The World In Protest, Revolution or Civil War? Part Five
This was first published in January 2012.
So we've seen lots of protests in various parts of the world during this past year. Some of the protests have turned violent, with governments cracking down in an effort to limit the protests, and to prevent the protests from developing into outright attempts to overthrow the existing order. Even in Russia during recent weeks, large protests have taken place directed at Vladimir Putin and the United Russia political party, over what some Russians see as fraudulent parliamentary elections. So what's going on in the world?
Well, simply put, those in power, officially, or "unofficially," as in interests which support existing orders in various countries (often wealthy, business interests, or religious sects), are trying to maintain their control, while others with little or no power want some changes in their respective systems, if not out and out total change. In America for quite some time now we have seen a politically polarized electorate and governing system. The Great Depression rocked the American political system, bringing progressives, later often termed "liberals," into control of the national agenda. The country never went totally to the political left, as the midterm elections of 1938 gave Republicans* a resounding victory, although their numbers in Congress had dwindled so much since 1930, they had no place to go but up, otherwise they might have disappeared. It showed that America had political balance, since Democrats (see *) had controlled the agenda, and Franklin Roosevelt had pushed the envelop a bit too much for many Americans with his attempt to pack the Supreme Court.** Roosevelt learned his lesson, and he became one of the nation's most beloved Chief Executives, even with many Republican admirers.
The Republicans gradually made headway against Democrats over time, especially on the presidential level, as Dwight Eisenhower won two landslide elections, but the nation's agenda was clearly set by the progressive mindset of the public, and Republican officeholders tended to be moderate in policies and in temperament. Any Republican resurgence was stopped by the scandals of President Richard Nixon, a moderate Republican, in the early 1970s. It wasn't until the late 1970s when conservatives rallied to Ronald Reagan, a former Democrat, that a major Republican victory became a possibility, and a reality in 1980. While Reagan frequently poked fun at himself and was not of a nasty disposition, some of the reactionary elements in the conservative movement saw the chance to repeal progressive programs from the 1970s and 1960s, then the 1930s, and now, in my opinion, from the Civil War (we had better watch out, they may next try to undo the Revolutionary War and we'll all have to learn "God Save the Queen"). The agenda shifted more and more from progressive to conservative since those times. By the 1990s, led by then Congressman Newt Gingrich, the conservative Republicans were in firm, and growing, control of the Republican Party. Confrontation between the two parties became far more frequent, with Republicans in Congress allowing the government to temporarily shut down; a move that proved highly unpopular with many Americans. Conservatives enacted tax cuts numerous times, often skewed heavily toward upper income Americans. Statistics show that income disparity among the wealthiest Americans and the rest of us has grown tremendously since Reagan's presidency, but Americans have taken their eye off the ball, as too many are concerned with other issues, rather than with making the country fairer. Even with Democrats in control of Washington for a couple of years, conservatives boldly put forward proposals to do away with inheritance taxes, both at the federal level, and in many states. The ideological divide between the two parties is frightening to me, and in a way it reminds me of the Spanish Civil War era of the mid to late 1930s. (See next installment in this series about the Spanish Civil War)
* The Republicans of that era were not all the fire-breathing reactionaries some might associate, fairly or unfairly, with today's Republican Party, and Democrats were not socialists some might associate, fairly or unfairly, with today's Democratic Party. No, back then some of the most conservative people in the country, mainly in the south, were Democrats, and some of the more progressive people in the country, often, but not always, in New England or the Midwest, were in the Republican Party. Many of the hot-button social issues of more recent times were not really front and center back then. THE important issue was economics, and since many Americans were, or had become (due to the Depression), "have nots," the issue of fairness and income distribution was a hot topic, with even many "conservative" southerners favoring policies that helped those who were not independently wealthy. Governor, and then U.S. Senator, Huey Long of Louisiana became a champion of average people with his "Share Our Wealth" slogan. Long was a corrupt demagogue, and virtual dictator of Louisiana, but he became so popular by the mid 1930s, both major political parties feared him, especially Democrats, since he seemed an inevitable candidate for the presidency in 1936 as a third party candidate, and his appeal was to people likely to vote the Democratic ticket; thus Long, or his hand-picked candidate, could have thrown the election to the Republicans. Long was assassinated in September 1935 by the son-in-law of a judge Long was trying to have removed from office.
** Roosevelt was dissatisfied with some Supreme Court decisions and he proposed to "expand" the number of justices on the court; thus diluting the strength of a conservative block on the court. Americans saw it as a power grab, which it was, and it was a major issue used against too much power in the hands of Democrats in the late 1930s. Republicans made huge gains in the midterm election of 1938. The electoral message worked, and Roosevelt settled down to governing the country within the established boundaries. He won a third term, and then a fourth term, before passing away in April 1945, just weeks before the surrender of Hitler's Germany.
WORD HISTORY:
Price-This word traces back to Indo European "preti," which had the notion of "give back, return." This gave its Latin offspring "pretium," which meant "price, worth, value, reward." This gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "pris," with the same basic meanings. English borrowed the word from French in the 1200s, with the same French spelling, "pris," which then was altered to "prise," before the modern spelling. The verb form was derived from the noun, seemingly around 1400.
So we've seen lots of protests in various parts of the world during this past year. Some of the protests have turned violent, with governments cracking down in an effort to limit the protests, and to prevent the protests from developing into outright attempts to overthrow the existing order. Even in Russia during recent weeks, large protests have taken place directed at Vladimir Putin and the United Russia political party, over what some Russians see as fraudulent parliamentary elections. So what's going on in the world?
