Chapter I: Garner, Butler and MacArthur
On February 16 1933, President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt gave an impromptu speech in Miami, Florida. Anarchist Giuseppe Zangara assassinated the President-elect. Upon pleading guilty to the murder, he stated ‘I have the gun in my hand. I kill kings and presidents first and next all capitalists’.
Vice President-elect John Nance Garner ascended to the presidency on March 3. Garner, a conservative, would largely refuse to enact any progressive reforms and cracked down against trade unions, though he would repeal prohibition.
Smedley Butler was a retired Major General, the most decorated Marine in the history of the United States, and the son of the former Dean of the House of Representatives, Thomas Butler, a conservative Republican. During the early days of the Garner administration, Butler would develop far-left thoughts, stating that during his military service ‘I spent [my] time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer; a gangster for capitalism’. Butler saw his role as to ‘educate the soldiers out of the sucker class’.
Amidst the turmoil of the Depression, Butler led over half a million veterans to march on Washington and overthrow President Garner. Butler essentially saw himself as leading a Blanquist coup, with an enlightened cadre of veterans bringing America to socialism. Garner resigned under this pressure and Butler proclaimed himself as commander-in-chief. This would be rather short-lived, and MacArthur led a counterrevolution overthrowing Butler. MacArthur would execute Butler for treason, proclaim martial law and dissolve both houses of congress, ruling essentially by fiat with a rubber stamp military council. However, local democracy would remain, though political parties would be banned. On MacArthur’s interpretation of the Constitution, the founders had never intended for there to be political parties, and partisanship led to the division that had wrought America.
MacArtbur would adopt a policy of neutrality and isolationism when it comes to foreign affairs, and would, refuse to intervene in Europe, despite both domestic pressures to commit support to the Allies, and MacArthur’s own favouritism for the anti-communism of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco. The irony would be that by 1947, the Soviet Union would liberate Europe from the thrall of fascism, turning the Mediterranean into a red lake.
The Third American Republic would however be forced to war against the Japanese after the March 1942 attack on Pearl Harbor. The Pacific War would prove to be the most deadly conflict in history, the marine assault on Japan alone leading to over fourteen million casualties. American troops were told they were making this immense sacrifice for freedom, only to return to dictatorship. This would culminate with the Armistice Day marches, where, across America, over 15 million would gather in a grand act of civil disobedience. MacArthur would give a nationwide radio address, stating that the end of the war threat would reduce the need for such a strict grip on power, calling for a re-introduction of the presidency and a national plebiscite to confirm his authority. Despite fears that the vote would be rigged, a reasonably free and fair election would be conducted, and MacArthur’s presidency would be rejected 55-45. MacArthur accepted the results of the plebiscite and announced a general election for August 27, the year anniversary of victory over Japan.
The structure of the new American system, what we now know as the Fourth American Republic would be as follows - Congress would be reconvened as a unicameral house: each State would be apportioned seats in Congress in accordance with the former rules for the House of Representatives, and in lieu of the Senate, each State would be assigned two seats at-large. Congress would be elected for three-year terms. With fears over the so-called ‘imperial presidency’, the Fourth American Republic would adopt a semi-presidential parliamentary republican model, with most of the powers reserved for the Speaker of Congress, and the presidency would become largely a ceremonial role, elected by Congress, with each party represented in Congress having the power to nominate a Presidential candidate, a majority vote required to confirm the president, who would be limited to two three-year terms.
With political parties banned for fifteen years, MacArthur would succeed in upending the national two party system, with the elections being contested on a regional basis, though the Social Democrats would be competitive nationally with the exception of the Deep South, with party leader Walter Reuther attaining national popularity after being seen as the leader of the Armistice Day protests. The Social Democrats would garner more than twice the amount of votes of any other party, and MacArthur’s hastily organised American Phalanx would perform rather poorly. The first-past-the post system combined with local single member representation and each state getting two at-large representatives would lead to a considerable over-representation for the States’ Rights Party in the new house, and the Social Democrats being denied a majority of seats by quite a wide margin despite their considerable plurality. Despite this, Walter Reuther would be easily confirmed as speaker thanks to the support of the minor progressive parties and considerable portions of Liberal Democrats and Christian Democrats, both of whom were rather big tent centrist parties, and supported an orderly transition of democracy, and saw Reuther as having a democratic mandate, though Reuther would enjoy a better relationship with the Liberal Democrats than the Christian Democrats, appointing progressive Liberal Democrats in John Winant as Secretary of State and Jim Van Zandt as Secretary of War. Reuther would appoint Christian Democrat Joe Martin as Postmaster General, an increasingly ceremonial role largely seen as a sinecure, mainly to ensure that all major parties were represented in the Cabinet.
