The Center Cannot Hold (American Empire, #2) By Harry Turtledove

January 17 1935 The Committee on Economic Security s recommendations embodied in the Economic Security Bill were introduced in the 74th Congress Recommendations included Federal old age insurance Federal State public assistance and unemployment insurance programs and extension of public health maternal and child health services for crippled children and child welfare services and vocational rehabilitation but not health insurance S. March 1 1935 Congressman Frank Buck Calif made the motion to change the name of the Economic Security Bill to the Social Security Bill The motion was carried by a voice vote from the House Ways and Means Committee. R 7260 was reported out by the Senate Finance Committee with amendments by a vote of 7 to 6 Against were 5 Republicans 1 Democrat and there were 12 who did not vote June 19 1935 The Social Security Bill was passed in the Senate by a vote of 77 Yes 6 No and 12 Not Voting. Filibuster courtesy Brookings Institution 1789 House and Senate rulebooks empower a simple majority to cut off debate 1805 Aaron Burr suggests that they get rid of that rule so they do which creates the possibility for a filibuster. There were I researched but I won t mention them here Sadly I don t remember much about the characters except the hated Featherstone is President I think I stopped reading the series because it reminded me too much of Trump I ll pick it up later Harry Turtledove I somehow missed Turtledove s birthday last week A few signs you ve read too much Turtledove You re automatically suspicious of any political movement that crows too loudly about freedom you can envision Mormon suicide bombers and you wonder how World War II would have turned out if alien lizards invaded Earth in the middle of it Harry Turtledove The continuation of the long and intricate alternate history track Harry Turtledove began with a what if change of events during the Civil War For me this series is addictive The characters and events are intriguing and I want to know what happens next Harry Turtledove Set during the 1920s and 1930s this novel follows events begun in the novel How Few Remain through The Great War series and in the previous novel in this series American Empire Blood Iron. What has been set up previously is the premise of the Confederacy winning the Civil War They come to blows with the United States again twenty years following the end of that war then again during the same time period as the First World War. Following the defeat of the Confederacy and its allies France and England by the United States and Germany this particular alternate history novel tracks various characters throughout the prosperity of the 1920s and into the stock market crash bank failures and Great Depression. TO read my full review please go to Harry Turtledove Da una parte l accuratezza nel descrivere l ascesa del nazismo americano in un contesto cos finemente cesellato rende questo secondo capitolo della trilogia pi ciccioso e intrigante dell episodio precedente Si vede che l autore non si riposa sugli allori ci mette il cuore in questi lavori. Dall altra ahim c sempre il solito problema situazioni e fraseggi ripetuti alla nausea Certo facile cadere in questa trappola narrativa quando c cos tanto da dire ma Turtledove dovrebbe avere un po pi di fiducia nei lettori Tagliando almeno un quarto di libro sarebbe rimasto pi che accettabile anzi sarebbe anche stato pi emozionante Altro problema i salti temporali Mannaggia al Cristobaldo non sarebbe una cattiva idea iniziare almeno il capitolo con la data degli eventi in corso Ci si confonde non poco scoprire ad un certo punto che toh sono passati uno due tre anni cos de botto senza senso. Ma sia come sia alla fine non un brutto libro non tempo sprecato e si ha tanta voglia di sapere come andr avanti Harry Turtledove AMERICAN EMPIRE BOOK TWO In this spectacular thought provoking epic of alternate history Harry Turtledove has created an unparalleled vision of social upheaval war and cutthroat politics in a world very much like our own but with dramatic differences It is 1924 a time of rebuilding from the slow reconstruction of Washington s most honored monuments to the reclamation of devastated cities in Europe and Canada In the United States the Socialist Party led by Hosea Blackford battles Calvin Coolidge to hold on to the Powell House in Philadelphia And it seems as if the Socialists can do no wrong for the stock market soars and America enjoys prosperity unknown in a half century But as old names like Custer and Roosevelt fade into history a new generation faces new uncertainties The Confederate States victorious in the War of Secession and in the Second Mexican War but at last tasting defeat in the Great War suffer poverty and natural calamity The Freedom Party promises new strength and pride But if its chief seizes the reins of power he may prove a dangerous enemy for the hated U. A Yet the United States take little note Sharing world domination with Germany they consider events in the Confederacy of little consequence As the 1920s end calamity casts a pall across the continent With civil war raging in Mexico terrorist uprisings threatening U. S control in Canada and an explosion of violence in Utah the United States are rocked by uncertainty In a world of occupiers and the occupied of simmering hatreds shattered lives and pent up violence the center can no longer hold And for a powerful nation the ultimate shock will come when a fleet of foreign aircraft rain death and destruction upon one of the great cities of the United States From the Hardcover edition The Center Cannot Hold American Empire 2 More familiar historical figures showing up in different contexts and of the world going to Hell in a hand basket as reactionaries take control of the Confederate government Characters introduced as young children in novels from the previous series are now getting married and having children of their own The breadth of these narratives is amazing Harry Turtledove Firstly I enjoyed this entry than I did the one before Blood and Iron It felt like the story had substance to it and advanced the plot along whereas Blood and Iron seemed like treading water. We always knew Jake Featherston was going to winand likewise we all know Jake Featherston is a Hitler analog But what concerns me is that the Freedom Party rallies resemble the modern day Trump Rallies and whilst Trump is no Featherston the rabid racism nationalism and outright blind faith certainly fits Harry Turtledove One theme of this book is that you shouldn t elect bad people into positions of power One example is that in the Confederate States of America they elected Jake Featherston into power who is a radical who wants to get revenege on the United States and the African Americans who rose up during World War 1 Harry Turtledove Occasionally while perusing a book store I ll see that a particular novel has multiple authors which always had me wondering as to why After reading a succession of Harry Turtledove novels I am starting to understand the impetus. Turtledove is outstanding when it comes to contemplating what if scenarios hence his presence as one of the most popular alternate history writers But he s downright inadequate in terms of writing dialogue which prevents him from reaching the category of great overall He may want to contemplate getting somebody to assist him in that category On the other hand maybe he doesn t careThe Center Cannot Hold looks primarily at the USA Canada and The Confederate States Mexico in the late 1920 s early 1930 s I believe covering years than any other effort in The Southern Victory Series The seeds for the WWII like conflict between the two nations are sowed and attention is paid to Europe than any of his previous work Harry Turtledove Considering how much Turtledove publishes the man must work without stop or sleep and it shows in the writing But oh what great stories he has to tell This book is set in a universe were the South won the civil war and the next one but lost the Great War a story told sometimes ad nauseam in 4 books so far Ten years 1924 till 1934 are covered the recession and subsequent rise of a Nazi style party in the South are the main topic. In typical Turtledove style a lot of characters tell their stories add their perspective to a fascinating picture Some of them are IMHO useless some should be killed of one is and on top of it all the book could do better with 100 pages less But I repeat the style of writing and the details of this book may be bad or tiresome the overall result is not. Turtledove manages to give a very good impression of what life was like in a defeated impoverished country with discredited elites Show the conditions that made possible the rise of authoritarian regimes all over Europe in the 20s and 30s in this book it is the South Now I wonder if it is just a coincidence that the Hitler like Jake Featherstone begins his radio addresses with the statement I am going to tell you the truth Are the not some talk radio hosts who use similar phrases What makes this book interesting than the last one from the series is that while it s alternate universe remains close to the real one it gets history of it s own f. All things considered this is a great read for those already familiar with the series For me a toss up between three or four stars And I ll give Turtledove the benefit of doubt and also look forward to the next installment But shorter please Harry Turtledove

