Roundup

Why the Right Hates History Now

by Jonathan M. Katz

Conservative intellectuals like L. Brent Bozell used to claim the authority of history because the saw it as a set of texts that affirmed the right of men like them to rule. Now that the field has changed, pundits like Bret Stephens have little use for it. 

The Supreme Court Ignored the 19th Century "Voluntary Motherhood" Movement

by Lauren Thompson

Abortion is, indeed, a deeply rooted right in American history, demonstrated by the extent to which women have worked to control reproduction. 

The Roundup Top Ten for September 2, 2022

The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week. 

Gorbachev Became a Hero to the West Through Massive Failure

by Erik Loomis

Americans need to evaluate Gorbachev outside of their own nationalist perspective, despite feeling that the end of the Cold War was a good thing. The people he affected most see him as a failure. 

The Contradictory Legacy of Gorbachev and "Revolution From Above"

by Ronald Suny

"A great emancipator, Gorbachev left a mixed legacy. He expanded freedom for millions but at the same time unleashed roiling waves of nationalism and left the upturned soil for renewed authoritarianism."

Emmett Till's Lynching Catalyzed the Reactionary Denunciation of the "Liberal Media"

by Chris Lamb

To reactionary Southerners and white supremacists, media accounts of Emmett Till's murder had to be dismissed as "fake news" and countered with their own misinformation. 

The Amendment Process is the Constitution's Biggest Flaw

by Jedediah Britton-Purdy

We are not the "we, the people" of 1789. Changing Article V to make the Constitution more easily amendable is the key to breaking the shackles the document places on democracy.

The Democratic Possibilities of Cruising

by Jack Parlett

As a practice, cruising exemplifies the possibilities of urban culture by bringing people into contact with strangers and enabling them to recognize common desires. The history of crusing shows it's not just about sex, but about democracy. 

DoD's Plan to Reduce Civilian Casualties Will Humanize Endless War

by Samuel Moyn

Reducing the brutality of war while tolerating its existence will entrench war as a permanent feature of global politics. 

Gorbachev Never Understood What He Set in Motion

by Anne Applebaum

Sometimes seen as a visionary reformer, Gorbachev may have started the USSR's economic death spiral by restricting the sale of vodka to increase worker productivity. 

Gorbachev's Greatness Was in His Failure

by Tom Nichols

Gorbachev's personal decency made him the wrong man for his chosen task of saving Soviet Communism from collapse; today his reputation is far higher in the west than in the former USSR. 

A Return to the 1960s "Abortion Handbook for Responsible Women"?

by Lina-Maria Murillo

Women acting on principles of mutual aid have worked to make information about reproductive health, including terminating pregnancies, available even at risk of legal punishment. 

Three Radical Black Women

by Gerald Horne

Esther Cooper Jackson, Louise Thompson Patterson and Dorothy Burnham should be remembered as exemplars of the struggle for comprehensive liberation in Black America, and of the role of Communists and other radicals in the long struggle for civil rights. 

Sending Dictators to a Luxury Retirement? More Practical Than You Think

by Brian Klaas

From a realistic point of view, approaching dictators in crisis with an offer of a safe and luxurious retirement is the best way to spare their countries the violence and economic pillaging that accompany the bitter end of an autocratic regime. 

Where are the Women in History?

by Amanda B. Moniz

Women's histories have frequently been written in the past, but in ways that are inaccessible to researchers in the present. One example is the way that women reformers were presented as exemplars of Protestant evangelical rectitude. 

Labor Day is a Chance for Unions and the Democrats to Renew Their Shared History

by Michael Kazin

The Democrats and American labor unions have enjoyed success proportionally to the strength of their partnership. Pro-labor rhetoric by President Biden and the upsurge of grassroots union organizing are a sign to renew a formal partnership, says a historian of the Democratic Party. 

Gorbachev's Vacuum: His Legacy and Russia's Wars

by Michael Kimmage

The last Soviet leader failed to intuit the ultimate consequences of the changes he unleashed, from the collapse of the USSR to the revival of Russian imperialsm. 

The Danger of Encouraging Americans to Inform on Each Other

by Christine Adams

Governors like Virginia's Glenn Youngkin are repeating a tactic of despots throughout history: encouraging the public to denounce individuals to the authorities. Whether its witches or teachers, this is a formula for intimidation and conformity. 

Historically Speaking, Biden's "Semi-Fascist" Description of MAGA is Correct

by Federico Finchelstein

The global authoritarian movement, of which MAGA is a part, is becoming increasingly intolerant of democracy and committed to fighting imagined threats to the nation. It's an ominous direction that tracks with the past rise of fascist regimes. 

The Democrats, Not the "Party of Lincoln," are the Best Hope to Protect Abe's Legacy

by Eli Merritt

Abraham Lincoln went to Washington as president-elect animated by the commitments to justice and liberty defined in the first Republican Party convention. If the Republicans won't honor these commitments, the Democrats must do it.