• Eugene V. Debs and America as the last, best hope for socialism?

  • Oct 23 2024
  • Length: 40 mins
  • Podcast

Eugene V. Debs and America as the last, best hope for socialism?

  • Summary

  • Eugene V. Debs is a reminder of the possibility of a different kind of American politics. Five times the Socialist Party's candidate for president in the first two decades of the twentieth century, Debs argued that the promise of America -- the last best hope of earth -- could be fulfilled only through socialism. Debs lived in an era that, like our own, was characterised by dramatic economic dislocation, extremes of wealth and poverty, and high rates of immigration. So what is his legacy, and why does he still matter?


    Presenter: Adam Smith, Orsborn Professor of US Political History at Oxford and Director of the Rothermere American Institute

    Guests:

    Michael Kazin, Professor of History U of Georgetown, the author of War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914-1918 (2017), American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation (2011),The Life of Wm Jennings Bryan (2006), and most recently What it took to win: A history of the Democratic party (2022).

    Allison Duerk, Director of the Eugene V. Debs Museum, Terre Haute, Indiana.


    The Last Best Hope? is a podcast of the Rothermere American Institute at the University of Oxford. For details of our programming go to rai.ox.ac.uk

    Producer: Emily Williams. Presenter: Adam Smith


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Eugene V. Debs and America as the last, best hope for socialism?

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.