Columbia's historical sympathy for fascism emerges again

Submitted by Steven Miller (United States), Apr 1, 2003 at 14:59

People familiar with the history of American academics' early 20th Century infatuation with Mussolini will recall that Columbia University was a hotbed of enthusiasm for fascism and corporatism. Rexford Tugwell, with his eagerness for virtual totalitarianism was just one Columbia example. As the 1920s gave way to the 1930s, Italian Fascism and Soviet Communism were the models that excited the imagination of Columbia intellectuals. Then, as now, they were following the lead of European "intellectuals."

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".