Aliens and Dissenters: Federal Suppression of Radicals, 1903-1933 [Paperback]

William Preston (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A brilliant work. It deals with this nation's rough-and-ready methods for dealing with ideological nonconformists." -- Justice William O. Douglas, The Washington Post. "Ought to be on the shelf of everyone who is concerned with the history of American civil liberties." -- The Progressive

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; 2 Sub edition (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252064526
• ISBN-13: 978-0252064524
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you thought Bush suppressed civil liberties, then he learned it from the liberal Woodrow Wilson, December 15, 2008

By 

Michael A Neulander "Political Philosophy" (VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aliens and Dissenters: Federal Suppression of Radicals, 1903-1933 (Paperback)

This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of American military affairs. William Preston Jr.'s excellent book, Aliens and Dissenters: Federal Suppression of Radicals, 1903-1933 is about the Wilson administration's deplorable record of oppressing dissenters. Preston brought attention to Wilson's reversal of his progressive policy of expanding civil liberties when his administration used the Espionage Act of June 5, 1917 to stifle dissent. Preston found that Wilson was, "A friend of free speech in theory, he was its foe in fact." Preston provided a detailed account from Labor and Justice Department records, heretofore not used by other historians to chronicle the repressive federal policies used against aliens and immigrants in the first third of the twentieth century. His thesis was that the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), whose long standing goal was to eviscerate capitalism and had a large share of radical and "alien" membership in its ranks, became in the eyes of the government, "... the largest, and for many years, the most feared radical organization in the country." No doubt, the I.W.W.'s anti-war platform brought them to the attention of the Wilson administration, which then became fearful that labor unrest could impede mobilization efforts. This fear set off a chain of events that would see the Wilson administration, according to Preston, engage in the imprisonment and deportation of hundreds of "alien dissenters" and fuel the "Red Scare" raids soon after the war. Preston's sad but true conclusion was that the legislation that led to the government's oppression of alien dissenters, "...was obviously only part of a larger transformation, deeper and more enduring than the political trials, deportations and dragnet raids of World War I. The content and structure of the national security state had come into being."

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you thought Bush suppressed civil liberties, then he learned it from the liberal Woodrow Wilson, December 15, 2008

By 

Michael A Neulander "Political Philosophy" (VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aliens and dissenters: Federal suppression of radicals, 1903-1933 (Harvard University. Center for the Study of the History of Liberty in America. Publications) (Hardcover)

This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of American military affairs. William Preston Jr.'s excellent book, Aliens and Dissenters: Federal Suppression of Radicals, 1903-1933 is about the Wilson administration's deplorable record of oppressing dissenters. Preston brought attention to Wilson's reversal of his progressive policy of expanding civil liberties when his administration used the Espionage Act of June 5, 1917 to stifle dissent. Preston found that Wilson was, "A friend of free speech in theory, he was its foe in fact." Preston provided a detailed account from Labor and Justice Department records, heretofore not used by other historians to chronicle the repressive federal policies used against aliens and immigrants in the first third of the twentieth century. His thesis was that the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), whose long standing goal was to eviscerate capitalism and had a large share of radical and "alien" membership in its ranks, became in the eyes of the government, "... the largest, and for many years, the most feared radical organization in the country." No doubt, the I.W.W.'s anti-war platform brought them to the attention of the Wilson administration, which then became fearful that labor unrest could impede mobilization efforts. This fear set off a chain of events that would see the Wilson administration, according to Preston, engage in the imprisonment and deportation of hundreds of "alien dissenters" and fuel the "Red Scare" raids soon after the war. Preston's sad but true conclusion was that the legislation that led to the government's oppression of alien dissenters, "...was obviously only part of a larger transformation, deeper and more enduring than the political trials, deportations and dragnet raids of World War I. The content and structure of the national security state had come into being."

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you thought Bush suppressed civil liberties, then he learned it from the liberal Woodrow Wilson, December 15, 2008

By 

Michael A Neulander "Political Philosophy" (VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of American military affairs. William Preston Jr.'s excellent book, Aliens and Dissenters: Federal Suppression of Radicals, 1903-1933 is about the Wilson administration's deplorable record of oppressing dissenters. Preston brought attention to Wilson's reversal of his progressive policy of expanding civil liberties when his administration used the Espionage Act of June 5, 1917 to stifle dissent. Preston found that Wilson was, "A friend of free speech in theory, he was its foe in fact." Preston provided a detailed account from Labor and Justice Department records, heretofore not used by other historians to chronicle the repressive federal policies used against aliens and immigrants in the first third of the twentieth century. His thesis was that the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), whose long standing goal was to eviscerate capitalism and had a large share of radical and "alien" membership in its ranks, became in the eyes of the government, "... the largest, and for many years, the most feared radical organization in the country." No doubt, the I.W.W.'s anti-war platform brought them to the attention of the Wilson administration, which then became fearful that labor unrest could impede mobilization efforts. This fear set off a chain of events that would see the Wilson administration, according to Preston, engage in the imprisonment and deportation of hundreds of "alien dissenters" and fuel the "Red Scare" raids soon after the war. Preston's sad but true conclusion was that the legislation that led to the government's oppression of alien dissenters, "...was obviously only part of a larger transformation, deeper and more enduring than the political trials, deportations and dragnet raids of World War I. The content and structure of the national security state had come into being."

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history.