Happy Days are Here Again: an American politics timeline

[metheguy]

This timeline hinges on a very simple question:what if the Great Depression never happened? This happens through a variety of factors [which we will explore further in Part I,which is coming out as soon as i can write it],but the main one is Hoover being more interventionist.

The ramifications of this will be explored primarily through the lens of,as the title implies,American politics,especially elections.

 

[metheguy]

no comment,cause it's the same as OTL.

 

[raharris1973]

do it, with all haste!

 

[metheguy]

As you will find,this scenario is predicated on Herbert Hoover being a fundamentally different man from the one he was.

Is this kind of an ASB? Yes. Is it slightly Mary Sue-ish? Also yes. But as Commerce Secretary,Hoover was something of an interventionist,so this scenario is based on him taking these policies to the White House. I promise you things will get more realistic once the Depression is averted.

 

[metheguy]

When Herbert Hoover took the oath of office on March 4, 1929,the economy was booming. It was the Roaring Twenties,after all. Nonetheless,Hoover saw that this prosperity could come crashing down at any time.

So,when, on the 24th of October,the stock market crashed,Hoover was ready.

On the advice of George Norris and other Progressives,he immediately set up a committee to oversee relief for the poor,modeled after the USFA back in the Great War. He also closed some of the biggest banks to prevent runs on them.

Some conservatives grumbled that this was 'near-Communism',but these programs helped prevent a disaster.

Later on,when the Dust Bowl hit,Hoover helped institute crop rotation and plant trees.

The rest of Hoover's first term was mostly uneventful,with no major events abroad or at home.

 

[metheguy]

In 1932,The economy was doing great,the counrty was at peace,and Hoover was popular. Smith,Franklin Roosevelt and others all declined to run,choosing to save themselves for a winnable election. This left John Nance Garner. Garner was nominated, and, as a final Hail Mary, picked that old progressive warhorse William GIbbs McAdoo as his running mate. I mean, surely the voters didn't care about Teapot Dome that much anymore,right?

Well,maybe they did. But the fact is,the Democrats were going to lose anyhow. At the very least, Garner managed to keep the 'Solid South' in line. It was a loss,but the Democrats knew this was due mostly to the popularity of Hoover. Perhaps '36 might be better?