On the first Monday of October, the incoming Congress assembled for the first Presidential confirmation. The 1933 assassination of President-elect Franklin Roosevelt was seen by many as the beginning of the turmoil that had engulfed America over the prior 16 years. Over that time, the late President-elect’s wife Eleanor had been in exile in the United Kingdom, and had been one of the leading voices for American democracy. Officially an independent, Roosevelt would be nominated by the three major parties, along with Farmer-Labor and Share Our Wealth and all nominating parties would vote en-masse for her, though a handful would rebel with a couple of conservatives joining forces with States’ Rights in voting for Thurmond, and a handful of far-left members choosing the Communist nominee Earl Browder. MacArthur would only receive the loyal support of the Phalanx. MacArthur would readily resign from Congress and live the rest of his life in the political wilderness, and be succeeded by Deputy Commander Moseley as head of the Phalanx.
Party ideology
Social Democrats (SDP) – a centre-left social democratic party, the Reuther Plan calls for racial and gender equality, the implementation of aged and disability pensions, universal state-operated health care, and state and trade union direction of private enterprise
Liberal Democrats (LDP) – a big tent centrist party, with a focus of social liberalism
Christian Democrats (CDP) – a big tent centrist party, with a focus of social moderation and religious values
States’ Rights (SRP) – a party dedicated to the maintenance of the Southern social order, largely agnostic on economic policy
American Phalanx (APP) – a fascist party comprising the remnants of the MacArthur regime
Farmer-Labor (FLP) – a left-wing populist party largely isolated to farming communities across the Great Lakes and the Western States
Share Our Wealth (SWP) – a left-wing populist party, essentially a cult of personality around leader Huey Long, dominates Louisiana politics with pockets of support elsewhere
Jobs and Freedom (JFP) – a left-wing populist party dedicated to uplifting the African-American community
Communist (CP) – the American Communist Party
Vice President-elect John Nance Garner ascended to the presidency on March 3. Garner, a conservative, would largely refuse to enact any progressive reforms and cracked down against trade unions, though he would repeal prohibition.
Smedley Butler was a retired Major General, the most decorated Marine in the history of the United States, and the son of the former Dean of the House of Representatives, Thomas Butler, a conservative Republican. During the early days of the Garner administration, Butler would develop far-left thoughts, stating that during his military service ‘I spent [my] time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer; a gangster for capitalism’. Butler saw his role as to ‘educate the soldiers out of the sucker class’.
Amidst the turmoil of the Depression, Butler led over half a million veterans to march on Washington and overthrow President Garner. Butler essentially saw himself as leading a Blanquist coup, with an enlightened cadre of veterans bringing America to socialism. Garner resigned under this pressure and Butler proclaimed himself as commander-in-chief. This would be rather short-lived, and MacArthur led a counterrevolution overthrowing Butler. MacArthur would execute Butler for treason, proclaim martial law and dissolve both houses of congress, ruling essentially by fiat with a rubber stamp military council. However, local democracy would remain, though political parties would be banned. On MacArthur’s interpretation of the Constitution, the founders had never intended for there to be political parties, and partisanship led to the division that had wrought America.
MacArtbur would adopt a policy of neutrality and isolationism when it comes to foreign affairs, and would, refuse to intervene in Europe, despite both domestic pressures to commit support to the Allies, and MacArthur’s own favouritism for the anti-communism of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco. The irony would be that by 1947, the Soviet Union would liberate Europe from the thrall of fascism, turning the Mediterranean into a red lake.
