War and the Intellectuals: Collected Essays, 1915-1919

by Randolph S. Bourne, Carl Resek (Editor)

Overview

Although he died at the age of thirty-two, Randolph Bourne (1886-1918) left a body of writing on politics, culture, and literature that made him one of the most influential public intellectuals of the twentieth century, and a hero of the American left. The twenty-eight essays of this volume--among them, War and the Intellectuals, the analysis of the warfare state that made Bourne the foremost critic of American entry into World War 1, and Trans-National America, his manifesto for cultural pluralism in America--show Bourne at his most passionate and incisive as they trace his search for the true wellsprings of nationalism and American culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780872205017
Publisher:	Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/1999
Series:	Hackett Classics Series
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Carl Resek is Professor Emeritus of History, State University of New York at Purchase.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	vii
	The War
1.	The War and the Intellectuals	3
2.	Below the Battle	15
3.	The Collapse of American Strategy	22
4.	A War Diary	36
5.	American Use for German Ideals	48
6.	Twilight of Idols	53
7.	The State	65
	Trans-National America
8.	Trans-National America	107
9.	The Jew and Trans-National America	124
10.	What is Exploitation?	134
11.	The Price of Radicalism	139
12.	A Moral Equivalent for Universal Military Service	142
13.	Education as Living	148
14.	The Idea of a University	152
15.	The Puritan's Will to Power	156
16.	H. L. Mencken	162
17.	Paul Elmer More	165
18.	The Heart of the People	171
19.	Sociologic Fiction	175
20.	Traps for the Unwary	179
21.	The History of a Literary Radical	184

Editorial Reviews

In his short life, Bourne (1886-1918) managed to become one of the most influential public intellectuals of the century and a hero of the American left. Seven of the 21 essays here analyze the warfare state that made him a critic of US entry into World War I. The rest are a sampling of his advocacy for cultural pluralism in the country. The two best known are the title essay and Trans-National America. No index is supplied. The 1964 edition was published by Harper and Row. Paper edition (unseen), $9.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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