Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and JusticeFrom the bestselling author of A People's History of the United States comes this selection of passionate, honest, and piercing essays looking at American political ideology. Howard Zinn brings to Passionate Declarations the same astringent style and provocative point of view that led more than a million people to buy his book A People's History of the United States. He directs his critique here to what he calls "American orthodoxies" -- that set of beliefs guardians of our culture consider sacrosanct: justifications for war, cynicism about human nature and violence, pride in our economic system, certainty of our freedom of speech, romanticization of representative government, confidence in our system of justice. Those orthodoxies, he believes, have a chilling effect on our capacity to think independently and to become active citizens in the long struggle for peace and justice. |
From inside the book
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... force is held in reserve and the control is not complete , we can call ourselves a " democracy . " True , the openings and the flexibility make such a society a more desirable place to live . But they also create a more effective form ...
... Force in World War II , participating in the civil rights movement in the Deep South , cried out against that . It seems to me we should make the most of the fact that we live in a country that , although controlled by wealth and power ...
... force . Machiavelli refused to be deflected by utopian dreams or romantic hopes and by questions of right and wrong or good and bad . He is the father of modern political realism , or what has been called realpolitik : " It appears to ...
... forces . " 9 Tucker's suggestion became the Central America policy of the Rea- gan administration , as it came into office in early 1981. His “ sending in American forces " was too drastic a step for an American public that clearly ...
... beneficiaries of plausible denial . Machiavelli would have admired the operation . A prince , Machiavelli suggested , should emulate both the lion and the fox.16 The lion uses force . “ The character of 16 PASSIONATE DECLARATIONS.
Contents
1 | |
32 | |
FOUR The Use and Abuse of History | 48 |
The American Class System | 147 |
Second Thoughts on the First Amendment | 182 |
The Black Experience | 231 |
ELEVEN The Ultimate Power | 278 |
NOTES | 303 |
INDEX | 333 |