What If? What if Ronald Reagan was inserted into the mind of FDR

[Sol Zagato]

Hindsight is an enormous advantage for RR.

Whatever parts of Great Society he liked, he'd implement. Whatever parts he thought were disasters, he'd stay away from. Maybe he'd get some things right.

I think he'd have a huge hateboner for American communists. Huge. Communist activity in the Screen Actor's Guild (which he was president of) is what turned him from Democrat to Republican. He saw what they were up to.

Ronald Reagan the young Hollywood star, who is also in this TL, might be getting into politics early.

 

[Buba]

I think he'd have a huge hateboner for American communists. Huge. Communist activity in the Screen Actor's Guild (which he was president of) is what turned him from Democrat to Republican. He saw what they were up to.

Th thought that he might exert some sort of influence over Hollywood did cross my mind
I lumped the Vth column of actors and other movie industry professionals under the Commscum to be cleansed header.

Ronald Reagan the young Hollywood star, who is also in this TL, might be getting into politics early.

Maybe ... depends on how happy RR had been as an actor in the 30s.
If he decided to go into politics I do imagine him getting a leg up with a mentor, though

One of the changes of such an ISOT would be a very different Democratic party, innit?

BTW - the non-FDR President might not appease his party cronies in California and not carry out the grand theft of property disguised as internment of Japanese Americans. Or that is how I (miss)understood what I read on the web.

 

[The Mandarin]

He would support the Empire of Japan and likely broker a peace between them and the KMT to divide China. There'd be an immediate reversal of the embargoes and he'd likely push for Japan to break off ties with the Axis and reengage with the US which would radically alter everything. The whole cold war might even end up being against Nationalist China and Imperial Japan...The Second world War might end up known as the Russian and Indian war or something.

People forget Reagan was a rather huge Yamatophile

 

[Winston Bush]

very different Democratic party

Night and day from our one otl. I wonder how would this change american domestic politics in the long run and how the republicans would respond?

 

[Buba]

He would support the Empire of Japan and likely broker a peace between them and the KMT to divide China. {SNIP]

We are in 1933!
There is no Sino-Japanese War!
There are no embargoes!
There are no Axis!

 

[The Mandarin]

We are in 1933!
There is no Sino-Japanese War!
There are no embargoes!
There are no Axis!

Prepare for the great Yamato-American Alliance against communism then!

 

[ATP]

Prepare for the great Yamato-American Alliance against communism then!

Still more logical then OTL.USA supported soviets,which arleady were genociders ,help them win WW2 and divided world among them.After that,soviets still planned to take over everything.

Japan in 1933 do not genocided anybody yet,was smaller so less dangerous,and never thought about taking over entire world.
Making deal with them would be better both for USA nad entire world.

 

[Abhorsen]

There is no Sino-Japanese War!

No, the invasion of Manchuria already started.

Still more logical then OTL.USA supported soviets,which arleady were genociders ,help them win WW2 and divided world among them.After that,soviets still planned to take over everything.

The USA didn't really support the soviets, more than use them as allies of convenience. The only reason there was an alliance at all was that they were both at war with the same enemy. Meanwhile, Japan had just been discovered having faked the Mukden Incident that served as pretense for the invasion of Manchuria, where they acted horribly even prior to the 1937 Rape of Nanjing, including bombing civilians, et al. They then left the League of Nations in 1933, further isolating them. There was absolutely no reason at the time to ally with Japan, and this would be a near impossible sell to America. Much of America are isolationists, and those that aren't want to support 'good' nations, and Japan had been quite clearly established as not good in the media by then (which wasn't lying). Honestly, even Reagan wouldn't have liked Japan at the time, as it was a much different country.

The biggest thing Reagan could do would be calling out the Holodomor, and supporting the Weimar republic in hopes to stave off Hitler taking complete power, as the Weimar republic officially falls in March 1933.

 

[ATP]

No, the invasion of Manchuria already started.


The USA didn't really support the soviets, more than use them as allies of convenience. The only reason there was an alliance at all was that they were both at war with the same enemy. Meanwhile, Japan had just been discovered having faked the Mukden Incident that served as pretense for the invasion of Manchuria, where they acted horribly even prior to the 1937 Rape of Nanjing, including bombing civilians, et al. They then left the League of Nations in 1933, further isolating them. There was absolutely no reason at the time to ally with Japan, and this would be a near impossible sell to America. Much of America are isolationists, and those that aren't want to support 'good' nations, and Japan had been quite clearly established as not good in the media by then (which wasn't lying). Honestly, even Reagan wouldn't have liked Japan at the time, as it was a much different country.

The biggest thing Reagan could do would be calling out the Holodomor, and supporting the Weimar republic in hopes to stave off Hitler taking complete power, as the Weimar republic officially falls in March 1933.

If soviets was not USA allies,then why they get eastern Europe ? with A boms,they could made them leave without problem,just like they made them leave Iran in 1946.

