This article compares Ernst Toller's controversial speech at Queens College in 1938 to other examples of clashes between fascism, anti-fascism, and free speech in 1930s New York City. It examines the impact of these historical controversies on current debates about free speech, including on college campuses.
The countless public speeches Ernst Toller gave during his six-year exile from Nazi Germany included a particularly controversial one in 1938 at the newly founded Queens College, in New York City. The controversy stemmed from the fact that it almost did not take place: two days after receiving what he understood to be an invitation to speak at a symposium, Toller learned that the college could not host him after all because of his well-known anti-Nazi stance and the danger that it might offend German-Americans throughout the borough of Queens. Eventually the college heeded widespread criticism, including in the New York press, and Toller did address the college audience. This article compares Toller's 'Queens College affair' to other examples of the collision between fascism, anti-fascism, and free speech in New York City in the 1930s, including the German-American 'Bund' rally at Madison Square Garden in February 1939. The article considers what bearing these historical controversies have on current debates about free speech, including on college campuses.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据