“[This] fine history of Prohibition . . . could have a major impact on how we read American political history.â€â€•James A. Morone; New York Times Book ReviewProhibition has long been portrayed as a “noble experiment†that failed; a newsreel story of glamorous gangsters; flappers; and speakeasies. Now at last Lisa McGirr dismantles this cherished myth to reveal a much more significant history. Prohibition was the seedbed for a pivotal expansion of the federal government; the genesis of our contemporary penal state. Her deeply researched; eye-opening account uncovers patterns of enforcement still familiar today: the war on alcohol was waged disproportionately in African American; immigrant; and poor white communities. Alongside Jim Crow and other discriminatory laws; Prohibition brought coercion into everyday life and even into private homes. Its targets coalesced into an electoral base of urban; working-class voters that propelled FDR to the White House.This outstanding history also reveals a new genome for the activist American state; one that shows the DNA of the right as well as the left. It was Herbert Hoover who built the extensive penal apparatus used by the federal government to combat the crime spawned by Prohibition. The subsequent federal wars on crime; on drugs; and on terror all display the inheritances of the war on alcohol. McGirr shows the powerful American state to be a bipartisan creation; a legacy not only of the New Deal and the Great Society but also of Prohibition and its progeny.The War on Alcohol is history at its best―original; authoritative; and illuminating of our past and its continuing presence today. 8 pages of illustrations
#3813887 in Books 1990-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .82 x 6.00l; 1.14 #File Name: 0393336344360 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book provides a good look at both the "blue water" navy and what ...By CustomerNot much is wrttien about the Navy in the Civil War. This book provides a good look at both the "blue water" navy and what would become known as the "Brown water" Navy on both sides. We sometimes forget that the Confederates were also Americans and their thoughts and advances contributed to the total development of the Navy.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book about another side of the Civil WarBy D. WilliamsonWorth reading. Very well researched book about the Navies if the Civil War. Well organized and with some great stories about both sides and the battles but also great info on the every day life of a sailor and also the happenings behind the scenes with regards to the politics and the like. Very much recommended.6 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Good Overview.By Michael E. FitzgeraldConcise and clearly written; Under Two Flags is a good review on the Navel engagements fought during the Civil War. It is at once an interesting overview for knowledgeable students of the war and a very good introduction to those unfamiliar with this dimension of the conflict. Fast paced; easily read; there are passages and fascinating history I have found nowhere else.Covering confederate raiders; the river campaigns; the blockade and the various assaults upon Confederate ports by combined Union Navy and Army amphibious operations; Fowler delivers a very even handed discussion of this often forgotten aspect of the war. This is worth your time!
