What is Corporatism?

Robert Locke writes one of the most thorough and well thought-out articles on political economics I have read in a very long time. The words “socialism” and “fascism” have been abused by misuse for so long they have essentially lost their meaning. I prefer the word “statism”, as a blanket word to cover many kinds of political control (but I realize this is too broad to be effective.)

Locke uses the word “corporatism”, which has a very specific meaning and is far more accurate then any other word commonly used in the public. To Locke, corporatism is particularly dangerous because all nearly all-major political ideologies support it in one way or another. The slow drift towards corporatism has been steady sense the turn of the 19^th century.

His article is a good read, be sure to check it out.  

The Real Thanksgiving

Benjamin Powell lays out the real story behind the famous Thanksgiving feast. Turns out a good deal of economics was involved.

What Needs to be Known About Hoover

I wince whenever I hear that Hoover was a supporter of free-markets or laissez-faire Capitilism. It is so easily proven wrong. And it is not wrong in some abstract sense, it is not a matter of argumentation, it is factually wrong. It is like saying “President George Washington is a woman”; it simply has no merit.

And yet, in most history books, in most lectures, and in most people eyes: Hoover was a stanch supporter of ‘free-markets’, which eventually led to the Great Depression (and thank God to FDR for saving the day!)

Well, here is Hoover, in his own words, talking about the various achievements of his administration right before the 1932 election. Judge for yourself how “laissez-faire” they are.

“Reason and Emotion”

Wartime propaganda cartoons are an interesting thing; from an artistic perspective, there actually not all that bad (Keep in mind that many of these cartoons where showed before movies, and where intended to reach kids and adults alike.) The biggest studies that made these kind of cartoons where: Disney and Warner Brothers. Of the two, Warner Brothers attempted to be more frantic and comic, often dropping Bugs Bunny or Daffy into war zones (the shows where also incredibly racist, but that’s a different story.) Disney, on the other hand, created more quite and thought-out pieces of work. Like this one:



I suppose it’s too much to ask for a Disney cartoon from the 1940's to be philosophically perfect. Still, there is actually some good stuff there (though the film rather explicitly upholds the reason/emotion dichotomy.) It is surprising to find something so pro-reason, especially in wartime cartoons, which tended to appeal heavily to emotions. Disney was more positive then that, and made films that even today the company can be proud of (unlike Warner Brothers, which tries to hide much of their wartime propaganda.)

Though I do have one major complaint: why does ‘reason’ have to be a balding, scrawny guy in his mid-to-late forties?

Maps of War

Maps of War is an interesting site, it’s dedicated to several major historical trends, and plays them out on animated maps; it also has several articles.

This video, which shows the rise and fall of major powers in Europe, Africa and Asia (from 1400 B.C. to 1979) is great.

I also liked thier History of Religion video; which only shows Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, but is fascinating none-the less:

What is Cinco de Mayo?

A common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican independence from Spain; it doesn’t. Independence from Spain is on the 16th of September, while Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of the battle of Pueblo.

Read about it here.

“The Battle of Puebla was not an isolated incident: there is a long and complicated history that led up to it. In 1857, the “Reform War” broke out in Mexico. It was a civil war and it pitted Liberals (who believed in separation of church and state and freedom of religion) against the Conservatives (who favored a tight bond between the Roman Catholic Church and the Mexican State.)”

Essentially, this reform war left Mexico bankrupt, and in debt to several countries; particularly France.

“This angered Great Britain, Spain and France, countries which were owed a great deal of money. The three nations agreed to work together to force Mexico to pay.”

“In December 1861 armed forces of the three nations arrived off the coast of Veracruz and landed a month later, in January 1862. Desperate last-minute diplomatic efforts by the Juarez administration persuaded Britain and Spain that a war that would further devastate the Mexican economy was in no one’s interest, and Spanish and British forces left with promise of future payment. France, however, was unconvinced and French forces remained on Mexican soil.”

To make a long story short, the French campaign into Mexico was unsuccessful; which eventually led to the celebration of Cinco de Mayo (if you prefer a slightly longer version of the story, follow the link above.)

Who was Herodotus?

Herodotus was the world first known Historian, he wrote The Histories, a collection of stories and facts form the ancient world, and some extras.

“In the Histories, he describes the expansion of the Achaemenid empire under its kings Cyrus the Great, Cambyses and Darius the Great, culminating in king Xerxes' expedition in 480 BCE against the Greeks, which met with disaster in the naval engagement at Salamis and the battles at Plataea and Mycale. Herodotus' remarkable book also contains ethnographic descriptions of the peoples that the Persians have conquered, fairy tales, gossip, legends, and a very humanitarian morale.” [Quoted from here]

While much of what he wrote has been confirmed by archeological evidence and other sources; the truth of much of it is still in question. In any case; Herodotus is one of the most important sources of knowledge we have on that time period.

The Real Meaning of Christmas

Here is a writer who attempts to trace back the “real” meaning of the holiday.