A new history of Rotary International shows how the organization reinforced capitalist values and cultural practices at home and tried to remake the world in the idealized image of Main Street America. Rotary International was born in Chicago in 1905. By the time World War II was over, the organization had made good on its promise to Ògirdle the globe.Ó Rotary International and the Selling of American Capitalism explores the meteoric rise of a local service club that brought missionary zeal to the spread of American-style economics and civic ideals. Brendan Goff traces RotaryÕs ideological roots to the business progressivism and cultural internationalism of the United States in the early twentieth century. The key idea was that community service was intrinsic to a capitalist way of life. The tone of Òservice above selfÓ was often religious, but, as Rotary looked abroad, it embraced Woodrow WilsonÕs secular message of collective security and international cooperation: civic internationalism was the businessmanÕs version of the Christian imperial civilizing mission, performed outside the state apparatus. The target of this mission was both domestic and global. The Rotarian, the organizationÕs publication, encouraged Americans to see the world as friendly to Main Street values, and Rotary worked with US corporations to export those values. Case studies of Rotary activities in Tokyo and Havana show the group paving the way for encroachments of US powerÑeconomic, political, and culturalÑduring the interwar years. RotaryÕs evangelism on behalf of market-friendly philanthropy and volunteerism reflected a genuine belief in peacemaking through the worldÕs Òparliament of businessmen.Ó But, as Goff makes clear, Rotary also reinforced American power and interests, demonstrating the tension at the core of US-led internationalism.
A new history of Rotary International shows how the organization reinforced capitalist values and cultural practices at home and tried to remake the world in the idealized image of Main Street America. Rotary International was born in Chicago in 1905. By the time World War II was over, the organization had made good on its promise to “girdle the globe.” Rotary International and the Selling of American Capitalism explores the meteoric rise of a local service club that brought missionary zeal to the spread of American-style economics and civic ideals. Brendan Goff traces Rotary’s ideological roots to the business progressivism and cultural internationalism of the United States in the early twentieth century. The key idea was that community service was intrinsic to a capitalist way of life. The tone of “service above self” was often religious, but, as Rotary looked abroad, it embraced Woodrow Wilson’s secular message of collective security and international cooperation: civic internationalism was the businessman’s version of the Christian imperial civilizing mission, performed outside the state apparatus. The target of this mission was both domestic and global. The Rotarian, the organization’s publication, encouraged Americans to see the world as friendly to Main Street values, and Rotary worked with US corporations to export those values. Case studies of Rotary activities in Tokyo and Havana show the group paving the way for encroachments of US power—economic, political, and cultural—during the interwar years. Rotary’s evangelism on behalf of market-friendly philanthropy and volunteerism reflected a genuine belief in peacemaking through the world’s “parliament of businessmen.” But, as Goff makes clear, Rotary also reinforced American power and interests, demonstrating the tension at the core of US-led internationalism.
The Cherry Tree Weeps for Me: A Quest for The Dawn of Peace chronicles one man’s lifelong pursuit of peace before and after the Pacific War. Takashi Komatsu’s incredible story is told alongside Japan’s pre- and post-WWII history and the country’s remarkable rebirth as a vibrant democratic global economic powerhouse. Komatsu’s journey—from an unsettled youth, to the refuge of New York City’s YMCA as a new immigrant, to the delivery of Harvard’s 1911 commencement address—proves that real life can be stranger than fiction. The Cherry Tree Weeps for Me traces Komatsu's extraordinary life as he rose to the head of a large shipping company in Japan, befriended the heir to the last shogunate and the US Ambassador, and became a respected international businessman and statesman. Risking incarceration and assassination, Komatsu made choices that defied military rulers and right-wing extremists as they edged Japan toward war and devoured a democracy. Within days of the war’s end, inconceivable events led General MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Occupation Forces, to seek Komatsu's aid to help rebuild Japan and restore amity with the United States. Repairing friendship between the two countries was complex and daunting. Komatsu went far beyond forging relationships with US presidents, ambassadors, scholars, philanthropists, and leaders in the public and private sectors of both Japan and the United States. His legacy is a powerful reminder of the importance of tenacity, empathy, and understanding in international affairs. If you enjoy books like Malcolm Gladwell’s The Bomber