
Real Enemies
Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11
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Narrated by:
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Marie Hoffman
About this listen
Many Americans believe that their own government is guilty of shocking crimes. Government agents shot the president. They faked the moon landing. They stood by and allowed the murders of 2,400 servicemen in Hawaii. Although paranoia has been a feature of the American scene since the birth of the Republic, in Real Enemies, Kathryn Olmsted tells us that it was only in the 20th century that strange and unlikely conspiracy theories became central to American politics.
In particular, she posits World War I as a critical turning point and shows that as the federal bureaucracy expanded, Americans grew more fearful of the government itself - the military, the intelligence community, and even the president. Analyzing the wide-spread suspicions surrounding such events as Pearl Harbor, the JFK assassination, Watergate, and 9/11, Olmsted sheds light on why so many Americans believe that their government conspires against them, why more people believe these theories over time, and how real conspiracies - such as the infamous Northwoods plan - have fueled our paranoia about the governments we ourselves elect.
©2009 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2018 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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ALL the Stars!!!!!
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Boring. Lots of excuses.
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Unfreedom of the Press
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Unfreedom of the Press is not just another book about the press. [Levin] shows how those entrusted with news reporting today are destroying freedom of the press from within - not through actions of government officials, but with its own abandonment of reportorial integrity and objective journalism. With the depth of historical background for which his books are renowned, Levin takes you on a journey through the early American patriot press, which proudly promoted the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
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Great Thought Provoking Book
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In 1994, more than 300 Republicans under the command of obstructionist and rabble-rouser Congressman Newt Gingrich stood outside the U.S. Capitol to sign the Contract with America and put bipartisanship on notice. Twenty-five years later, on January 6, 2021, a bloodthirsty mob incited by President Trump invaded the Capitol.
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Learned things
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What listeners say about Real Enemies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Elliot Jager
- 05-14-23
Excellent overview of conspiracy theories
Beyond debunking conspiracy theories the author points out the many times government officials really lied thus undermining the credibility of the establishment and paving the ground for conspiracies to become believable.
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- Dean Keaton
- 10-08-18
Highly Accurate
Great book. Simply superb. Best read in a very long time. Highly recommended. Accuracy is spot on.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Loveshistory
- 10-31-18
Illuminating and fair account of real and imagined conspiracies and their corrosive effects on American political culture
Illuminating and fair account of real and imagined conspiracies and their corrosive effects on American political culture. This is a succinct, but wide-ranging history of how both actual conspiracies and imagined conspiracy theories have shaped American politics.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Ray
- 08-30-19
Last Chapter is Horrible
The book is ok, then the author turns on the anti-conservative rhetoric in the last chapter. It's fairly dry and largely drawn out without any real high points.
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- Jon Bilich
- 05-19-21
Terrible
Probably the worst book I’ve ever listened to. The author seems to paint anyone that asks questions as crack pots. She glosses over facts that don’t support her get in line narrative. She would make an awesome lemming.
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