Research: Fascist movements in the 1930s

After Fascist and Nazi movements seized power in Italy and Germany, similar movements appeared in the United States. The largest were the Silver Legion and the German American Bund. The Legion, commonly called the Silver Shirts because of their paramilitary uniform, were led by William Dudley Pelley and developed chapters across the country, including the Pacific Northwest. The Bund, led by Fritz Kuhn, tried to appeal to the large German American population particularly in the Northeast and Midwest. Choose one of these movements. 

The assignment has three parts: (1) You will read newspaper articles and record information in an excel database; (2) You will read a recommended secondary source (book); (3) You will write a 8-10 page paper about your subject using information from both the secondary and primary sources

 Primary source research (newspapers):

 1) Begin by downloading this project database_hstaa353-excel.xlsx Download project database_hstaa353-excel.xlsx

2) We are using ProQuest Historical Newspapers for newspaper searches. Below is the link to the pre-arranged databases of newspaper articles that you should use. It delivers articles from newspapers and magazines related to this topic. 

• Press coverage about Silver Shirts

https://www.proquest.com/search/2344506?accountid=14784 Links to an external site.

•   Press coverage about German American Bund

https://www.proquest.com/search/2344507?accountid=14784 Links to an external site.

a) you should see a page like this. If not, you may need to click the Library's login button top right and enter your UW-net ID

b) scroll the titles of articles, clicking on those that seem most relevant. Some will be mistaken entries triggered by the search terms. Others will be too short to be useful. Download copies of all articles that might be useful or interesting. It is more efficient to download them than to read them in ProQuest. 

c) use "back to results" to return to the search results.

d) you can filter results using the menus on left side. Sorted by "oldest first" means the entries are in chronological order. "Relevance" is the other option. You can also open the Publication title menu and select articles from particular newspapers.

3) After downloading many articles, add at least 20 to your project database_hstaa353-excel.xlsx Download project database_hstaa353-excel.xlsx   and write a short description of the event or issue described in each article. Feel free to add additional information in other columns. Your spreadsheet needs to include no less than 20 articles. You will submit the research database along with your paper.

4)  Please DO NOT save or delete the ProQuest search. Others will not be able to use it.

5) Secondary source research (books):

Silver Legion

William Dudley Pelley : a life in right-wing extremism and the occult Links to an external site.

by Scott Beekman 

The old Christian right : the Protestant far right from the Great Depression to the cold war Links to an external site.

by Leo Ribuffo

William Dudley Pelley and the Silvershirt Legion : a case study of the Legion in Washington State, 1933-1942 Download William Dudley Pelley and the Silvershirt Legion : a case study of the Legion in Washington State, 1933-1942