The Third American Republic would however be forced to war against the Japanese after the March 1942 attack on Pearl Harbor. The Pacific War would prove to be the most deadly conflict in history, the marine assault on Japan alone leading to over fourteen million casualties. American troops were told they were making this immense sacrifice for freedom, only to return to dictatorship. This would culminate with the Armistice Day marches, where, across America, over 15 million would gather in a grand act of civil disobedience. MacArthur would give a nationwide radio address, stating that the end of the war threat would reduce the need for such a strict grip on power, calling for a re-introduction of the presidency and a national plebiscite to confirm his authority. Despite fears that the vote would be rigged, a reasonably free and fair election would be conducted, and MacArthur’s presidency would be rejected 55-45. MacArthur accepted the results of the plebiscite and announced a general election for August 27, the year anniversary of victory over Japan.
The structure of the new American system, what we now know as the Fourth American Republic would be as follows - Congress would be reconvened as a unicameral house: each State would be apportioned seats in Congress in accordance with the former rules for the House of Representatives, and in lieu of the Senate, each State would be assigned two seats at-large. Congress would be elected for three-year terms. With fears over the so-called ‘imperial presidency’, the Fourth American Republic would adopt a semi-presidential parliamentary republican model, with most of the powers reserved for the Speaker of Congress, and the presidency would become largely a ceremonial role, elected by Congress, with each party represented in Congress having the power to nominate a Presidential candidate, a majority vote required to confirm the president, who would be limited to two three-year terms.
With political parties banned for fifteen years, MacArthur would succeed in upending the national two party system, with the elections being contested on a regional basis, though the Social Democrats would be competitive nationally with the exception of the Deep South, with party leader Walter Reuther attaining national popularity after being seen as the leader of the Armistice Day protests. The Social Democrats would garner more than twice the amount of votes of any other party, and MacArthur’s hastily organised American Phalanx would perform rather poorly. The first-past-the post system combined with local single member representation and each state getting two at-large representatives would lead to a considerable over-representation for the States’ Rights Party in the new house, and the Social Democrats being denied a majority of seats by quite a wide margin despite their considerable plurality. Despite this, Walter Reuther would be easily confirmed as speaker thanks to the support of the minor progressive parties and considerable portions of Liberal Democrats and Christian Democrats, both of whom were rather big tent centrist parties, and supported an orderly transition of democracy, and saw Reuther as having a democratic mandate, though Reuther would enjoy a better relationship with the Liberal Democrats than the Christian Democrats, appointing progressive Liberal Democrats in John Winant as Secretary of State and Jim Van Zandt as Secretary of War. Reuther would appoint Christian Democrat Joe Martin as Postmaster General, an increasingly ceremonial role largely seen as a sinecure, mainly to ensure that all major parties were represented in the Cabinet.
On the first Monday of October, the incoming Congress assembled for the first Presidential confirmation. The 1933 assassination of President-elect Franklin Roosevelt was seen by many as the beginning of the turmoil that had engulfed America over the prior 16 years. Over that time, the late President-elect’s wife Eleanor had been in exile in the United Kingdom, and had been one of the leading voices for American democracy. Officially an independent, Roosevelt would be nominated by the three major parties, along with Farmer-Labor and Share Our Wealth and all nominating parties would vote en-masse for her, though a handful would rebel with a couple of conservatives joining forces with States’ Rights in voting for Thurmond, and a handful of far-left members choosing the Communist nominee Earl Browder. MacArthur would only receive the loyal support of the Phalanx. MacArthur would readily resign from Congress and live the rest of his life in the political wilderness, and be succeeded by Deputy Commander Moseley as head of the Phalanx.
Party ideology
Social Democrats (SDP) – a centre-left social democratic party, the Reuther Plan calls for racial and gender equality, the implementation of aged and disability pensions, universal state-operated health care, and state and trade union direction of private enterprise
Liberal Democrats (LDP) – a big tent centrist party, with a focus of social liberalism
Christian Democrats (CDP) – a big tent centrist party, with a focus of social moderation and religious values
States’ Rights (SRP) – a party dedicated to the maintenance of the Southern social order, largely agnostic on economic policy
American Phalanx (APP) – a fascist party comprising the remnants of the MacArthur regime
Farmer-Labor (FLP) – a left-wing populist party largely isolated to farming communities across the Great Lakes and the Western States
Share Our Wealth (SWP) – a left-wing populist party, essentially a cult of personality around leader Huey Long, dominates Louisiana politics with pockets of support elsewhere
Jobs and Freedom (JFP) – a left-wing populist party dedicated to uplifting the African-American community
Communist (CP) – the American Communist Party