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On this edition of Parallax Views, there's a rich and storied history of resistance to war profiteering in the United States of America. Joining us to unpack this overlooked history is Hunter DeRensis, communications director for BringOurTroopsHome.US and author of the recent article "Merchants Of Death: From the Nye Committee to Joe Kent, the fight against war profiteering is a constant struggle". in The American Conservative. We begin by discussing the impetus behind writing the article, namely Hunter's interest in public perception of the military-industrial complex. In contrast to today, where military-industrial complex is used as a non-loaded off-hand to refer to companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, Hunter says that a century ago there was a broad public resistance to and skepticism of the military-industrial complex and, more specifically, war profiteering. We then delve into the history of this public resistance going back to the Progressive Era and WWI. In this regard we discuss JP Morgan, then the largest investment bank in the world and often referred to in those days as "The House of Morgan", and DuPont in relation to war profiteering in the WWI era. Additionally we discuss the use of taxation against war profiteers and figures who led the charge against war profiteering like the politicians William Jennings Bryan, George Norris, Robert LaFollette, Gerald Nye, and Hiram Johnson. Later on in the conversation we discuss the bestselling 1930s book Merchants of War that sought to expose war profiteering, left and right opposition to war profiteering, the Nye Commitee investigation into war profiteering, Theodore Roosevelt and war hawks, Smedley Butler and War is a Rocket, historian Charles Austin Beard, the costs of WWI, the near universality of sentiment against war profiteering in the interwar period, the early feminist and suffragist movements connection to the pacifist and antiwar movements in the early 20th century, Hunter's involvement with BringOurTroopsHome.US and the fact that many veterans oppose U.S. nation-building war today, the profits made by Eugene G. Grace of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation off war, the extent and scope of the Nye Committee, American nationalism, the attacks on Gerald Nye by figures like Sen. Tom Connally and Sen. Carter Glass, war profiteers funding both sides of conflicts, secret treaties involving Woodrow Wilson and WWI, the Appropriations Commitee and the shutdown of the Nye Commitee, why the Nye Committee fell short of its ultimate goals, arms manufactures post-WWI and the rise of the military-industrial complex, the post-WWII permanent war economy, why libertarians should oppose the military-industrial complex, the impact and legacy of the Nye Commitee, Dan Crenshaw and Tom Cotton not being representative of the supermajority of veterans' views on U.S. wars and foreign policy, and more!
On this edition of Parallax Views, the historian Charles Austin Beard is not widely discussed today, but in the early 20th century he was a juggernaut amongst public intellectuals. Along with his wife Mary Beard, Charles Beard is one of the forebears of the progressive school of historical interpretation. He is perhaps best know for 1913 book An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, which provocatively re-evaluated the founding fathers as being driven primarily by material factors rather than ideals. Additionally Bear was a staunch anti-imperialist. So much so, in fact, that he went on to oppose U.S. intervention into WWII. Due to his stance on U.S. involvement in WWII at the time Beard fell out of favor with historians in the latter half of the 20th century. On this edition of the program Dr. Richard Drake, the Lucille Spear Research Chair in Politics and History at University of Montana, joins us to discuss his reevaluating this forgotten figure in his new book Charles Austin Beard: The Return of the Master Historian of American Imperialism. We begin the conversation by discussing Richard's adjacent research into the great poet Robinson Jeffers, whom shares a great deal in common with Beard. From there we delve into how Richard became interested in figures like Beard and Jeffers, which he says originated with his historical research into European history and the Italian Red Brigades. We then delve into the concept of America as Empire, what it means, and how it relates to Beard's work. After laying that groundwork, Richard and I begin delving into our main subject, the historian Charles Austin Beard, by explaining how Richard's new book relates to his previous work The Education of an Anti-Imperialist: Robert La Follette and U.S. Expansion. Additionally, Richard fills listeners in on how Beard had a strong intellectual collaboration with his wife Mary Ritter Beard, a historian in her on own right who chronicled American women's history, that led to the influential two volume The Rise of American Civilization. Early 20th Century Wisconsin Senator Robert La FolletteCharles Beard's wife, Mary