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"Hope for the future," Lublin, Poland
© A. James McAdams, 2004
The Birth of Liberalism
In this section, we investigate the liberal nation-state, a human invention that has existed for only a few hundred years. To live in the United States or in large parts of Europe and Latin America is to be part of a liberal identity. However, most people in the world do not share this identity. In fact, many do not live in nation-states at all. How do we explain these differences? What significance do they have for people's lives? The useful thing about starting with the liberal political identity is that we happen to embody it, even if we are not always clear about the language we use to describe it. Once we have discussed who we are, politically speaking, we will then be in a position to recognize how other people view the world in fundamentally different ways. In the process, we also get to know ourselves better.
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6. Monday, September 6
"Laying the Foundations for Liberalism"
If someone had planned to create liberal states, the experiment would have failed. Because liberal ideals directly threatened pre-existing values and social structures, other events needed to take place to upset the established political institutions. Many of these developments were paradoxical and unintended.
Readings:
(CR) Stephenson, Medieval Feudalism
(CR) Weber, Protestant Ethic
7. Wednesday, September 8
"An Explosion of Political Passsion—Mass Politics"
Until the 18th century, most people in the world were not directly involved in politics; in fact, popular involvement is still not true of much of the world today. Involving people, as free-thinking individual citizens, is an essential part any understanding of liberalism. It is also a highly conflictual process. Just look at the French Revolution, the American Civil War, and Weimar Germany!
Readings:
(CR) excerpt from Fasel, Modern Europe
(CR) “Declaration of the Rights of Man”
(K) Kingdon, America the Unusual, ch. 4
8. Friday, September 10
Discussion #3:
Why are we all "Protestants"?
Why on earth would an upstanding Notre Dame professor ask this question? Ask yourself about the defining differences between various Protesant faiths and Roman Catholicism in the US. How pronounced are these differences? What do "conservative" Catholics say about what has happened to the American Church since Vatican II? What is the difference in Catholic culture between ND and, say, Georgetown University? Is the adaptation (or "watering down") of Catholicism to Huntington's "American dream" inevitable?
9. Monday, September 13
"Fascism: The Crisis of Twentieth-century Liberalism"
Fascism was not only a brutal authoritarian movement that led to the loss of millions of lives. It must also be understood as a direct response to the same events that gave rise to the liberal-democratic nation-state. Fascism was explicitly antithetical to liberalism. Only a world war could have defeated it.
Readings:
(CR) Benito Mussolini, "The Doctrine of Fascism”
(CR) excerpts from Voices from the Third Reich
Read and reflect:
Nazism for Kids (Warning! This is an offensive site. I am including it to
show you that hatred and bigotry are still very much a part of our world.
In this sense, the battle against liberalism is far from over.)
10. Wednesday, September 15
"The Welfare State: Responding to Authoritarianism"
At this point in history, the most advanced form of liberal democracy is the welfare state. We may have different feelings about the principle of the "welfare state," but we definitely live in one, and so do the Germans, the French, and the Canadians. Of course, they live in a different expression of the welfare state than we do. What acccounts for these different paths to the welfare state?
Readings:
(K) America the Unusual, 1, 2, and 3
Study: Comparing Welfare States
11. Friday, September 17
Discussion #4:
"Why are we not all Fascists?" (Thank, God.)
Fascism vs. the Welfare State
It's a good thing most Americans are not fascists and, hopefully, none of us are at Notre Dame. Does this mean there is no chance of fascism recurring at some point in the liberal future? Many citizens of Weimar Germany thought their country was slowly lurching in the direction of democracy, but the German aristocracy, the army, and especially the National Socialists thought differently. Is twenty-first century America different?
Announcement: Essay Assignment #1 can be found here. It is due no later than next Friday, September 24. You should hand in your essay to your TA.
12. Monday, September 20
"Liberalism: An Historical Process"
The essential point here is that the liberal state is, by definition, in a constant process of evolution. This is hard for us to see. It is human nature for us to think that what we have is what we should maintain. My parents' generation thought their idea of liberal democracy was completed by the 1950s, but my generation showed them they couldn't have been more wrong. Looking back, liberalism's inherently unstable character was already evident by Thomas Jefferson's time, and later on, Abraham Lincoln's. Your generation will have the same experience.
Readings:
(CR) Paul Craig Roberts,“Government and Country”
(CR) The Michigan Militia, “In Defense of Liberty II”
(CR) West, Race Matters, pp. 1-8
(K) America the Unusual, ch. 5
Film I: "Born on the Fourth of July,”
Monday, Sept. 20, 7:00 p.m., or Tuesday, Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m., in Debartolo 129
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13. Wednesday, September 22
Discussion section #5: Special In-Class Discussion. No Lecture.
"The character of American liberalism": West, Roberts, Michigan Militia
The goal of this section will be to reflect upon two issues: 1) What makes American liberalism special and distinctive? and 2) What do all liberal states have in common, historically speaking?
In addition to Monday's selections, surf through and reflect upon the following examples:
Posse Comitatus
Ranch Rescue
Michigan Militia
14. Friday, September 24
Your first essay assignment is due on this date. It should be handed in to your TA. The assignment is here.
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WebCT / McAdams / Notre Dame
Course Plan / Modern Nation-State/ Leninist Alternatives / Ressentiment of the Rest / Global Myths
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