USA need somebody as ally,and soviets were worst possible.
soviets genocided from the beginning,Stalin simply murdered more then Lenin.And everybody who wanted to knew about that,knew that.
Comparing japaneese atrocities to those made by soviets is as comparing average street thug to Al Capone.

And Holodomor was not genocide of Ukrainians or even farmers,but everybody who could sustain himself and his family.In Kazachstan soviets genocided 30% of population of local horse nomads.
And yes,Reagan should show that to the world.
About Hilter - just send one american dyvision to Rhineland in 1936.It would be enough.

P.S americans were isolacionist - so what ? media created war in 1898 from nothing,so they could do that again.

 

[Abhorsen]

If soviets was not USA allies,then why they get eastern Europe ? with A boms,they could made them leave without problem,just like they made them leave Iran in 1946.

... I said they were allies of convenience, not of choice. They weren't allies in 1933, they were allies in 1941, after Pearl Harbor. At that point, Japan wasn't an option. Prior to WW2, America wanted neither of the countries as allies, and Japan had already landed on the list as international outcast by 1933. I don't see anyway that Reagan could end up as allies with Japan. Also, you are vastly underestimating the evil that Japan did. I mean, the Soviet Union is obviously evil, but Imperial Japan is right up there with mass rape, mass killings, mass slavery, etc. But then, your understanding of genocide has always been lacking.

About Hilter - just send one american dyvision to Rhineland in 1936.It would be enough.

There would be no way to accomplish this though. At the time, this would have been politically infeasible domestically, and end up with everyone looking at America as if it was the bad guy.

 

[Buba]

No, the invasion of Manchuria already started.
True that Manchuria already annexed.

Yet the conventional start of the Sino-Japanaese War is 1937.

Honestly, even Reagan wouldn't have liked Japan at the time, as it was a much different country.

Yup. Weaboo or not, 1930s Japan was very nasty.
IMO a "Panay War" would be the best solution.

The biggest thing Reagan could do would be calling out the Holodomor,

Can do. Fellow travelers/useful idiots still say it is a lie, though.

and supporting the Weimar republic in hopes to stave off Hitler taking complete power, as the Weimar republic officially falls in March 1933.

IMO not enough time.
He gets inaugurated somewhere in January 1933 - he has 6? 8? weeks to do this.

 

[Abhorsen]

Yet the conventional start of the Sino-Japanaese War is 1937.

Fair point, I was more trying to say that post-invasion of Manchuria it was inevitable.

IMO a "Panay War" would be the best solution.

Yeah, that would be a good time to start, though IDK if he could get funding through congress, especially with the great depression happening.

IMO not enough time.
He gets inaugurated somewhere in January 1933 - he has 6? 8? weeks to do this.

Yeah, probably not. But it might be worth an attempt/making a stink about this. In contrast to OTL, where hyperfocus on the USSR meant that Europe viewed Hitler as a bulwark against communism.

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I don't think Reagan would engineer the war with the Japanese like FDR did to maintain the US' supremacy in the Pacific, so we wouldn't go to war as quickly. That being said, the Imperial Army's Junta already controlled Japan and was pretty radicalized, so there is a decent chance we would have gone to war with them anyway.

I don't think Reagan would have given the go-ahead for the firebombings in either Europe or Asia.

 

[ATP]

... I said they were allies of convenience, not of choice. They weren't allies in 1933, they were allies in 1941, after Pearl Harbor. At that point, Japan wasn't an option. Prior to WW2, America wanted neither of the countries as allies, and Japan had already landed on the list as international outcast by 1933. I don't see anyway that Reagan could end up as allies with Japan. Also, you are vastly underestimating the evil that Japan did. I mean, the Soviet Union is obviously evil, but Imperial Japan is right up there with mass rape, mass killings, mass slavery, etc. But then, your understanding of genocide has always been lacking.


There would be no way to accomplish this though. At the time, this would have been politically infeasible domestically, and end up with everyone looking at America as if it was the bad guy.

Nope.USA was making tank factories for soviets in 1933.Without them,Stalin would never made 20.000 tanks till 1939.And all Reagan need is simply cut off that help.
And if you really do not see difference between Japan and soviets from 1933,then you really lack something.
And what Hitler homosexuals had to do with soviet genocide ?

 

[Abhorsen]

Nope.USA was making tank factories for soviets in 1933.Without them,Stalin would never made 20.000 tanks till 1939.And all Reagan need is simply cut off that help.

Building factories in the USSR does not an alliance make. The Soviets bought this from America, and hired workers as well. The Soviets then idolized America, including idolizing Ford, Taylor, and Gilbreth (Gilbreth you might have heard of from the Cheaper by the Dozen book, which got turned into a movie by Disney which turned Gilbreth, a noted efficiency expert, into a football coach). And honestly, cutting off the factories might not have been a good idea, given that fascism seems inevitable. I don't think it would have been good if Hitler had beaten the soviets, as he could have shifted the troops over to stop us from invading Normandy.

