The John Birch society

Résumé du document

This paper aims at presenting the John Birch Society with a special focus of their fight against Communism in the 50s-60s. It will try to answer to many questions such as: Why was an organization like the JBS created? What kind of anti-Communism was the Birch Society was designed to promulgate? What was its aim in doing so? What makes this organization unique? And finally, how could it have been useful to Conservatism and politics?

Extraits

[...] Welch Company. HThHere he learned there what it took to be a successful salesman, eventually authoring publishing The Road to Salesmanship. By 1949 Welch had established his name in the world of massmarketed confectioneries. As I said in section he was one of the directors of the ultraconservative National Association of Manufacturers for seven years and it was there, during the height of the Red Menace hysteria, that Welch honed his Americanist philosophy. His ability to find volunteer workers and to make supporting speeches decided him to make a run for the lieutenant governor's position in Massachusetts. [...]

[...] What kind of anti-Communism the Birch Society was designed to promulgate? What was its aim in doing so? What makes this organisation unique? Finally, how it could it have been useful to Conservatism and politics? After a brief review of the historical context in which the JBS emerged, we will focus on the characteristics of the organisation, its structures, its philosophy and its activity. Then, from the knowledge we will have acquired on the JBS we will try to give different interpretations concerning the nature and the aim of this organisation and its members. [...]

[...] Some chapters were especially active. In the 60s, Colombus (Ohio) counted as many chapters as New York, and allwhich were quite active. Over there , Tthey distributed the HUAC propaganda film Operation Abolition This classic governmental filmmovie classic was made to show the 1960 San Francisco Operation Abolition courtroom battle in an anti-Communist light. In Colombus they also imposed Alamo at a big cinema, forbade the projection of Spartacus, and introduced anti-communist books in libraries. In North Dakota, where it was powerful, the JBS was helped by local radios to promote its meetings. [...]

[...] Welch.” (G. Vance Smith, 2002). If the JBS is now seen as an extremist organization, it eventually did succeed in parts of its mission by challenging the complacency of American people and government, and by participating in the reconfiguration of the Great Old Party. most of America looked upon it with disdain, the JBS was yet for tens of thousands a refuge and staging point, a place where words and ideas became action and where America's renaissance was always a phone call or postcard away” (Jonathan M. [...]

[...] The Blue Book The Birchers agreed that a Communist conspiracy is was in place. They also opposed big government and the federal income tax because it they hurt individual initiative, as well as all welfare programs which provided an unnecessary safety net. Their main principles are explained in the Blue Book: JBS is a “religious” group. Most of the members are deep zealous believers and think that God created men for the good. They believe the lack of religious practice torn tore apart the fabric of society; A Communist conspiracy is in place to take over the federal government and enslave American citizens, leading them to in the opposite direction of the one wanted by God; Means are as important as goals in any civilized society; JBS members place their faith in patriotism and therefore disapprove all that can harm US sovereignty like the United Nations; They think that America is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy which leads to the dangerous rule of masses; They are against every form of collectivism which is intrinsically bad; They want the separation and collaboration of powers because they are strong defenders of the Sstates against the Federal Government; They wants rules to govern, not men; They believe in the repetition of History, which is made by little, strong-willing groups; 10- Their slogan is “less government, more responsibility, and a better world.” (Jacques Rummelhardt p.32-34). [...]