History Literature / ThePlotAgainstAmerica

* PuttingOnTheReich: Strangely, it's more subtle than one would expect. When Charles Lindbergh is elected as President, he enacts some Nazi-lite policies specifically targeted at Jewish people, such as the relocation of Jewish families, forcing Jewish boys of a certain age to live with a gentile family for the summer so that they will be turned against Jewish customs such as keeping kosher. Though Lindbergh never goes nearly as far as Hitler did, American Jews are still clearly facing persecution. This may support the in-universe [[UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories conspiracy theory]] that he was only doing it due to blackmail from the Nazis, and his heart really wasn't in it.

* BittersweetEnding: Eventually, [[spoiler:history gets back on track, with FDR resuming the presidency just before Pearl Harbor – which comes a year later – and the Nazis are defeated. Everyone still pays the price, however. Many of the antisemitic rioters pull off a KarmaHoudini, including the Ku Klux Klan members who killed Seldon's mother. No one ever discovers why Lindbergh turned Nazi or vanished, although theories abound. Mrs. Roth and Evelyn only reconcile to the point that Evelyn can stay at their house until it's safe. And Seldon and many other children are traumatized by the experience, as Philip muses on whether the tragedies could have been avoided]].

** Even more so the portrayal of Lindbergh's Vice President, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_K._Wheeler Burton K. Wheeler]]. The real man, though opposing US entry into the war, was a well-known progressive who had exposed the Teapot Dome scandal in the '20s, consistently supported labor unions and worker's rights and backed Roosevelt's New Deal policies until breaking with FDR over his "court packing" plan in 1937. Wheeler did associate himself with Lindbergh and America First (although he enthusiastically supported the war after Pearl Harbor), but he isn't known to have expressed any of the bigoted or pro-fascist sentiments attributed to him in the novel.

** The portrayal of Charles Lindbergh as a ANaziByAnyOtherName (as rooted in truth as it is) can come off as this especially at first to readers who didn't know that Charles Lindbergh held such views and mainly knew about him as a celebrity pilot. Roth does soften this a bit by implying that Lindbergh is coerced into implementing his pro-German policies.

* PuttingOnTheReich: Strangely, it's more subtle than one would expect. When Charles Lindbergh is elected as President, he enacts some Nazi-lite policies specifically targeted at Jewish people, such as the relocation of Jewish families, forcing Jewish boys of a certain age to live with a gentile family for the summer so that they will be turned against Jewish customs such as keeping kosher. Charles Lindbergh never goes nearly as far as Hitler ever did, but Jewish people are still clearly facing persecution. This may support the in-universe [[UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories conspiracy theory]] that he was only doing it due to blackmail from the Nazis, thus his heart really wasn't in it.

* BittersweetEnding: Eventually, [[spoiler:history gets back on track with FDR resuming the presidency just before Pearl Harbor and the Nazis are defeated. Everyone still pays the price, however; many AntiSemitic rioters are a KarmaHoudini, including the Ku Klux Klan members who killed Seldon's mother. No one knows why Lindbergh turned Nazi or vanished, though the theories abound. Mrs. Roth and Evelyn only reconcile to the point that Evelyn can stay at their house until it's safe. Seldon and many other children are traumatized from the experience, as Philip muses on if the tragedies could have been avoided]].

Meanwhile, [[AuthorAvatar Philip Roth]] is a preteen Jewish boy who must cope with the ever-growing antisemitism in America. His mother has started saving money in a [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] bank in case things get so desperate that the Roths must leave the country. Phil's Aunt Evelyn grows closer to the Republican politicians and the visiting Nazi dignitaries. Phil's brother Sandy is turned against the Jewish culture and his cousin Alvin comes back home wounded after fighting in World War II for the Canadian army. It gets worse.

However, ''The Plot Against America'' diverges from actual history starting with the Republican National Convention that met concerning the 1940 election, where Charles Lindbergh instead of Wendell Willkie is named as the Republican nominee for President. Jewish people across America spontaneously and loudly protest this as soon as they hear the news. Why? Lindbergh is a Nazi sympathizer and a proud recipient of the Order of the German Eagle who even refused to return it after Kristallnacht, saying that it would constitute an "unnecessary insult" to the Third Reich. However, Lindbergh is able to use his popularity as a famous aviator as well as his isolationism to defeat FDR in the 1940 election. Thereafter, he signs "understandings" with both the Third Reich and Japan, making nice with both governments. Thus, the bombing of Pearl Harbor as well as America's 1942 entrance into UsefulNotes/WorldWarII are averted. Antisemitism increases in popularity as an alliance between the American and Nazi government strengthens.

* AluminumChristmasTrees:
** With the present historical narrative of America as generally supportive of the Allies, but unable to get personally involved in World War II until the [[Film/AnimalHouse Germans]], sorry, Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the idea that at any point in history an American could not only express positive views about the Nazis and still be able to show his face in polite society but also receive a medal from Adolf Hitler himself without being ostracized can seem very far-fetched indeed without deeper historical knowledge.
** The two major political parties of the 30s and 40s were really as isolationist as portrayed in the book. The country was weary of another war after the Great War and the Depression was so bad for such a long time that people just wanted to worry about rebuilding. Roosevelt knew that the US entering the war was inevitable but didn’t have Congress or the American people on his side. He spent several years readying both in his speeches for what he knew was coming and did what he could to help the Allies around the edges.

* BittersweetEnding: Eventually, [[spoiler:history gets back on track with FDR resuming the presidency just before Pearl Harbor and the Nazis are defeated. Everyone still pays the price, however; many AntiSemitic rioters are a KarmaHoudini, including the Ku Klux Klan members who killed Seldon's mother. No one knows why Lindbergh turned Nazi or vanished, though the theories abound. Mrs. Roth and Evelyn only reconcile to the point that Evelyn can stay in the basement until it's safe. Seldon and many other children are traumatized from the experience, as Philip muses on if the tragedies could have been avoided]].

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: The portrayal of Charles Lindbergh as a ANaziByAnyOtherName (as rooted in truth as it is) can come off as this especially at first to readers who didn't know that Charles Lindbergh held such views and mainly knew about him as a celebrity pilot. Roth does soften this a bit by implying that Lindbergh is coerced into implementing his pro-German policies.