History: The Year is 1936

I've uploaded year 1936 to the TSP Wiki...

http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1936


Here are some one liners...


We Are at the Turning Point -- I go through the major news points and end with the German re-armament.

When Fascism Fails in Japan... -- A failed revolution allows the military to crack down even more on Japan.


Notable Births -- Antonin Scalia, John McCain, James Dobson, Jorge Bergoglio, Walter Koenig, Burt Reynolds, Mary Tyler Moore, Michael Landon, Jim Henson

In Other News -- Liberty Ships, the Japanese Baseball League, and the Queen Mary.

We Are at the Turning Point

There is a lot to cover this year, but in summary... the United Auto Workers (UAW) becomes a major force in labor with a sit-down strike at GM. The Keynesian economic revolution is underway. Hitler Youth membership soars. Germany and Italy are now 'Axis Powers'. An officer's revolution in Japan has long range repercussions, as war-oriented expansionists take control. The Arab Revolt in Palestine has begun in reaction to the Jewish settlement movement. Hoover Dam is opened. Jesse Owns (a black man) is kicking the backsides of the white, Aryan Nazis at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This is the first Olympics to be televised. The TV signal will reach the Vega star system, and then Jodie Foster will convince Bill Clinton to build... uh... wait... that was the movie, "Contact". Never mind. The King of England abdicates the throne so that he can play footsie with Mrs. Simpson! (Say no more.) His brother takes the throne, but he has a speech impediment, so his wife arranges for a speech therapist... wait... that is the plot for "The King's Speech". Did that really happen? YES IT DID! Then there is Donald Duck, Pluto the Dog, and the Green Hornet! And finally... ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]}
Germany re-militarizes and invades the Rhineland buffer zone. It is a pathetically weak force at first. World War 2 can be stopped right here, right now, if the French forces act swiftly. The chance is going, going.... gone. Millions are going to die. Nothing short of a miracle can change that now. ^[16]

When Fascism Fails in Japan...

This will be the second failed revolution in Japan recently, interspersed with assassinations as the mood strikes them. There is a nominal civilian government, but really, the military is running things because they are the only ones considered "clean". Life has been hard during the economic turmoil following the financial crash. Communism has it's charms, but the youth of today are pushing for something better than equal drudgery for all. "The Young Fascists" want reform and they want it now. (I call them "The Young Fascists" because translating the word Kodoha into English is not helpful.) They sympathize with their elders, but they want what they want. On that snowy February night, "The Young Fascists" stage a coup d'état. The Prime Minister escapes, but 150 men break into the home of Admiral Suzuki. He leaps to the closet, looking for his sword. It's gone, so he steps out to meet his attackers unarmed. After trying to reason with them, he finally says, "Go ahead and shoot." He receives several bullets to the head and shoulder, but he remains alive. They kneel, present arms, and leave. Eventually, "The Young Fascists" will surrender, receive trials and be executed. Japan is sick of assassinations, so the grip of military control is now absolute. ^{[17] [18] [19]}

My Take by Alex Shrugged
Miraculously, Admiral Suzuki survived to fight in the last days of Japan's Empire, but he had been opposed to war with the USA and remained opposed throughout the war. Obviously, "The Young Fascists" were torqued off about several things including the limitations the USA placed on Japan's navy. This goes back to the Russo-Japanese War when Teddy Roosevelt stepped in to negotiated peace. He also imposed limits on Japan's ship building. In essence, the treaty required Japan always to have fewer hulls than the USA and the UK. HOWEVER... the treaty did NOT specify the tonnage. So... instead of a lot of little coastal vessels, Japan built large hulls because each counted as "one". It torqued off the young officers that they had to work around an unfair treaty, and those bad feelings placed them on the opposite side of the USA in World War 2.

Notable Births

• Antonin Scalia: Supreme Court Justice and conservative intellectual. (I miss him.) ^[20]

• John McCain (Living): Vietnam war hero, Senator and presidential candidate. (I'd like to miss him.) ^[21]

• James Dobson (Living): Founder of Focus on the Family, psychologist and Christian author. ^[22]

• Jorge Bergoglio (Living): Pope Francis in 2013. ^[23]

• And in Entertainment...

• -- Walter Koenig (Living): Star Trek's Pavel Chekov in the original series. ^[24]

• -- Burt Reynolds (Living): "Smokey and the Bandit", "The Longest Yard", and posed nude for a Cosmo centerfold. ^[25]

• -- Mary Tyler Moore (Living): Star of The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and co-founder of MTM Enterprises which spawned many TV hits in the 70s and 80s. ^[26]

• -- Michael Landon: Best known as Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie, director, producer and actor on several successful series. ^[27]

• -- Jim Henson: Creator of the Muppets. He started out in high school making puppets for a local kid's TV program. ^[28]

**Note: (Living) means they were alive when I checked.

In Other News

• Liberty Ships are in production. These cargo ships will come to symbolize America's wealth. They are meant to supply the military during war. (Hmmm.) ^{[29] [30]}

• The Japanese Baseball League is established. It will be reorganized into "Nippon Professional Baseball" after the War. ^[31]

• The Queen Mary makes her maiden voyage. It is currently a tourist attraction in Long Beach, California. ^[32]

This Year in Wikipedia

Year 1936, Wikipedia.