Ritter Beard, was an influential historian her on write often credited as a founding figure for the field of American women's historyThe Rise of American Civilization by Charles and Mary Beard was influential to historians in the first half of the 20th century Richard and I then dig into how Beard became more staunchly anti-imperialist after WWI. Additionally we talk a bit about Beard's radical reinterpretation of the United States Constitutions and his influence on latter 20th century public intellectuals like Gore Vidal and Howard Zinn as well as the Wisconsin School of American diplomatic history as championed by William Appleman Williams. More broadly Richard explains just how much of a revered public intellectual Beard was in his own time and the values that drove his thought. The title of Gore Vidal's Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace is a reference to Charles Austin Beard We close out the show by discussing the controversy surrounding Beard's opposition to America's entry into WWII. During this portion of the conversation Richard notes how Beard became increasingly critical of FDR both domestically (Beard criticized the New Deal as not doing enough) and in regards to foreign policy. Despite this, Richard points out that Beard was firmly opposed to Adolf Hitler and viewed the notorious Fuhrer of the Third Reich as monstrous. Nonetheless, Beard ultimately believed that U.S. entry into WWII would lead to a disastorous. expansion of American empire and militarism. Richard says that Beard's analyses of these matters are not infallible, but argues that there is still something to be gained from reevaluating Beard. Additionally, Richard and I briefly touch open how Beard, in contrast to some of his contemporaries (most notably Harry Elmer Barnes), refused to dabble in or promote anti-Semitism and in fact had many pro-semitic tendencies. We close out the conversation with Richard's comments on the present and why he believes it is important to reconsider Charles Austin Beard in the 21st centur CHARLES AUSTIN BEARD:THE RETURN OF THE MASTER HISTORIAN OF AMERICAN IMPERIALISMBY RICHARD DRAKEAVAILABLE NOW FROMCORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWSTHE WEEK THAT WASCURRENT EVENTSPROGRAM
During the first half of the 20th century the American historian Charles Austin Beard enjoyed both professional success and a national prominence that suffered with his outspoken opposition to the direction of foreign policy under Franklin Roosevelt. In Charles Austin Beard: The Return of the Master Historian of American Imperialism (Cornell University Press, 2018), Richard Drake traces the development of Beard’s ideas in this area and his involvement in the contemporary discourse over current events. Drake identifies Beard’s time at Oxford University as key to the development of his thinking, with his introduction to the works of John Ruskin and John Atkinson Hobson. Though Beard’s early writings led to a friendship with the progressive politician Robert La Follette, the two men disagreed about America’s intervention in the First World War, a cause Beard supported. In its aftermath, however, Beard reconsidered his opinion, and by the 1930s emerged as a prominent critic of America’s involvement in overseas disputes. Beard held to his views even after America’s entry into the Second World War, establishing an unlikely association with former president Herbert Hoover and offering a prescient critique in its aftermath of the consequences of America’s postwar foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
During the first half of the 20th century the American historian Charles Austin Beard enjoyed both professional success and a national prominence that suffered with his outspoken opposition to the direction of foreign policy under Franklin Roosevelt. In Charles Austin Beard: The Return of the Master Historian of American Imperialism (Cornell University Press, 2018), Richard Drake traces the development of Beard’s ideas in this area and his involvement in the contemporary discourse over current events. Drake identifies Beard’s time at Oxford University as key to the development of his thinking, with his introduction to the works of John Ruskin and John Atkinson Hobson. Though Beard’s early writings led to a friendship with the progressive politician Robert La Follette, the two men disagreed about America’s intervention in the First World War, a cause Beard supported. In its aftermath, however, Beard reconsidered his opinion, and by the 1930s emerged as a prominent critic of America’s involvement in overseas disputes. Beard held to his views even after America’s entry into the Second World War, establishing an unlikely association with former president Herbert Hoover and offering a prescient critique in its aftermath of the consequences of America’s postwar foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
