The book by Adam Hochschild explores a volatile period in U.S. history (1917–1921). It details a massive assault on civil liberties triggered by World War I, including mass imprisonments, censorship, and systemic violence against labor activists, immigrants, and Black Americans.
: The period was marked by intense labor strikes (e.g., the IWW or "Wobblies"), racial massacres like those in East St. Louis and Chicago, and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. The book by Adam Hochschild explores a volatile period in U
: Post-war hysteria led to the Palmer Raids, which saw thousands of immigrants arrested and many deported under the direction of a young J. Edgar Hoover. : The period was marked by intense labor strikes (e
: Hochschild argues this era was the worst suppression of American civil rights since the aftermath of slavery. Edgar Hoover
: The Woodrow Wilson administration used the Espionage and Sedition Acts to weaponize the law against pacifists, socialists, and "subversives".
: Reviews from the Washington Post and The Atlantic emphasize parallels to contemporary political polarization, nativism, and threats to democratic institutions. Notable Historical Figures