United States Presidential election, 1956 (Napoleon's World)

The 1956 United States Presidential election pitted Rhode Island Senator George Cabot of the National Party against former Secretary of State Thomas Radcliffe Sullivan of the Democratic Party, a contest Sullivan wound up winning by a decisive margin. The election featured the first time that an incumbent President (Democrat Richard Russell) was defeated within his own party in an election year for the party nomination in a nomination determined by the primary system, and the first time since 1912 in which a Democrat had succeeded a Democrat, and the first time since the same era in which two consecutive terms were won by the Democratic Party.

Background
The mid-1950's had seen a period of notable economic growth in the United States thanks to the dominant steel and manufacturing industry as well as the military armament sector, which had expanded during the Boer War and English Adventure. The transition of wartime responsibility had transferred nearly seamlessly from Prescott Bush to Richard Russell, but Americans were well aware of the costs in lives and materiel in England, and failed to see a direct correlation to the interests of America in a war being fought far overseas. Most Americans strongly associated the conflict with Russell, even though the initial deployment of troops had been approved by the outgoing Bush.

However, the disparity between rich and poor in the United States was only increasing during the mid-1950's, especially in the industrial Midwest, and racial conflicts in the South were reaching a tipping point. The staunch anti-desegregation stance of Russell and many of his fellow conservatives in the South resulted in mass defections to the National Party by black voters in the 1952 election, following a trend that had been ongoing for several decades.

The United States also found itself becoming more and more deeply involved in the Cold War, which had started in the 1940's and continued with strength as the English Adventure unfolded and it became apparent that the French global interests were no longer compatible with America's.

National Party Nomination
The National Party remained hopeful that their inroads with blacks in the South would help them carry an election, but their image as the party of the rich and entrenched damaged them in many parts of the country, despite their liberal stance on civil rights and conservative ideals on state's rights and basic economics. The last of the great "New England Nationalists," George Cabot, emerged as a frontrunner due to his lengthy experience in the Senate and his close friendships with many ranking politicians and his appeal to rising political names, such as the promising young Missourian, Richard van Dyke.

Cabot was seen as "unbeatable" within Nationalist circles, and throughout early 1956 was challenged time and time again by Charles Sampson, the powerful governor of Huron who had been a fierce opponent of Bush during his second term. Sampson was the leader of the more conservative wing of the National Party, and while he generated a great deal of support, Cabot wound up securing the nomination at the convention in Richmond, Virginia, and selected former Bush-era Attorney General Henry Roland as his running mate. Many believed that Sampson would have been a better running mate, but Cabot thought that Sampson's criticisms and divisive comments would be baggage on the campaign.