I have read a historical book before: "Glory and Dreams", which depicts American history from 1932 to 1972, and I realized that history may not be what we see now.
In 1932, the Soviet Union recruited 2,000 technicians in the United States. As a result, 100,000 Americans signed up! Under the Great Depression, American society was in turmoil. Politicians used this dissatisfaction to stir up trouble. There were extreme rightists, extreme leftists, and some who were good at inciting populism. The United States may become the Soviet Union, or Nazi Germany, and even more likely to become a Latin American country. However, Roosevelt appeared.
Roosevelt was born in a famous family, but he had ideas for social reform; he had lofty ideals, but he did not use deceit to seek power. At this point in time, there is no one more suitable than him. In order to campaign, they declared that they must be strict in economy to reduce government expenditures. The simple voters thought that saving is always good in the Great Depression, right? After being elected, it expanded government investment and budget deficit. The New Deal of Roosevelt allowed the United States to get out of the Great Depression in another way. It was not the planned economy of the Soviet Union or the aggressive war of the Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire, which established the hegemony after the United States.
The setting and screenwriting of the strange man in the High Castle are indeed incomparable. If we imagine a parallel world after Roosevelt’s assassination, we may think it is absurd, but in fact, the bifurcation of history is sometimes very subtle. For example, if there is no reform Opening up, our current life is probably similar to that of our neighbors in Northeast China, but who is sure that reform and opening up will continue in the 80s or so?
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