Alternative Histories

Alternative history is "a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world."  Like what would have happened if the South had won the Civil War or if the US did not enter World War II."

And then there is this.  Yeah it was three years ago when she said this - but it is still as idiotic today as it was then.

Just for the record

• it was "Smoot-Hawley" not "Hoot-Smalley".  
• Smoot-Hawley was not enacted under FDR.  It was enacted under Hoover - two years prior to FDR's election.  
• Senator Reed Smoot and Rep. Willis Hawley were both Republicans.
• In the Senate 39 Republicans and 5 Democrats voted for Smoot-Hawley.  In the House 244 Republicans and 20 Democrats voted in favor of the bill.  (see here)  
• As part of FDR's 1932 campaign he pledged to reduce tariffs.  In 1934 the Democratic House and Senate passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act to roll back the tariff.
• Coolidge became president in August of 1923.  Roosevelt  took office in March 1933.  From the graph below of Industrial Production its pretty clear that Roosevelt inherited a much worse situation.

So she got everything correct in the story..except for all of the facts.  As a work of alternative history this one seems kind of bland.  I am not seeing a best seller here.