Book Reviews : The National Farmers Union: Ideology of a Pressure Group. By JOHN R. CRAMP- TON. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1965. Pp. xii, 251. $5.50.)
| DOI | 10.1177/106591296601900419 |
| Author | John E. Crow |
| Published date | 01 December 1966 |
| Date | 01 December 1966 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
741
The
strength
of
this
collection
of
documents
is
that
it
shows
clearly
the
cruel
dilemma
of
the
Majority
Socialists,
it
traces
the
disagreements
between
them
and
the
Independent
Socialists,
with
whom
they
at
first
shared
power,
and
it
shows
how
circumstances
and
the
challenge
of
the
Spartacists
made
counterrevolution-
aries
of
the
Majority
Socialists.
In
their
fear
of
communism
they
became
allies
of
the
extreme
Right,
and
the
Military
exacted
a
heavy
price
for
its
support.
It
takes
considerable
knowledge
of
the
period
to
use
these
documents
effec-
tively.
Much
is
alluded
to
in
the
meetings
which
could
not
be
explained
in
notes
because
of
space
limitations.
Names
are
often
introduced
which
should
have
been
accompanied
by
a
biographical
sketch
in
a
footnote.
Still,
the
collection
will
be
of
value
to
students
of
revolution
and
socialism
as
well
as
of
German
history
and
politics.
The
course
of
the
revolution,
the
workings
of
the
political
institutions,
and
the
emerging
difference
within
the
socialist
camp
are
clearly
illuminated.
The
documents
show
that
the
split
between
the
Majority
and
the
Independent
Socialists
arose
on
issues
which
could
not
be
compromised.
They
illustrate,
too,
how
the
split
within
the
working
class
led
to
the
nullification
of
any
profound
upheaval
in
Germany
in
1918-19.
Colorado
State
University
BRUCE
B.
FRYE
The
National
Farmers
Union:
Ideology
of
a
Pressure
Group.
By
JOHN
R.
CRAMP-
TON.
(Lincoln:
University
of
Nebraska
Press,
1965.
Pp.
xii,
251.
$5.50.)
This
study
of
the
National
Farmer’s
Union
is
broadly
and
ambitiously
con-
ceived.
The
author
intends
it
as
&dquo;not
a
history ...
but
a
study
in
ideas
and
their
ramifications.&dquo;
The
emphasis
in
the
research
scheme
is
the
impact
of
sets
of
ideas
and
ethical
norms
on
the
members
of
a
group,
their
organizational
structure,
and
consequent
policy
output.
Interview
material,
primarily
from
activities
and
staff
of
the
Union’s
present
and
past,
form
the
major
source
of
data
with
supplementa-
tion
from
documents
generated
over
the
years
by
these
same
people.
In
view
of
widely
held
stereotypes
about
farmers
and
the
seemingly
anomalous
commitment
of
the
liberal
leadership
of
the
National
Farmers
Union
(a
group
composed
exclusively
and
proudly
of
dirt
farmers),
the
study
should
be
welcomed
both
by
students
of
interest
groups
and,
to
a
lesser
extent,
by
scholars
interested
in
the
conditions
under
which
ideas
are
utilized
for
social
impact.
Happily
the
study
is
quite
well
written
and
the
narrative
moves
through
the
exciting
history
of
the
Farmer’s
Union
with
scarcely
pause
or
hesitation.
Unhappily,
at
the
study’s
conclusion
the
reader
may
feel
the
work
is
more
persuasive
as
history
than
as
an
exposition
of
the
course
of
ideas
and
their
uses.
In
part
this
is
due
to
omissions
of
moderately
serious
character.
In
other
ways
this
may
be
due
to
the
extreme
difficulty
of
teasing
out
proofs
of
the
propositions
the
author
would
like
to
substantiate,
proofs
that
grow
out
of
conceptual
problems
facing
all
students
of
interest
groups.
Omissions
of
import
are,
in
the
reviewer’s
judgment,
as
follows:
Beyond
gross
generalizations
of
regional
scope,
only
circumstantial
and
indirect
evidence
is
intro-
duced
at
any
point
on
the
physical
distribution of
Union
members.
The
author
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