Abstract

Ann‐Marie E. Szymanski presents a sophisticated and meticulous analysis of how the Anti‐Saloon League (ASL) successfully campaigned for national prohibition using a strategy she identifies as “local gradualism.” She explains that such an approach “focuses on local issues before targeting the state and national levels” and “emphasizes achieving moderate goals before pursuing more radical goals” (p. 5). By coaxing the citizens of local communities to adopt incremental changes in alcohol policy, the ASL managed to win “partial but positive victories” in towns and counties everywhere. In this way, the organization achieved governmental reforms first horizontally and then vertically in “an ever‐widening battle that lasted twenty years (from about 1900 to 1920)” (p. 4). Szymanski critiques many conventional explanations of the ASL's success. Some scholars have argued, for example, that the group triumphed because of its single‐issue focus, or its exploitation of the disenfranchisement of poor blacks and whites after 1895, or its manipulation of wartime hysteria after 1914. While these factors may have played a role, she argues that it was the ASL's strategy of local gradualism that ultimately won the day.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.