Clarence Streit and Twentieth-Century American Internationalism

Chronicles the life and influence of Clarence Streit and his Atlantic federal union movement on twentieth-century US foreign relations.

Talbot C. Imlay (Author)

9781009298988, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 March 2023

254 pages
23.5 x 15.5 x 1.8 cm, 0.5 kg

'A fascinating and impeccably researched portrait of Clarence Streit, which reveals that federal union was far more than an outlandish idea that captured the minds of many during democracy's darkest hour. Shepherded by Streit, a gifted publicist, this idea took on a life of its own and fueled debates about international organization and an 'Atlantic community'. Often blinkered when it came to democracy's flaws, racism and empire, Streit nonetheless formulated an original and genuinely American contribution to international thought, a contribution that Imlay has recovered with admirable clarity and flair.' Katharina Rietzler, co-editor of Women's International Thought: A New History

In this illuminating and comprehensive account, Talbot C. Imlay chronicles the life of Clarence Streit and his Atlantic federal union movement in the Unites States during and following the Second World War. The first book to detail Streit's life, work and significance, it reveals the importance of public political cultures in shaping US foreign relations. In 1939, Streit published Union Now which proposed a federation of the North Atlantic democracies modelled on the US Constitution. The buzz created led Streit to leave his position at The New York Times and devote himself to promoting the union. Over the next quarter of a century, Streit worked to promote a new public political culture, employing a variety of strategies to gain visibility and political legitimacy for his project and for federalist frameworks. In doing so, Streit helped shape wartime debates on the nature of the post-war international order and of transatlantic relations.

Introduction
1. The making of an Atlantic Federalist, 1914 to 1939
2. Writing and selling Union Now, 1939-1941
3. The wartime pursuit of Federal Union, 1940-1945
4. Clarence Streit and Federal Union during the Cold War
5. Clarence Streit, the Atlantic Union Committee, and postwar Atlanticism
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: History: specific events & topics [HBT], History of the Americas [HBJK], Regional & national history [HBJ], History: theory & methods [HBA]