The political assumptions behind the alternate treaty

The alternative London settlement leaves the Washington Treaty as written and retains the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Keeping those constraints makes the exercise a proposed departure within recognisable historical conditions. Keynes's economic ideas must become slightly more attractive to governments, alongside a greater willingness to spend on defence. In Britain, Stanley Baldwin wins the 1929 election instead of Ramsay MacDonald, even though MacDonald is judged capable in areas outside defence. In the United States, Al Smith replaces Herbert Hoover in the hope that he will listen to Franklin Roosevelt's advice. That choice would also make Smith the first Catholic president before Kennedy. These altered political premises support the proposal to use shipbuilding for deterrence and economic stimulus.