The Left’s Lion

Now, in this collection of new and old essays, Foner seeks to use his expertise and position to enter the fray as a public historian, one who seeks to use what he has learned about our past to influence the present political and cultural debates. His goal, as he puts it in his preface, is to help show that “it is no longer possible to treat American history as an unalloyed saga of national progress toward liberty and equality.” He is deeply concerned that a history of “celebration is widespread,” one that emphasizes America’s glory and ignores its actual divisions and conflicts. On the other hand, he is heartened by some recent developments: All the attention to the Civil War has led many to see the central role of slavery in that conflict; displays of the Confederate flag in the South have led to boycotts, state referendums, and demonstrations; and “the movement for reparations for slavery [has] gained increasing support among politicians and intellectuals.” (That this last item has also sparked serious opposition—to cite, as one example, John McWhorter’s lengthy and brilliant analysis of its fallacies in The New Republic— Foner neglects to mention.)

Mr. Radosh is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, and co-editor with Mary R. Habeck of Spain Betrayed: The Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War.

About the Author

Ronald Radosh

Mr. Radosh, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and a contributing opinion columnist at the Daily Beast, is a co-author of Spain Betrayed: The Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War and the author of Commies: A Journey through the Old Left, the New Left and the Leftover Left.

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Now, in this collection of new and old essays, Foner seeks to use his expertise and position to enter the fray as a public historian, one who seeks to use what he has learned about our past to influence the present political and cultural debates. His goal, as he puts it in his preface, is to help show that “it is no longer possible to treat American history as an unalloyed saga of national progress toward liberty and equality.” He is deeply concerned that a history of “celebration is widespread,” one that emphasizes America’s glory and ignores its actual divisions and conflicts. On the other hand, he is heartened by some recent developments: All the attention to the Civil War has led many to see the central role of slavery in that conflict; displays of the Confederate flag in the South have led to boycotts, state referendums, and demonstrations; and “the movement for reparations for slavery [has] gained increasing support among politicians and intellectuals.” (That this last item has also sparked serious opposition—to cite, as one example, John McWhorter’s lengthy and brilliant analysis of its fallacies in The New Republic— Foner neglects to mention.)

Mr. Radosh is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, and co-editor with Mary R. Habeck of Spain Betrayed: The Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War.

About the Author

Ronald Radosh

Mr. Radosh, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and a contributing opinion columnist at the Daily Beast, is a co-author of Spain Betrayed: The Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War and the author of Commies: A Journey through the Old Left, the New Left and the Leftover Left.