Extraordinary Interview on NPR

Earlier this week, Tom Ashbrook, the host of NPR’s OnPoint and I were joined by Lawrence Goodwyn, a Professor of History Emeritus at Duke (and scholar of social movements) for an extraordinary discussion of the state of our society, the level of anger in the nation, and the status of the nation’s fundamental political stability. The segment centered on the ideas in It Could Happen Here, and was titled “Will Inequality Lead to Revolution?” You can listen to the full segment by visiting the OnPoint site here and clicking on the “Listen to this Show” button above the picture of the book.

Professor Goodwyn, who has studied the 19th Century Populist Movement in the US and Solidarity in Poland, called It Could Happen Here “an important book,” that raised issues which have been glossed over in our society for too long. Tom Ashbrook, the host, was surprised by the strength of Professor’s Goodwyn’s statements, and this led to some particularly interesting exchanges on live radio.

To date, the segment has attracted over 100 comments, with listeners calling it “riveting,” “dangerously relevant, “thanking the show” for bringing this topic out into the open, and asking for another hour on this topic.

I apologize to any listeners if, in the heat of the discussion, I gave the impression that FDR’s first election occurred before 1932. In his 1932 inaugural address, Roosevelt said “Tha American people demand action and action now.” My intent was to to say that FDR’s Administration addressed the events that we associate with the crisis that became most visible starting in 1928

It Could Happen Here includes a detailed discussion of the wide-spread fear that America would experience a revolution in the early 1930’s . After his election, in one widely reported story, a visitor told Roosevelt, “Mr. President if your program succeeds you’ll be the greatest President in American history.” “If it fails,” FDR responded, “I’ll be the last one.” (page 85).

More over the weekend, when I will post portions of the transcribed interview…