The Center Cannot Hold

From Turtledove

The Center Cannot Hold is the second book in the American Empire trilogy. It starts in 1923, soon after the assassination of Confederate President Wade Hampton V. It shows the prosperity of the 1920's and the decline of the Freedom Party until the Austro-Hungarian bank failure and subsequent Great Depression. As a result of the depression, the ruling Whigs in the Confederate States lose power to the Freedom Party. The book ends on March 4, 1934, with the inauguration of Jake Featherston as president of the Confederate States.

[edit] Characters

• Abner Dowling
• Anne Colleton
• Mary McGregor
• Sam Carsten
• Jefferson Pinkard
• Sylvia Enos
• Jake Featherston
• Irving Morrell
• Flora Blackford
• Clarence Potter
• Jonathan Moss
• Lucien Galtier
• Scipio
• Chester Martin
• Cincinnatus Driver
• Nellie Jacobs
• Reggie Bartlett
• Hipolito Rodriguez

The Southern Victory series
	How Few Remain		Second Mexican War period
The Great War	American Front | Walk in Hell | Breakthroughs		Great War period
American Empire	Blood and Iron | The Center Cannot Hold | The Victorious Opposition		Inter-War period
Settling Accounts	Return Engagement | Drive to the East | The Grapple | In at the Death		Second Great War period
Timeline-191