American Gandhi: A. J. Muste and the History of Radicalism in the Twentieth Century

Leilah Danielson

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press 2014

American Gandhi

A. J. Muste and the History of Radicalism in the Twentieth Century

Leilah Danielson

In the series Politics and Culture in Modern America

https://doi.org/10.9783/9780812291773

Overview
Contents

About this book

American Gandhi traces the evolving political and religious views of one of the most beloved figures of the American left. Through A. J. Muste's exemplary career as a peace activist and radical, Leilah Danielson charts the rise and fall of American liberalism and the left over the course of the twentieth century.

Author / Editor information

Leilah Danielson is Associate Professor of History at Northern Arizona University.

Reviews

"Leilah Danielson's state-of-the-art political biography of A. J. Muste is a major work in the history of twentieth-century American radicalism. Comprehensive and engrossing throughout, it will be indispensable to those interested in the history of the modern American left, to those interested in the history of pacifism and nonviolence, and to those interested in the intersection of religion and dissent in twentieth-century America. American Gandhi is really going to be the Muste biography for this generation, and for a long time to come."—Doug Rossinow, Metropolitan State University

"Using manuscript and oral history collections, published writings,and an exhaustive array of secondary sources, this richly detailed political and intellectual history chronicles Muste's experiences and the movements he shaped and led, from the labor left of the 1920s and 1930s to the pacifist left of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The result is a compelling portrait of a man who stood at the center of American radicalism's most powerful currents."—Journal of American History

"Leilah Danielson's American Gandhi: A. J. Muste and the History of Radicalism in the Twentieth Century weaves the story of Muste's unlikely life (1885-1967) into a deeply informed biography and intellectual history touching on twentieth-century religion, labor and civil rights organizing, and radical pacifism."—American Historical Review

"This first-rate study establishes A. J. Muste's significance by placing him in the rich context of left-wing politics and thought from World War I to the mid-1960s. Leilah Danielson captures Muste's unique position as a figure who, by dint of his welcoming personality, could often transcend bitter sectarian conflicts and build coalitions which advanced common purposes. She explains why Muste became a beloved figure, even among Americans who disapproved of his politics."—Michael Kazin, author of American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
List of Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1. Calvinism, Class, and the Making of a Modern Radical Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
Chapter 2. Spirituality and Modernity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
Chapter 3. Pragmatism and ‘‘Transcendent Vision’’ Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
Chapter 4. Muste, Workers’ Education, and Labor’s Culture War in the 1920s Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
Chapter 5. Labor Action Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	126
Chapter 6. Americanizing Marx and Lenin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	154
Chapter 7. To the Left Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
Chapter 8. Muste and the Origins of Nonviolence in the United States Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	202
Chapter 9. Conscience Against the Wartime State and the Bomb Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	230
Chapter 10. Speaking Truth to Power Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	261
Chapter 11. Muste and the Search for a ‘‘Third Way’’ Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	289
Chapter 12. The ‘‘American Gandhi’’ and Vietnam Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	305
Epilogue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	336
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	341
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	441
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	457

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 472
Illustrations
- Other: 10 illus.
Keywords: Biography; American History; Autobiography; American History; American Studies

eBook

Published: August 12, 2014
ISBN: 9780812291773