During the first half of the 20th century the American historian Charles Austin Beard enjoyed both professional success and a national prominence that suffered with his outspoken opposition to the direction of foreign policy under Franklin Roosevelt. In Charles Austin Beard: The Return of the Master Historian of American Imperialism (Cornell University Press, 2018), Richard Drake traces the development of Beard’s ideas in this area and his involvement in the contemporary discourse over current events. Drake identifies Beard’s time at Oxford University as key to the development of his thinking, with his introduction to the works of John Ruskin and John Atkinson Hobson. Though Beard’s early writings led to a friendship with the progressive politician Robert La Follette, the two men disagreed about America’s intervention in the First World War, a cause Beard supported. In its aftermath, however, Beard reconsidered his opinion, and by the 1930s emerged as a prominent critic of America’s involvement in overseas disputes. Beard held to his views even after America’s entry into the Second World War, establishing an unlikely association with former president Herbert Hoover and offering a prescient critique in its aftermath of the consequences of America’s postwar foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
During the first half of the 20th century the American historian Charles Austin Beard enjoyed both professional success and a national prominence that suffered with his outspoken opposition to the direction of foreign policy under Franklin Roosevelt. In Charles Austin Beard: The Return of the Master Historian of American Imperialism (Cornell University Press, 2018), Richard Drake traces the development of Beard’s ideas in this area and his involvement in the contemporary discourse over current events. Drake identifies Beard’s time at Oxford University as key to the development of his thinking, with his introduction to the works of John Ruskin and John Atkinson Hobson. Though Beard’s early writings led to a friendship with the progressive politician Robert La Follette, the two men disagreed about America’s intervention in the First World War, a cause Beard supported. In its aftermath, however, Beard reconsidered his opinion, and by the 1930s emerged as a prominent critic of America’s involvement in overseas disputes. Beard held to his views even after America’s entry into the Second World War, establishing an unlikely association with former president Herbert Hoover and offering a prescient critique in its aftermath of the consequences of America’s postwar foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
During the first half of the 20th century the American historian Charles Austin Beard enjoyed both professional success and a national prominence that suffered with his outspoken opposition to the direction of foreign policy under Franklin Roosevelt. In Charles Austin Beard: The Return of the Master Historian of American Imperialism (Cornell University Press, 2018), Richard Drake traces the development of Beard’s ideas in this area and his involvement in the contemporary discourse over current events. Drake identifies Beard’s time at Oxford University as key to the development of his thinking, with his introduction to the works of John Ruskin and John Atkinson Hobson. Though Beard’s early writings led to a friendship with the progressive politician Robert La Follette, the two men disagreed about America’s intervention in the First World War, a cause Beard supported. In its aftermath, however, Beard reconsidered his opinion, and by the 1930s emerged as a prominent critic of America’s involvement in overseas disputes. Beard held to his views even after America’s entry into the Second World War, establishing an unlikely association with former president Herbert Hoover and offering a prescient critique in its aftermath of the consequences of America’s postwar foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
During the first half of the 20th century the American historian Charles Austin Beard enjoyed both professional success and a national prominence that suffered with his outspoken opposition to the direction of foreign policy under Franklin Roosevelt. In Charles Austin Beard: The Return of the Master Historian of American Imperialism (Cornell University Press, 2018), Richard Drake traces the development of Beard’s ideas in this area and his involvement in the contemporary discourse over current events. Drake identifies Beard’s time at Oxford University as key to the development of his thinking, with his introduction to the works of John Ruskin and John Atkinson Hobson. Though Beard’s early writings led to a friendship with the progressive politician Robert La Follette, the two men disagreed about America’s intervention in the First World War, a cause Beard supported. In its aftermath, however, Beard reconsidered his opinion, and by the 1930s emerged as a prominent critic of America’s involvement in overseas disputes. Beard held to his views even after America’s entry into the Second World War, establishing an unlikely association with former president Herbert Hoover and offering a prescient critique in its aftermath of the consequences of America’s postwar foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices