Sunday, December 31, 2017

Hawley, The Great War and the Search for a Modern Order, 2e (1997)

Ellis W. Hawley.
The Great War and the Search for a Modern Order: A History of the American People and Their Institutions, 1917-1933, Second Edition.
Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, 1997.

Book Information: Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.

Previously published:
First Edition: St. Martin's Press, 1979. [Amazon.com.]
Second Edition: St. Martin's Press, 1992. [Amazon.com.]

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Author Information:
  • Ellis W. Hawley, Department of History, University of Iowa.
  • Ellis W. Hawley. The New Deal and the Problem of Monopoly: A Study in Economic Ambivalence. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1966. New York: Fordham University Press, 1995. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2015.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Ellis W. Hawley Prize, Organization of American Historians.

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Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It turned out that I was well prepared to read The Great War and the Search for a Modern Order. I had previously read some popular histories of the 1920s (Allen, Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s (1931) and Miller, New World Coming : The 1920s and the Making of Modern America (2003)). And I had read a couple textbook-type treatments of the era covered in Hawley's book (Cooper, Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920 (1990) and Parrish, Anxious Decades: America in Prosperity and Depression, 1920-1941 (1992)). Finally, I recently read McGerr's survey of the progressive movement (McGerr, A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870-1920 (2003)). McGerr says that the progressive movement ended with the First World War. This was certainly true for leftist progressives (Jane Addams, for example) who were discredited or suppressed as the U.S. entered the Great War. However, Hawley observes that more conservative organization-oriented progressives remained influential throughout the 1920s. Herbert Hoover is the premier example of this. The First World War stimulated the growth of government and private bureaucracies and institutions. These declined after the war, but various institutions persisted throughout the 1920s, which provided pre-established organizational frameworks when the need to combat the Depression arose in the 1930s. This is a major theme of Hawley's book.

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Thursday, December 28, 2017

McGerr, A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870-1920 (2003)

Michael McGerr.
A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870-1920.
New York: Free Press (Simon & Schuster), 2003.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Book Information: Publisher; Google Books, 2005; Amazon.com, 2003; Amazon.com, 2005.

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Author Information:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Video: Lectures in History, C-SPAN

(A list of lectures on topics discussed in A Fierce Discontent.)

### Mitchell Lerner, "Roots of Progressivism and Theodore Roosevelt," Ohio State University at Newark, 18 January 2011.Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~

### Andrew Fisher, "Progressive Era Conservation Movement," College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, 18 October 2012.
  • Andrew Fisher, Department of History, College of William and Mary.
Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~

### Robert Rydell, "Eugenics in Early 20th Century America," Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 14 November 2012.Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~

### Wilfred McClay, "John Dewey and Progressivism," University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 11 February 2013.Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~

### Daniel Czitrom, "Muckraking Journalist Jacob Riis and Gilded Age New York City," Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts, 10 February 2014.
  • Daniel Czitrom, Mount Holyoke College.
  • Daniel Czitrom, Distinguished Lectureship Program, Organization of American Historians.
  • Daniel Czitrom, C-SPAN.
  • Daniel Czitrom. Media and the American Minds: From Morse to McLuhan. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1982.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Bonnie Yochelson and Daniel Czitrom. Rediscovering Jacob Riis: Exposure Journalism and Photography in Turn of the Century New York. New York: New Press, 2008. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2014.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Daniel Czitrom. New York Exposed: The Gilded Age Police Scandal That Launched the Progressive Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
Books Mentioned:~~~~~~

### Robert Chiles, "Unrest and Reform in the Gilded Age," University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 18 February 2016.
  • Robert Chiles, Department of History, University of Maryland, College Park.
Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~

### Akim Reinhardt, "Victorian Culture," Towson University, Maryland, 23 February 2017.
  • Akim Reinhardt, Department of History, Towson University.
  • The Public Professor, Akim Reinhardt's website.
  • Akim D. Reinhardt. Ruling Pine Ridge: Oglala Lakota Politics from the IRA to Wounded Knee. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press, 2007.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Akim D. Reinhardt, editor. Welcome to the Oglala Nation: A Documentary Reader in Oglala Lakota Political History. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2015.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Heather Rounds and Akim Reinhardt. The Twentieth Century in 100 Moments: A Visual History. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press (Quarto Publishing Group), 2015.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
Wikipedia Articles, etc.:~~~~~~

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My posts on some other books discussing the same period, but not so focused on the progressive movement, as A Fierce Discontent:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Goodwyn, The Populist Moment (1978)

Lawrence Goodwyn.
The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.

Book Information: Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.

The Populist Moment is an abridged version of:
  • Lawrence Goodwyn. Democratic Promise: The Populist Moment in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976.
    [Google Books; Amazon.com.]
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Author Information:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Video:
  • Robert Johnston, "1890s American Populist Movement," University of Illinois at Chicago, Lectures in History, C-SPAN, 06 February 2013.Books Mentioned:
    • Charles Postel. The Populist Vision. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
      [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
    • Charles Postel, Department of History, San Francisco State University.
    • Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore. Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics of White Supremacy in North Carolina, 1896-1920. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1996.
      [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
    • Lawrence Goodwyn. The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.
      [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
    • Bruno Latour. We Have Never Been Modern. 1991. Translated by Catherine Porter. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1993.
      [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
    • Michael Kazin. The Populist Persuasion: An American History, Revised Edition. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1998.
      [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
    Books Not Mentioned:
    • C. Vann Woodward. Tom Watson: Agrarian Rebel. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1938. New York: Rinehart and Company, 1955. New York: Oxford University Press, 1963.
      [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
    • Steven Hahn. The Roots of Southern Populism: Yeoman Farmers and the Transformation of the Georgia Upcountry, 1850-1890. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.
      [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
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Wikipedia and Other Encyclopedia Articles:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, December 11, 2017

Ginger, Altgeld's America (1958)

Ray Ginger.
Altgeld's America: The Lincoln Ideal Versus Changing Realities.
New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1958.

Reprinted:
Ray Ginger.
Altgeld's America: The Lincoln Ideal Versus Changing Realities.
With a new introduction by Gary Gerstle.
Princeton, New Jersey: Markus Wiener Publishing, 1986; 2010.

Various editions of the book have dust jackets or covers with a subtitle indicating the date range of the period covered by the book as 1892-1905; the Markus Wiener edition has the more explicit cover subtitle "Chicago from 1892-1905". However, these dates do not appear in the book's title on the title page.

Book Information: Google Books, 1958; Amazon.com, 1958; Amazon.com, 2010.

(I read a copy of the 1958 edition so I haven't seen all of Gary Gerstle's introduction.)

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Author Information:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes and Wikipedia Articles, by Chapter

Excerpt from the Prologue (page 14):

Here is the story of these men and women, of the city they lived in, the visions they had, and of their efforts to remake the city. But it is not the story of Chicago alone; for it tells of how industrialism came to the world, arm in arm with the search for profit, and of the troubles the marriage made, and of how people of noble purpose labored to overcome those troubles.

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Chapter 1: White City in the MuckArchitects:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2: The Haymarket BombHaymarket Defendants Executed (or Committed Suicide):~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 3: The PardonSurviving Haymarket Defendants Pardoned by Governor Altgeld, June 1893:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 4: The Grey Wolves and Their Flock
Chicago Businessmen:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 5: The Women of Hull-House~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 6: The Compulsory Heaven at Pullman~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 7: Anti-Monopoly~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 8: Education Comes from Life
  • Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929), Instructor at the University of Chicago 1892–190#.
  • Thorstein Veblen. The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1899; 1912.
    [Wikipedia; Archive.org, 1912.]
    Reprinted: Thorstein Veblen. The Theory of the Leisure Class. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Robert Lekachman. Penguin Classics, 1994.
    [Publisher; Amazon.com.]
    Reprinted: Thorstein Veblen. The Theory of the Leisure Class. (Dover Thrift Editions.) Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1994.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
    Reprinted: Thorstein Veblen. The Theory of the Leisure Class. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Martha Banta. Oxford University Press, 2007.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • John Dewey (1859–1952), Professor at the University of Chicago 1894–1904.
  • University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, founded by John Dewey in 1896.
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Chapter 9: Criminal Law~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 10: Leisure-Class Reform~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 11: The Road Back
  • This chapter and the next focus mainly on the long political battle to move streetcar operations out of private hands and into municipal ownership. A major step was the passage of the Mueller Act by the Illinois legislature in 1904 which authorized municipalities to form public utility corporations and issue bonds. The next major step required the city council and mayor to implement this strategy by denying franchise renewals to private companies operating existing streetcar lines or by establishing new streetcar lines. Instead, private streetcar operators submitted to more stringent scrutiny and improved customer service. (Note, acronym frequently used: IMO = immediate municipal ownership. The reformers' cry.)
  • David M. Young, "Street Railways," Encyclopedia of Chicago.
  • David M. Young, "Public Transportation," Encyclopedia of Chicago.
  • "The Week," The Outlook, Volume 76, Number 16, Pages 903-905, 16 April 1904.
    (This is an account of the passage and implications of the Mueller Act.)
  • Thomas R. Pegram, "Streetcar Politics," Pages 137-148 in Partisans and Progressives: Private Interest and Public Policy in Illinois, 1870-1922. Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 1992.
    [Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Georg Leidenberger. Chicago's Progressive Alliance: Labor and the Bid for Public Streetcars. DeKalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press, 2006.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
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Chapter 12: Mottled Victory~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 13: Conquest by Imagination

Cultural InstitutionsChicago NovelsArchitecture~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 14: Philosophic Harvest
  • Musings on: change; process; context; determinism; pragmatism; causality.
  • William James (1842–1910).
  • George Herbert Mead (1863–1931), Professor at the University of Chicago 1894-1931.
  • Louis H. Sullivan (1856–1924). The Autobiography of an Idea. New York: Press of the American institute of Architects, Inc., 1924.
    [Archive.org.]
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Epilogue: From Altgeld to Our Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Journalists Mentioned Variously throughout the Book:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Video
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Wednesday, December 06, 2017

Lears, Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920 (2009)

Jackson Lears.
Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009.

Book Information: Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.

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Author Information:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Audio and Video: Jackson Lears~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Allen, The Big Change: America Transforms Itself: 1900-1950 (1952)

Frederick Lewis Allen.
The Big Change: America Transforms Itself: 1900-1950.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1952.
New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1993.
London: Routledge, 1993.

Book Information: Publisher, Routledge; Google Books; Amazon.com.

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Author Information:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Audio: Frederick Lewis Allen~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The author Frederick Lewis Allen is best known today for his popular histories of the 1920s and 1930s in Only Yesterday and Since Yesterday. However, The Big Change is not like those previous books.

Two aspects of the The Big Change stand out for me. First, the book focuses on the contrast between 1900 and 1950. History usually tells a story of the path between points A and B, rather than just describing conditions at A and B. The Big Change does not go into much detail about how various social changes, political reforms, business developments, and technological innovations occurred. While the character of life in 1900 and the dramatic changes visible by 1950 are well described by Allen and very interesting to me, I found this part of the book unsatisfying.

Second, the historical change in the United States between 1900 and 1950 is subordinate to another aspect of the book. I dislike the following phrase, but it concisely, and I think accurately, describes The Big Change: "Cold War propaganda". Recall that the book was published in 1952 and Cold War pressures clearly influenced Allen in writing the book. You can hear this in Allen's talk at the "Book and Author Luncheon" (link above). The primary objective of The Big Change is to instruct Cold War critics of the United States, foreign and domestic, about the positive aspects American society. As much as I may agree with Allen, nevertheless, reading this book 65 years after its publication and 26 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this defensive aspect of the book seems awkward.

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Sunday, November 19, 2017

Dennett, The South As It Is: 1865-1866 (2010)

John Richard Dennett.
The South As It Is: 1865-1866.
Edited and with a New Introduction by Caroline E. Janney.
Tuscaloosa: University Alabama Press, 2010.

Book Information: Publisher, 2010; Google Books, 2010; Amazon.com, 2010.

Previously published as:
John Richard Dennett.
The South as It Is: 1865-1866.
Edited, and with an Introduction, by Henry M. Christman.
New York: Viking Press, 1965.
Reprinted: Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995.

The book is a collection of 36 articles published in the Nation magazine from 08 July 1865 through 11 April 1866.

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Author Information:
  • John Richard Dennett (1838-1874).
  • Obituary of John Richard Dennett, The New York Times, 29 November 1874.
    (Subscription required to view obituary online.)
  • "The Class Poets," The Harvard Register: An Illustrated Monthly, Volume 3, Number 7, Pages 426-428, July 1881.
    [Google Books, Michigan copy; Google Books, California copy.]
  • "John Richard Dennett," The Fifth Report of the Secretary of the Class of 1862 of Harvard College, Pages 136-138, December 1882.
    [Google Books.]
  • The only information I found for the author is in the editor's introduction by Caroline Janney. I obtained the above references from her introduction.
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Editor Information:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other Contemporary Accounts of the Post Civil War South:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~