The new freedom and the radicals : Woodrow Wilson, progressive views of radicalism, and the origins of repressive tolerance

Radicals such as socialists, syndicalists, and anarchists are often thought of as marginal in American history. However, in the early decades of the twentieth century, progressives—those who sought to regulate big business, reduce class conflict, and ameliorate urban poverty—took the radicals’ ideas very seriously. In __The New Freedom and the Radicals__, Jacob Kramer deftly examines how progressivism emerged at a time of critical transformation in American life. Using original archival sources, Kramer presents a study of Wilsonian-era politics to convey an understanding of the progressives’ views on radical America. __The New Freedom and the Radicals__ shows how the reactions of progressives to radicals accelerated the pace of reform in the United States, but how the movement was at times predisposed to repressing the radical elements to its left. In addition, Kramer asks to what extent progressives were responding to and influenced by those who opposed the state, capitalism, and the class structure altogether, as well as how progressives’ views of them changed in relation to events. Contends That Ideas Concerning Radicalism Were Always An Important Part Of Progressivism, Showing That Acceptable Limits Established By Progressives Regarding Radical Propaganda, Organization, And Strike Behavior Became Established Law And Policy. The Memory Of Reconstruction And The Cauldron Of Labor Militancy, 1900-1908 -- Organizing The Largely Unorganized Drift Of Desire : The Protocol Of Peace And The Cautious Embrace Of Radicalism, 1908-1914 -- Industrialism On Trial : The Commission On Industrial Relations And The High Tide Of Coalition Politics, 1914-1917 -- An Advancing If Uncheckable Avalanche : World War I, 1917-1918 -- A Rule Of Reason Correctly Applied : The Red Scare And The Rights Of Radicals, 1919-1920 -- A Welding Together Of The Forward-looking Voters : The Farmer-labor Party And The Renewal Of Coalition Politics, 1920-1924. Jacob Kramer. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.