Robert M. La Follette and the Insurgent Spirit - Softcover

David P. Thelen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0299106446 ISBN 13: 9780299106447

Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press, 1986

Synopsis

Robert M. La Follette and the Insurgent Spirit is a closely argued, lively, and readable biography of the central figure in the American Progressive movement. Wisconsin's “Fighting Bob” La Follette embodied the heart of Progressive sentiment and principle. He was a powerful force in shaping national political events between the eras of Populism and the New Deal

About this title

About the Author:

David P. Thelen is distinguished professor emeritus at Indiana University. His many books include Becoming Citizens in the Age of Television and The New Citizenship: Origins of Progressivism in Wisconsin, 1885–1900.

Review:

“Thelen has pitched the historical debate over insurgency-progressivism on a new level which, while it will stir much controversy, is bound to stimulate further scholarship.  Historians can ignore this study only at their own peril.  Future writings on Progressivism, whether or not they agree with Thelen's work, must come to grips with it.  Higher praise can hardly be accorded a work by any scholar.”—Reviews in American History


“A splendid little book, jumping with ideas and insights. . . . David Thelen has shrewdly and provocatively sketched out a major thesis concerning the rise and fall of progressivism.”
—Wisconsin Magazine of History


“More than a biography of La Follette, this study is a thoughtful documentary of the insurgent movement he led.”—The Christian Science Monitor

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0299106446
• ISBN 13: 9780299106447
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224
• Editor: Oscar Handlin