The Road Ahead; America's Creeping Revolution
Encyclopedia
The Road Ahead; America's Creeping Revolution is John T. Flynn
's treatise on the infiltration of Socialism
into the politics of the United States
. First published in 1949, it had at least three printings totaling over 500,000 copies. Many of these were distributed by the Fighters For Freedom, a division of The Committee for Constitutional Government, Inc.
, based in New York City
.
This book has no formal introduction, save one paragraph appearing at the bottom of the book jacket bearing Flynn's signature. It states, "I wrote this book to answer a question that practically everybody is asking: Where are we heading? I thought it was about time for someone to answer it, candidly and with blunt facts."
Indeed, bluntness is not in short supply as Flynn, as the very first sentence of Chapter One clearly states that "...this country is traveling to its destruction." Flynn continues in that same ominous vein to describe events and political attitudes prevalent in post-World War II
America that pointed, according to Flynn, to a shift toward Socialism. This shift was being steered by the very political leaders of the day who were decrying Communism
in Europe on the one hand, and expanding the tax burden on the American people to fight the emerging Cold War
with Russia.
Providing some interesting history of the rise of European Socialism, beginning with the Marxist
influence of the Fabian Society
in England, Flynn points out both obvious and quite subtle steps being taken or proposed in American politics. Flynn proposed that these steps were intended to take the country in the same Socialist direction as Europe. He provided a veritable "checklist" of indicators of the progression of Socialism in America that will amaze the modern reader because his predictions have actually come about in the fifty plus years since.
After the expansion of government to regulate almost every aspect of American life, elimination of the gold standard
in favor of a fiat currency, the rise in tax rates to levels seemingly absurd to readers in the late 1940s, and the burden on the Federal budget of a bloated Welfare system, one of the final remaining steps of Flynn's "checklist" is what he refers to as "the offer of free health care." With a "National Health Care System" being the subject of recent and current American politics, Flynn's depiction of America being steered in the direction of Socialism will convince some readers that he had some rather special insight for a writer in 1949.
John T. Flynn
John Thomas Flynn was an American journalist best known for his opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and to American entry into World War II.-Career:...
's treatise on the infiltration of Socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
into the politics of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. First published in 1949, it had at least three printings totaling over 500,000 copies. Many of these were distributed by the Fighters For Freedom, a division of The Committee for Constitutional Government, Inc.
National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government
The National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government , also known as the Committee for Constitutional Government , was founded in 1937 in opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt's Court Packing Bill. The Committee opposed most, if not all, of the New Deal legislation.Founders of the Committee...
, based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
This book has no formal introduction, save one paragraph appearing at the bottom of the book jacket bearing Flynn's signature. It states, "I wrote this book to answer a question that practically everybody is asking: Where are we heading? I thought it was about time for someone to answer it, candidly and with blunt facts."
Indeed, bluntness is not in short supply as Flynn, as the very first sentence of Chapter One clearly states that "...this country is traveling to its destruction." Flynn continues in that same ominous vein to describe events and political attitudes prevalent in post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
America that pointed, according to Flynn, to a shift toward Socialism. This shift was being steered by the very political leaders of the day who were decrying Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Europe on the one hand, and expanding the tax burden on the American people to fight the emerging Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
with Russia.
Providing some interesting history of the rise of European Socialism, beginning with the Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
influence of the Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
in England, Flynn points out both obvious and quite subtle steps being taken or proposed in American politics. Flynn proposed that these steps were intended to take the country in the same Socialist direction as Europe. He provided a veritable "checklist" of indicators of the progression of Socialism in America that will amaze the modern reader because his predictions have actually come about in the fifty plus years since.
After the expansion of government to regulate almost every aspect of American life, elimination of the gold standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
in favor of a fiat currency, the rise in tax rates to levels seemingly absurd to readers in the late 1940s, and the burden on the Federal budget of a bloated Welfare system, one of the final remaining steps of Flynn's "checklist" is what he refers to as "the offer of free health care." With a "National Health Care System" being the subject of recent and current American politics, Flynn's depiction of America being steered in the direction of Socialism will convince some readers that he had some rather special insight for a writer in 1949.