Mafia, you’ll love The Cherry Tree Weeps for Me. Find out what transpired after the devastation and one man’s unsung influence that restored a stolen democracy. Book Review 1: “Wilson takes us on a wonderful deep dive into Takashi Komatsu's incredible life and dedication to peace and friendship between the US and Japan. In the years following the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, Komatsu played a pivotal role in fostering cultural exchange and understanding between the US and Japan, including his work with John D. Rockefeller III to bring the Shofuso House to life (First exhibited at MoMA in New York City and now permanently displayed in Philadelphia).” -- Alan Wilkis Artist (Big Data), Music Producer, and Composer for Film and TV Book Review 2: "With the skill of a seasoned storyteller, Wilson paints a vivid portrait of a man who straddled two worlds; from Takashi Komatsu's beginnings as a twelve-year-old boy venturing overseas to seek his destiny, to his pivotal role in shaping Japanese-American relations in the wake of World War II." -- Monte Francis Multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist and news presenter, France 24; Author of Ice and Bone and By Their Father’s Hand Book Review 3: “Wilson tells the story not only of the unsung hero, Takashi Komatsu, who was educated at my alma mater, but of the history of the relationship between Japan and the United States. He ties together these threads and alerts us to the incredible coincidences. These included living next door to a curious younger boy in Monmouth, Illinois, who would later become responsible for one-half of the US occupation of Japan and, by happenstance, cross paths with Komatsu in Tokyo after 35 years of separation. They would collaborate to begin reconstruction, and their sons would become Monmouth College classmates after the war.” -- Dan Cotter Member of the Board of Trustees of Monmouth College. 2024-25 President of the National Board of Bar Presidents. Author “The Chief Justices – The Seventeen Men of the Center Seat, Their Courts, and Their Times.” Book Review 4: “Unearthing the obscure life of an unsung hero, Wilson’s newest book masterfully unravels how Komatsu emerges as a catalyst for unity and prosperity in post-WWII Japan. It provokes introspection on the age-old quandary of ‘what next’ after conflict termination. Perhaps Wilson employs Komatsu’s character and actions to inspire Americans during this time of extreme political divisiveness and mistrust. Will we forsake revenge and retribution by uniting to fortify peace, democracy, and prosperity? If so, who will emerge as our Komatsu?" -- Colonel Kay A. Smith Colonel, USAF (Retired) Book Review 5: "Wilson’s new book helps readers understand how Takashi Komatsu was influenced by his mentors in the US and Japan. These influences played a major role in his ability to form alliances and work as a catalyst to building the Japanese economy and the strong economic ties between Japan and the US." -- Gary Randazzo Sr. Lecturer, C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston; Former EVP and General Manager, San Francisco Chronicle and Senior Vice President Houston Chronicle Book Review 6: “When conflicts end, like the current Russian-Ukrainian War, who will be the artists of peace to bring warring partners past the residual anger to cooperation and perhaps friendship? Komatsu was such a man, and his impact seems incomprehensible.” -- Dr. Stan S. Katz Former San Diego World Affairs Council Board Member. Author “The Art of Diplomacy.” Book Review 7: “I was blown away by the volume of Wilson’s research on Japan's geopolitical history and the details of Takashi Komatsu’s life—particularly how they intersected with important global events. Komatsu’s influence on the early years of Japan’s post-WWII recovery and renewed friendship with the US is still felt today, as evidenced by their strong strategic and economic alliances. Wilson’s book illustrates that real life can be as captivating as fiction.” -- Jeff Rankin Retired Editor and Historian, Monmouth College
The Democracy Manifesto is about how to recreate democracy by replacing elections with government that is truly of, by and for the people. Written in engaging and accessible dialogue form, the book argues that the only truly democratic system of government is one in which decision-makers are selected randomly (by sortition) from the population at large, operating much the way trial juries do today, but 100% online, enabling people to govern together even across great distances. Sortition has a storied history but what sets The Democracy Manifesto apart is its comprehensive account of how it can be implemented not only across all sectors and levels of government, but throughout society as well, including the democratization of mass media, corporations, banks, and other large institutions. The resulting Sortitive Representative Democracy (SRD) is the true heir to ancient Greek democracy, and the only means of ensuring ‘we the people’ are represented by our fellow citizens rather than by the revolving groups of elites that dominate electoral systems. In the process, the book grapples with myriad hot topics including economic issues, international relations, indigenous rights, environmentalism and more.
