Radicalism
(from Civilization in The United States)

In Radicalism, journalist and economist George Soule examines the political, economic, and psychological roots of American radical thought in the years following World War I.

Soule argues that genuine radicalism is not simply a demand for greater material wealth. At its core lies a deeper desire for freedom, dignity, independence, and meaningful control over one’s own life. Poverty becomes oppressive not only because of deprivation, but because economic dependence can rob individuals of personal agency.

Yet Soule is equally critical of organized radicals. He questions attempts to import European revolutionary theories wholesale into the United States, arguing that rigid ideological formulas often fail to reflect the practical instincts and distinctive experiences of American workers.

Rather than romanticizing violent revolution, Soule calls for a more distinctly American movement—one grounded in economic understanding, democratic control, technological planning, and concrete improvements in everyday life.

Originally published in the influential 1922 anthology Civilization in the United States, Radicalism offers a fascinating snapshot of labor politics, socialism, economic power, and the struggle to define political freedom in modern America.

Narrated by Ryan Durham.