), Eugene V. Debs / Emir Seidel (Socialist)
1917 - 1921: William Borah / Charles W. Fairbanks (Republican)
1916 def. Woodrow Wilson / Thomas R. Marshall (Democratic)
1921 - 1923: Theodore Roosevelt* / Henry Cabot Lodge (Republican)
1920 def. Carter Glass / William Gibbs McAdoo (Democratic)
1923: Henry Cabot Lodge* (Republican) / vacant
1923 - 1933: Charles Evans Hughes / Charles G. Dawes (Republican)
1924 def. William Gibbs McAdoo / Cordell Hull (Democratic), George W. Norris / Henry L. Stimson (Liberty / Anti-Japan)
1928 def. Cordell Hull / James Reed (Democratic)
1933 - 1937: John Nance Garner / Maxwell Anderson (Democratic)
1932 def. Charles Curtis / Wendell Wilkie (Republican)
1937 - 1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt / Robert E. Lee Chancey (New Deal Coalition / Unionist)
1936 def. John Nance Garner / Maxwell Anderson (Democratic), Frederick Steiwer / Robert A. Taft (Republican)
1940 def. Harry F. Byrd, Sr. / Henry Blood (Conservative), Al Smith / James Price (Democratic)

* Died in office

(In all fairness, I'm a tremendous FDR fangirl, so him being President in any timeline of mine is almost guaranteed.)