Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


BGSU_Dissertations_0337_Gianneschi.pdf (6.17 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

An Ideological Analysis of the Senate Wartime Addresses of Robert Marion La Follette

Gianneschi, Henry R.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566297715173375

Abstract Details

1975, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Communication Studies.
Robert Marion La Follette, leading American progressive, Governor of Wisconsin for three terms, and U.S. Senator from 1905 to 1925, was selected by the 1957 Senate as one o of five of its greatest members throughout this country's history. In light of his subsequent praiseworthy reputation and of the popular support he maintained during most of his career, the reason for his publicly denounced "anti-war" stance in 1917 has remained a mystery to many critics. Viewing the stance as a break-away from his previous beliefs, historians have tagged him as pacifistic, ignorant, or demagogic in his approach to the war. This study was designed to investigate elements in La Follette's life and speaking which could clarify the motivation for his Senate speeches from April 4 to October 6, 1917. Research on this topic was devoted to an in-depth investigation of La Follette's entire speaking career. Texts of the speeches he gave during his life, editorial writings presented in La Follette's Magazine, and the personal papers of La Follette, members of his family, and close friends, all in the Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, were studied. Reactions were discovered in accounts by his contemporaries and the newspapers of the day. A great deal of emphasis was directed, of course, at the wartime period. The examination of La Follette's speaking career revealed that he had formulated an individualized theory of progressivism to which he remained true throughout his life. This credo consisted of three interlocking and interdependent tenets: 1) that the Constitution, as the law of the land, must be given paramount authority in judging all political matters; 2) that the will of the people constituted the spirit of the Constitution and must be heeded for a representative government to function effectively; and 3) that the public can make proper decisions only if well-in-formed on the facts of any issue. The application of this philosophy to his wartime Senate speeches confirmed La Follette's consistent adherence to the three tenets. The issue of war was secondary to a defense of his constitutionally-based theory.
John T. Rickey (Advisor)
Communication

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gianneschi, H. R. (1975). An Ideological Analysis of the Senate Wartime Addresses of Robert Marion La Follette [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566297715173375

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gianneschi, Henry. An Ideological Analysis of the Senate Wartime Addresses of Robert Marion La Follette. 1975. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566297715173375.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gianneschi, Henry. "An Ideological Analysis of the Senate Wartime Addresses of Robert Marion La Follette." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 1975. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566297715173375

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1566297715173375
1,473
This document is provided by Bowling Green State University for research and educational purposes, and may be under copyright by the author or the author's heirs. Please contact the ETD Center administrator at Bowling Green State University etd@bgsu.edu with any questions or comments. In your email, be sure to include the URL and title of the specific items you are inquiring about.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.