Well, simply put, those in power, officially, or "unofficially," as in interests which support existing orders in various countries (often wealthy, business interests, or religious sects), are trying to maintain their control, while others with little or no power want some changes in their respective systems, if not out and out total change. In America for quite some time now we have seen a politically polarized electorate and governing system. The Great Depression rocked the American political system, bringing progressives, later often termed "liberals," into control of the national agenda. The country never went totally to the political left, as the midterm elections of 1938 gave Republicans* a resounding victory, although their numbers in Congress had dwindled so much since 1930, they had no place to go but up, otherwise they might have disappeared. It showed that America had political balance, since Democrats (see *) had controlled the agenda, and Franklin Roosevelt had pushed the envelop a bit too much for many Americans with his attempt to pack the Supreme Court.** Roosevelt learned his lesson, and he became one of the nation's most beloved Chief Executives, even with many Republican admirers.
The Republicans gradually made headway against Democrats over time, especially on the presidential level, as Dwight Eisenhower won two landslide elections, but the nation's agenda was clearly set by the progressive mindset of the public, and Republican officeholders tended to be moderate in policies and in temperament. Any Republican resurgence was stopped by the scandals of President Richard Nixon, a moderate Republican, in the early 1970s. It wasn't until the late 1970s when conservatives rallied to Ronald Reagan, a former Democrat, that a major Republican victory became a possibility, and a reality in 1980. While Reagan frequently poked fun at himself and was not of a nasty disposition, some of the reactionary elements in the conservative movement saw the chance to repeal progressive programs from the 1970s and 1960s, then the 1930s, and now, in my opinion, from the Civil War (we had better watch out, they may next try to undo the Revolutionary War and we'll all have to learn "God Save the Queen"). The agenda shifted more and more from progressive to conservative since those times. By the 1990s, led by then Congressman Newt Gingrich, the conservative Republicans were in firm, and growing, control of the Republican Party. Confrontation between the two parties became far more frequent, with Republicans in Congress allowing the government to temporarily shut down; a move that proved highly unpopular with many Americans. Conservatives enacted tax cuts numerous times, often skewed heavily toward upper income Americans. Statistics show that income disparity among the wealthiest Americans and the rest of us has grown tremendously since Reagan's presidency, but Americans have taken their eye off the ball, as too many are concerned with other issues, rather than with making the country fairer. Even with Democrats in control of Washington for a couple of years, conservatives boldly put forward proposals to do away with inheritance taxes, both at the federal level, and in many states. The ideological divide between the two parties is frightening to me, and in a way it reminds me of the Spanish Civil War era of the mid to late 1930s. (See next installment in this series about the Spanish Civil War)
* The Republicans of that era were not all the fire-breathing reactionaries some might associate, fairly or unfairly, with today's Republican Party, and Democrats were not socialists some might associate, fairly or unfairly, with today's Democratic Party. No, back then some of the most conservative people in the country, mainly in the south, were Democrats, and some of the more progressive people in the country, often, but not always, in New England or the Midwest, were in the Republican Party. Many of the hot-button social issues of more recent times were not really front and center back then. THE important issue was economics, and since many Americans were, or had become (due to the Depression), "have nots," the issue of fairness and income distribution was a hot topic, with even many "conservative" southerners favoring policies that helped those who were not independently wealthy. Governor, and then U.S. Senator, Huey Long of Louisiana became a champion of average people with his "Share Our Wealth" slogan. Long was a corrupt demagogue, and virtual dictator of Louisiana, but he became so popular by the mid 1930s, both major political parties feared him, especially Democrats, since he seemed an inevitable candidate for the presidency in 1936 as a third party candidate, and his appeal was to people likely to vote the Democratic ticket; thus Long, or his hand-picked candidate, could have thrown the election to the Republicans. Long was assassinated in September 1935 by the son-in-law of a judge Long was trying to have removed from office.
** Roosevelt was dissatisfied with some Supreme Court decisions and he proposed to "expand" the number of justices on the court; thus diluting the strength of a conservative block on the court. Americans saw it as a power grab, which it was, and it was a major issue used against too much power in the hands of Democrats in the late 1930s. Republicans made huge gains in the midterm election of 1938. The electoral message worked, and Roosevelt settled down to governing the country within the established boundaries. He won a third term, and then a fourth term, before passing away in April 1945, just weeks before the surrender of Hitler's Germany.
WORD HISTORY:
Price-This word traces back to Indo European "preti," which had the notion of "give back, return." This gave its Latin offspring "pretium," which meant "price, worth, value, reward." This gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "pris," with the same basic meanings. English borrowed the word from French in the 1200s, with the same French spelling, "pris," which then was altered to "prise," before the modern spelling. The verb form was derived from the noun, seemingly around 1400.
Labels: conservatives, Democrats, English, etymology, Franklin D. Roosevelt, French, Huey Long, income disparity, Latin, Republicans, Russia
posted by Randy at 1:28 AM
2 Comments:
I sure like the way you condense it all to easy to understand articles. I was a Republican, but I did see how they are intent on helping those already well off.
I agree Johnnie, I like following the articles here. Encyclopedias or most online sources have too much, and I get intimidated. This inheritance tax repeal stuff is just a bunch of crap. It is one way of evening things out instead of perpetuating great wealth as a birth right.
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