1936 Electoral Fallout

The 1936 Electoral Fallout, also known as the Longist Uprising, was a brief insurrection in the Southern United States (US) from November 7, 1936 to December 25, 1936. It was the result of long-standing political tension in the South between populist and elitist factions within the Democratic Party, which was followed by a highly controversial presidential election in 1936. The Republican victory in the election angered many New Deal Democrats and other members of the party's populist wing, triggering a wave of insurrectionary riots throughout the South, which had become reliant on the New Deal for Great Depression relief. The insurrection ended when the leader, Democratic presidential nominee Huey Long, was captured on Christmas.
Many notable American political figures were involved in both the uprising itself and its suppression. Their leader, Huey Long, was the Governor of Louisiana from 1928-1932 and a US Senator from Louisiana from 1932-1936. The incumbet President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, resigned from his post and went to New Orleans to aid the protesters. As a result, Vice President John Nance Garner was inaugurated as President during the height of the conflict. Garner served for two months before the inauguration of Alf Landon on January 20, 1937. In the mean time, the position of Vice President was left vacant. Garner attempted to appoint Landon as his Vice President, however the largely Democratic-controlled Congress refused to approve the appointment.
== Prelude ==
=== Great Depression ===
==== Economic crash ====
On October 24, 1929, the Wall Street stock market crashed after decades of economic speculation created a bubble in the stock market. The day, known as Black Thursday, saw a massive sell-off of stocks. 5 days later, on Black Tuesday, 16 million shares were traded simultaneously. The massive panic that led to the excessive sale of stocks subverted the stock market, crashing the American economy. The economic collapse, known as the Wall Street Crash of 1929, was blamed on incumbent President Herbet Hoover and the Federal Reserve.
In the months that followed, the American banking system collapsed. Banks, long considered "too big to fail," refused to return money to depositers because the consumerism ("buy now, pay later") of the prior Roaring Twenties left the banks without any money to give back. The banks subsequently closed without returning any money to the depositers, leaving entire families impoverished in mere minutes. Millions of working class Americans had to sell their homes or faced home eviction, forcing them to live in make-shift piles of scrap nicknamed "Hoovervilles." Again, the economic failure was blamed on President Hoover.
These troubling economic times later became known as the Great Depression, emphasizing the scale of economic depression that swept across the country. Outside of the United States, the vast majority of capitalist countreis were also affected. The United Kingdom experienced severe economic decline, signaled by the crash of the London Stock Exchange in September 1929. British colonies suffered as well, including Australia, which suffered from an epidemic of emu attacks on farmland.
==== 1932 election ====
By 1932, the approval rating of Herbert Hoover had dropped below 30%. Alongside the Great Depression, his policies prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol were also widely unpopular. The Republican Party had experienced a sharp decline in popularity by this point. Surprisingly, the Republicans renominated Hoover for President in 1932. The Democratic Party held a contentious primary, but ultimately nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt, the cousin of well-liked former President Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt proposed a solution to the Great Depression that included a turn towards progressive social democracy known as the New Deal, named after his cousin's Square Deal. Roosevelt won the election with 57.41% of the popular vote and 472 electoral votes. Herbert Hoover received only 39.65% of the popular vote and 59 electoral votes, a devastating defeat. 2.95% of the popular vote went to third party candidates, primarily Socialist Party nominee Norman Thomas and Communist Party nominee William Z. Foster.