Olivier Zunz is James Madison Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Virginia. This interview is based on his new book, The Man Who Understood Democracy: The Life of Alexis de Tocqueville (Princeton University Press, 2022). JF: What led...
France
The Author’s Corner with Joan DeJean
Joan DeJean is Trustee Professor of Romance Languages at the University of Pennsylvania. This interview is based on her new book, Mutinous Women: How French Convicts Became Founding Mothers of the Gulf Coast (Basic Books, 2022). JF: What led you...
On French secularism
The French government wants a secular state. In other words, they want to keep religion out of public life. What does that mean and how is the French view of the separation of church and state different from the United...
Thinking historically about Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech
A lot of conservatives liked Trump’s speech on Friday night. I am told that The Wall Street Journal gave it a positive review. I commented on the speech here, but I thought I would say a few more things about Trump’s...
When France Meddled in American Elections
Over at The Washington Post, historian Jordan Taylor reminds us that “the founding fathers knew first-hand that foreign interference in U.S. elections was dangerous.” He points to French ambassadors Edmond-Charles Genet, Jean Antoine Joseph Fauchet, and Pierre-Auguste Adet in the...
Trump and The True Meaning of Sacrifice
“We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields.” —Canadian soldier John McCrae, remembering the sacrifice of fellow World War I troops. “We’re getting drenched.”...
Trump’s Failure to Honor WW I Soldiers in France Was Yet Another Sign of His Narcissism
Here is Fred Kaplan at Slate: The most disturbing thing about President Trump’s disgraceful performance in France this past weekend is the clear signal it sent that, under his thumb, the United States has left the West. He came to...
The Author’s Corner with Michael Rapport
Michael Rapport is Professor of History at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. This interview is based on his new book, The Unruly City: Â Paris, London and New York in the Age...
Who Was More Complacent: The Leaders of Ancient Rome or Niall Ferguson?
In the wake of the Paris shootings, Harvard historian Niall Ferguson compared France’s “complacency” in allowing ISIS operatives into the country with the “complacency” of the Roman Empire in allowing the so-called “barbarians” to pass through its borders in the...
Bacevich: The West Should Go on the Defensive in Response to Events in the Middle East
Today in the Boston Globe, Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich argues that the West should stay out of the Middle East. It is a war that we cannot win. Here is a taste: It’s past time for the West, and...
Dispatches from the History Major: “I’m Done (Sort Of)”
I hope you’ve enjoyed “Dispatches from the History Major this semester.  I know I have.  Here is the last installment of the semester from Messiah College sophomore history major James Mueller.  We are currently in contract negotiations for next year.  Stay tuned.  –JF...