Douglas MacArthur elected President, 1948 or 1952.

[LBJ Revivalist]

If Douglas MacArthur was elected President in 1948 or 1952, how might history have been different?

[Bo]

You mean 1952, since there was no election in 1953. I think that in terms of economic policy, he would largely follow Truman's and FDR's footsteps. On foreign policy, I think he would have nuked China during the Korean War and either secured the entire Korean Peninsula for the U.S. or gotten the U.S. into a nuclear war.

[LBJ Revivalist]

You mean 1952, since there was no election in 1953. I think that in terms of economic policy, he would largely follow Truman's and FDR's footsteps. On foreign policy, I think he would have nuked China during the Korean War and either secured the entire Korean Peninsula for the U.S. or gotten the U.S. into a nuclear war.

Yeah, I've read he was quite moderate or liberal on economic issues. I think he might've ended the Korean War well...In my opinion all we've done since 1953 is delay an inevitable re-start of the war,  and with each passing decade our position in such a hypothethical war grows weaker. In 1950 or even 1953, the Chinese did not have nuclear weapons; we did. The Soviets I doubt would've risked nuclear war with us over Korea, especially under Stalin who wasn't really an expansionist in the way that Lenin was--Didn't he (Stalin) believe in the idea of ''Communism in our country'' rather than Lenin's dream of world communism?

I truly doubt after suffering the devastating casualties and infrastructure damage from WWII, plus the added millions of casualties from the famines and purges, Stalin would've risked the total annihilation of his USSR over the Korean peninsula. While the Russians had nukes after '52, I don't think they would've used them on us.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Hello, World War III !

The most epic fail americans could have done.

[LBJ Revivalist]

Hello, World War III !

The most epic fail americans could have done.

I don't think the Russians, after already losing millions to the famines, purges, and WWII plus the damage to their resources and infrastrcture which WWII caused would've risked total war in 1950-1952, and they didn't have an A-Bomb until 1952 if I remember correctly, nor did China. MacArthur was generally not pro-war (for example he advised both Kennedy and Johnson not to get militarily involved in Vietnam and instead focus on domestic issues), he was only interested in winning the Korean war once started.

[Bo]

Hello, World War III !

The most epic fail americans could have done.

I don't think the Russians, after already losing millions to the famines, purges, and WWII plus the damage to their resources and infrastrcture which WWII caused would've risked total war in 1950-1952, and they didn't have an A-Bomb until 1952 if I remember correctly, nor did China. MacArthur was generally not pro-war (for example he advised both Kennedy and Johnson not to get militarily involved in Vietnam and instead focus on domestic issues), he was only interested in winning the Korean war once started.

The U.S.S.R. built its first nuke in 1949, not 1952.

[The Mikado]

You know, some people are glad we didn't slaughter tens of millions of civilians with nuclear strikes on Peking and Shanghai.  Just FYI.

[Derek]

We could've been up to 180 states with MacArthur in office.