Product Information
Many Americans believe that their own government is guilty of shocking crimes. Government agents shot the president. They faked the moon landing. They stood by and allowed the murders of 2,400 servicemen in Hawaii. Although paranoia has been a feature of the American scene since the birth of the Republic, in Real Enemies Kathryn Olmsted shows that it was only in the twentieth century that strange and unlikely conspiracy theories became central to American politics. In particular, she posits World War I as a critical turning point and shows that as the federal bureaucracy expanded, Americans grew more fearful of the government itself--the military, the intelligence community, and even the President. Analyzing the wide-spread suspicions surrounding such events as Pearl Harbor, the JFK assassination, Watergate, and 9/11, Olmsted sheds light on why so many Americans believe that their government conspires against them, why more people believe these theories over time, and how real conspiracies--such as the infamous Northwoods plan--have fueled our paranoia about the governments we ourselves elect. This 10th Anniversary Edition includes a new epilogue on conspiracy theories and the 2016 election and its aftermath.Product Identifiers
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN-139780190908560
eBay Product ID (ePID)18046503723
Product Key Features
Number of Pages368 Pages
Publication NameReal Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11- 10th Anniversary Edition
LanguageEnglish
SubjectHistory
Publication Year2019
TypeTextbook
Subject AreaPolitical Science
AuthorKathryn S. Olmsted
Dimensions
Item Height233 mm
Item Weight536 g
Additional Product Features
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States
Title_AuthorKathryn S. Olmsted