Placing the clubs in the context of twentieth-century middle-class culture, Charles maintains that they represented the response of locally oriented, traditional middle-class men to societal changes. The groups emerged at a time when service was becoming both a middle-class and a business ideal. As voluntary associations, they represented a shift in organizing rationale, from fraternalism to service. The clubs and their ideology of service were welcome as a unifying force at a time when small cities and towns were beset by economic and population pressures.
Over the last fifteen years, Russia has become a larger part of the global economy—and in the years ahead, it will continue to grow in prominence. If you want to improve your investment endeavors in this market, you must first understand how it operates. With Out of the Red as your guide, you’ll become familiar with all the opportunities this country has to offer and learn how to make the most informed investing decision within this emerging arena.
Europeans believe that, while the U.S. economy may create more growth, they have it better when it comes to job security, income equality, and other factors. Gersemann, a German reporter went to America, and found that the greater market freedoms in America create a more flexible, adaptable, and prosperous system than the declining welfare states of "old Europe." This book presents statistical data in extensive yet accessible charts and graphs.
In the vein of his bestseller, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, nationally recognized social critic Jerry Mander researches, discusses, and exposes the momentous and unsolvable environmental and social problem of capitalism. Mander argues that capitalism is no longer a viable system: "What may have worked in 1900 is calamitous in 2010." Capitalism, utterly dependent on never–ending economic growth, is an impossible absurdity on a finite planet with limited resources. Climate change, together with global food, water, and resource shortages, are only the start. Mander draws attention to capitalism's obsessive need to dominate and undermine democracy, as well as to diminish social and economic equity. Designed to operate free of "morality," the system promotes "permanent war" as a key economic strategy. Worst of all, the problems of capitalism are intrinsic to the form. Many organizations are already anticipating the breakdown of the system and are working to define new hierarchies of democratic values that respect the carrying capacities of the planet.
Updated to include a new chapter about the influence of social media and the Internet—the 20th anniversary edition of Bowling Alone remains a seminal work of social analysis, and its examination of what happened to our sense of community remains more relevant than ever in today’s fractured America. Twenty years, ago, Robert D. Putnam made a seemingly simple observation: once we bowled in leagues, usually after work; but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolized a significant social change that became the basis of the acclaimed bestseller, Bowling Alone, which The Washington Post called “a very important book” and Putnam, “the de Tocqueville of our generation.” Bowling Alone surveyed in detail Americans’ changing behavior over the decades, showing how we had become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and social structures, whether it’s with the PTA, church, clubs, political parties, or bowling leagues. In the revised edition of his classic work, Putnam shows how our shrinking access to the “social capital” that is the reward of communal activity and community sharing still poses a serious threat to our civic and personal health, and how these consequences have a new resonance for our divided country today. He includes critical new material on the pervasive influence of social media and the internet, which has introduced previously unthinkable opportunities for social connection—as well as unprecedented levels of alienation and isolation. At the time of its publication, Putnam’s then-groundbreaking work showed how social bonds are the most powerful predictor of life satisfaction, and how the loss of social capital is felt in critical ways, acting as a strong predictor of crime rates and other measures of neighborhood quality of life, and affecting our health in other ways. While the ways in which we connect, or become disconnected, have changed over the decades, his central argument remains as powerful and urgent as ever: mending our frayed social capital is key to preserving the very fabric of our society.
The most significant conquest of the twentieth century may well have been the triumph of American consumer society over Europe's bourgeois civilization. It is this little-understood but world-shaking campaign that unfolds in de Grazia's account of how the American standard of living defeated the European way of life and achieved the global cultural hegemony that is both its great strength and its key weakness today. Tracing the peculiar alliance that arrayed New World salesmanship, statecraft, and standardized goods against the Old World's values of status, craft, and good taste, de Grazia describes how all alternative strategies fell before America's consumer-oriented capitalism--first the bourgeois lifestyle, then the Third Reich's command consumption, and finally the grand experiment of Soviet-style socialist planning.--From publisher description.