And if you really do not see difference between Japan and soviets from 1933,then you really lack something.

I didn't say that, so stop putting words in my mouth. But the Japanese Empire eventually became about as the Soviet Union was, just over a shorter period of time, and less area subjugated.

As for working with them, was the USSR worse? Sure. Is it at all feasible to work with Japan? No. Could we use the USSR? Yes.

And what Hitler homosexuals had to do with soviet genocide ?

That your knowledge of WW2 is generally bullshit, especially when it comes to genocide.

 

[ShieldWife]

There is no way that Reagan could have a Panay War with Japan in 1937. It was an accident, Japan apologized and paid compensation, and America was really against foreign intervention at that point. Congress wouldn’t vote for war, and back in those days politicians at least pretended to care about the Constitution and so Congress would have to declare war. Even pushing for war with Japan then would blacken Reagan/Roosevelt’s name.

The real goal here would be to keep WWII from happening at all, not to start it early, which would probably be impossible since Roosevelt wanted to get involved sooner but couldn’t until he had proper casus belli.

If Reagan cannot prevent the outbreak of WWII, maybe he could at least make preparations and take extra precautions to prevent excessive civilian death and persecution during the war. Reagan could have, for example, made sure that all of the refugees on the MS St. Louis were taken in.

Aside from WWII itself, Reagan could try to purge the communists from their influential places in the US government and society. That could go a long way in making a better future for humanity. The most terrible mass murders in history were in China under Mao and Reagan could be poised to prevent the Communists from taking over China which would not only prevent Mao’s atrocities (which Reagain likely would know about) but could also prevent communist China from eventually overtaking the USA as the world’s major superpower, something Reagan may not have been able to predict.

 

[Sol Zagato]

Reagan could be poised to prevent the Communists from taking over China which would not only prevent Mao’s atrocities (which Reagain likely would know about) but could also prevent communist China from eventually overtaking the USA as the world’s major superpower, something Reagan may not have been able to predict.

It's not a communist he needs to remove to save China, but a Republican (if WW2 is still on). Joseph Stillwell was in charge of the Burma campaign and assisting China, hated Chiang Kai Shek, and was unprofessional enough about it that it probably tipped the KMT to losing to Mao.

If Reagan saves China from Communism, they're more likely, not less, to overtake the US.

 

[ATP]

There is no way that Reagan could have a Panay War with Japan in 1937. It was an accident, Japan apologized and paid compensation, and America was really against foreign intervention at that point. Congress wouldn’t vote for war, and back in those days politicians at least pretended to care about the Constitution and so Congress would have to declare war. Even pushing for war with Japan then would blacken Reagan/Roosevelt’s name.

The real goal here would be to keep WWII from happening at all, not to start it early, which would probably be impossible since Roosevelt wanted to get involved sooner but couldn’t until he had proper casus belli.

If Reagan cannot prevent the outbreak of WWII, maybe he could at least make preparations and take extra precautions to prevent excessive civilian death and persecution during the war. Reagan could have, for example, made sure that all of the refugees on the MS St. Louis were taken in.

Aside from WWII itself, Reagan could try to purge the communists from their influential places in the US government and society. That could go a long way in making a better future for humanity. The most terrible mass murders in history were in China under Mao and Reagan could be poised to prevent the Communists from taking over China which would not only prevent Mao’s atrocities (which Reagain likely would know about) but could also prevent communist China from eventually overtaking the USA as the world’s major superpower, something Reagan may not have been able to predict.

Best chance would be stopping Japan from attacking China.If he told them where in Manchuria find oil,they would not need to attack anybody.And without war with Japan Mao would remain small provincial thug.

Europe - Hitler could be easily stopped in 1936,or less easily in 1938.Just convict France to attack then,and problem is solved.
Or Poland.Our leaders really belived that they are superpower,so convicting them to send one army in 1936 would solve problem.

Soviets - just stop transfer technology.All soviet factories were made by foreign engineers,mostly american.And becouse Holodomor just started,stop buying grain from soviets/yes,they sell grain and starved millions at the same time/
They would not fall,but would be unable to create modern army.

 

[MuddyAristocrat]

"FDR/Regan immediately has some sort of anyrusim/stroke because his brain isn't formatted correctly, dies

This is why you have to safely eject an external drive! You can corrupt the memory on the drive otherwise!

 

[ATP]

This is why you have to safely eject an external drive! You can corrupt the memory on the drive otherwise!

But this gave us world with FDR dead in 1933.Democrats would win,but who would be president ? If somebody as stupid as Wallace we would have commie world including USA,with somebody as stupid as FDR nothing change,but some smarter democrat mean less help for soviets and more european countries remain free.