The Center Cannot Hold (American Empire, #2) By Harry Turtledove

0345444221

9780345444226

English

640

Paperback

Dr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history historical fiction fantasy and science fiction. Turtledove has been dubbed The Master of Alternate History Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios such as survival of the Byzantine Empire an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War His novels have been credited with bringing al Dr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history historical fiction fantasy and science fiction. Turtledove has been dubbed The Master of Alternate History Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios such as survival of the Byzantine Empire an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream His style of alternate history has a strong military theme site_link.

.

The Center Cannot Hold brought up a few historical themes that drove me to research a little . There is a line in the book that says a filibuster tied up old age insurance Below is what happened: gov1923 Old age assistance laws were passed in Pennsylvania and Nevada They were later declared unconstitutional, January 1 1930 The California Old age Pension Law which was mandatory and Statewide in its application became effective. May 18 1933 The first significant use of the term Social Security came about when the American Association for Old age Security became the American Association for Social Security. 1130 was introduced in the Senate by Senator Robert F Wagner H. R 4120 was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Robert L Doughton and H: April 4 1935 The Social Security Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives with a report This bill H, R 7260 was passed by the House of Representatives 372 to 33 25 not voting Against were 13 Democrats 18 Republicans and 2 Farm Labor, R 7260 was sent to the President after acceptance of the final conference report by the House and the Senate. R 7260 Public Law No 271 74th Congress became law with the President s signature at approximately 3 30 p. 1837 First filibuster occurs and few follow before the Civil War: By the 1880s filibusters were common and reform attempts were made: 1917 Adoption of Cloture supermajorityI am pretty sure that Harry Turtledove mentions filibuster in The Center Cannot Hold because of Huey Long s June 12 1935 filibuster.Social Security from ssa.June 1 1930 The Wyoming Old age Pension Law became effective.R 4142 was introduced by Representative David J Lewis.R 7260 replaced the Economic Security Bill.April 19 1935 The Social Security Bill H.May 13 1935 The Social Security Bill H.August 9 1935 The Social Security Bill H.August 14 1935 The Social Security Act H.m on a Wednesday.S.e Japan and the USA already clash in 1932.Harry Turtledove attended UCLA where he received a Ph.D in Byzantine history in 1977.Harry Turtledove attended UCLA where he received a Ph.D in Byzantine history in 1977