Like the Challenger disaster, the Oklahoma City bombing and the fall of the Twin Towers, Jan. It is a flashbulb memory, fixed and irrevocable Like back then, we’re at a really dangerous time for our democracy.Įntertainment & Arts Column: Jan. That includes people in Congress like Josh Hawley who are seeing their opening. They believe that maybe there really isn’t a right to vote. There are a significant number of people today in America who want some sort of fascism, who want to exclude people from the body politic.
But he eventually realizes, “What have I been doing?” and starts questioning himself.Įvents in the book seem highly relevant today - from the plot against Roosevelt to Douglas MacArthur seeking to use troops to attack protesting veterans. Butler is this incredible real-life proxy: He joins the Marines to fight against imperialism in Cuba, then goes around the world exploiting and killing. I hoped that answering that question would answer the larger question of who we are as a country. I plugged “Smedley Butler” into Google and saw all these things about the Business Plot and “ War Is a Racket” and I wondered, “How did this person who created this horrendous trauma then become a critic of war and imperialism?” In Haiti, he was horrible, as part of the massacre at Fort Rivière and essentially re-imposing slavery there.
I first encountered in Haiti when researching my first book. Why was Smedley Butler your vehicle for examining the impact of America’s economic and military imperialism? (Public Domain/Marine Corps History Department) entry into another world war, Buter was as well known for his “ War Is a Racket” speech and writings as he was for his military career. By the end of his life in 1940, a year before U.S. He then risked a court-martial by repeatedly attacking the manipulation of American power by its plutocrats. Not only did he serve in Cuba, the Philippines, China, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic but he also personally implemented horrific tactics to exploit those lands and their people, including the essential re-enslavement of Haitians.Īnd finally, Smedley Butler was an American hero again, testifying before Congress to stop “the Business Plot,” an alleged attempt by ultra-wealthy Americans to halt Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal and install a fascist government in its place. Smedley Butler was also a symbol of America’s racist, imperialist and hyper-capitalist policies. Smedley Butler was an American hero of the early 20th century, a symbol of the country’s growing power as a Marine for more than three decades who received 16 medals, including two Medals of Honor and one Marine Corps Brevet Medal. If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from, whose fees support independent bookstores. Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire
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