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Herbert D. Croly: Apostle of Progressivism

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Herbert D. Croly: Apostle of Progressivism FIRST PRINCIPLES FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS TO GUIDE POLITICS AND POLICY MAKERS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT NO. 07 | MARCH 14, 2013 Herbert Croly: Progressive Apostle Sidney A. Pearson Jr. erbert David Croly (1869–1930) “brain trust” that helped to launch to be baptized in Comte’s atheist Hwas one of the most infl u- modern liberalism.1 “religion of humanity.” how much ential public intellectuals of the Yet Croly is scarcely known today of Comte stuck to Croly as he left Progressive movement in the early outside of the academic community. home and matured has always been 20th century, but his infl uence was This is a most unfortunate gap in our a matter of conjecture, but there is not limited to his own era. Croly’s collective understanding of modern no doubt that the young Croly found ideas were also instrumental in shap- liberalism. In order to clarify why philosophic ideas stimulating at a ing President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s we are where we are and how we got formative time in his life. Comte New Deal. here, it is important that we recover thought some sort of perfection was Following the 1932 election, there an understanding of Croly’s role in the future of humanity, and, details was widespread consensus that the unfolding of this drama. of that perfection aside, Croly clearly Croly’s ideas had been a midwife thought in those terms. to the new political order. Liberal Life Herbert Croly originally attended historians, such as Eric Goldman, Croly was born to live a life in City College in New York for one who routinely describe the triumph Progressive journalism as a race- year before transferring to Harvard of New Deal liberalism and Lyndon horse is born to run. Both of his in 1886. Following the transfer, his Johnson’s Great Society as a “rendez- parents were prominent Progressive father worried openly about the vous with destiny” just as routinely journalists in New York City. His philosophically corrupting infl u- cite Croly as part of the intellectual mother, Jane Croly, wrote exten- ence Harvard might have on his son. sively on women’s issues under the He had reason to worry. While at This paper, in its entirety, can be found at pen name “Jenny June” and at the Harvard, the younger Croly wrote http://report.heritage.org/MAPT-07 time of his birth was one of the best- home that he had come to doubt that Produced by the B. Kenneth Simon Center known women writers in America. much of Comte was particularly rel- for Principles and Politics His father, also a prolifi c writer, was evant to modern social and political Photo from Library of Congress Collection a devoted American follower of the conditions, but he may have retained The Heritage Foundation French utopian philosopher Auguste more of Comte’s perspective than he 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 Comte (1798–1857) and edited a thought at the time. (202) 546-4400 | heritage.org journal of Comtist thought, Modern In 1892, he married Louise Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily Thinker. Emory, a Vassar alumna, whom refl ecting the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill There is a story that Herbert Croly he met while he was attending before Congress. was the fi rst infant born in America Harvard. The couple was childless. MAKERS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT | NO. 07 MARCH 14, 2013 Herbert Croly Born January 23, 1869, in New York City to David Goodman Croly (1829–1889) and Jane Cunningham Croly (1829–1901). Education New York City College, 1885–1886; transferred to Harvard, 1886–1888. Withdrew from Harvard to assist and attend ailing father. Reentered Harvard 1892–1893; suffered nervous breakdown and withdrew. Reentered Harvard 1895– 1898; withdrew again for unknown reasons and without graduating. Travelled to Paris, possibly to study philosophy. Awarded honorary degree from Harvard 1910. Religion None Family Married Louise Emory, on May 30, 1892. No children. Highlights • Editor, Architectural Record, 1900–1906. • Author, The Promise of American Life, 1909. • Author, Marcus Alonzo Hanna: His Life and Work, 1912. • Author, Progressive Democracy, 1914. • Editor, The New Republic, 1914–1924. • Began working on a final book, The Breach in Civilization, in 1920. His friend Learned Hand read the manuscript and recommended against its publication. It was never published, and only fragments of the text remain. Died May 17, 1930, in Santa Barbara, California. Notable Quote “For better or worse, democracy cannot be disentangled from an aspiration toward human perfectibility, and hence from the adoption of measures looking in the direction of realizing such an aspiration.” After intermittent study, Croly Croly’s major claim to prominence first work withProgressive Democracy left Harvard in 1899 for unknown came with publication of The Promise (1914). But his influence on American reasons and without graduating. He of American Life (1909). Ever since its Progressivism did not begin and end was, however, awarded an honorary appearance, this work has been read with these two titles. His most lasting Harvard degree in 1910. as perhaps the single most emblematic achievement may have come in 1914 Little is known of Croly’s years statement of the Progressive liberal when, along with Walter Lippmann, immediately after his marriage to political aspiration. This one work Walter Weyl, and a few wealthy finan- Louise and leaving Harvard. He trav- catapulted Croly into the first ranks cial backers, he helped found and eled to Europe and may have studied of leftist intellectuals, where he has served as first editor of theThe New philosophy in Paris. When he returned remained ever since. Republic. The magazine still remains to the United States in 1900, it was as The next few years were especially the gold standard for Progressive lib- editor of Architectural Record. fruitful for Croly. He followed up this eral journalism. 1. Eric F. Goldman, Rendezvous With Destiny (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952). 2 MAKERS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT | NO. 07 MARCH 14, 2013 Croly’s health declined progressive- of the American regime and not elements in the electorate could ly throughout the 1920s. He suffered a merely a tinkering with institutions. be mobilized to support a major- massive stroke in 1928 that effectively Collectively, however, the ity coalition for the general election. ended his journalistic career, and he Progressive movement faced some- This typically meant a heteroge- died in 1930 in California. thing of a theoretical dilemma. If neous mixture of factions in each progress means anything, it means party that did not always fit well Herbert Croly and the movement toward something together beyond Election Day. Progressive Movement desired. What, precisely, did the Parties could not afford to be pri- What gave the Progressive move- Progressives desire? We all want to marily ideological, but Croly showed ment its theoretical unity, in spite replace something worse with some- them how to be more ideological in of internal quarrels among various thing better. The real issue turns on the construction of electoral coali- writers, thinkers, and politicians, what we think is better or worse. tions. We can see part of this in was its uniform opposition to the Theodore Roosevelt’s adoption in founding principles of the American THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT 1912 of “The New Nationalism”—a regime. Progressives opposed the AIMED AT NOTHING LESS THAN term he borrowed directly from natural law and natural rights Croly—as his campaign slogan. Croly arguments of the Declaration of THE TOTAL AND COMPLETE saw nationalism as the glue that held Independence in favor of a political TRANSFORMATION OF THE the Progressive electoral coalition science founded on historical evolu- AMERICAN REGIME. PROGRESSIVE together, but as parties became more tion. The metaphors were typically DEMOCRACY WAS BUILT ON AN ideological over the course of the Darwinian, and the substance was 20th century, nationalism was not an INCREASED CONCENTRATION OF derived from German–Hegelian easy fit in a tradition that was at war historicism. POLITICAL POWER, PRIMARILY IN THE with the Founders. The Progressive movement aimed EXECUTIVE. The split in the Republican Party at nothing less than the total and in 1912 and the election of Woodrow complete transformation of the Before Croly, Progressives were Wilson gave the Democrats at least American regime. In Croly’s words, united in their judgment that the a temporary electoral advantage in “The best that can be said on behalf of past and present were worse than attracting Progressive intellectuals. this traditional American system of what the future promised, but they Croly backed Roosevelt in 1912, but by ideas is that it contained the germ of were divided on what that better the election of 1916, The New Republic better things.”2 future might look like or how to threw whatever intellectual weight In practice, this meant a criticism achieve it. What has given Croly his it had behind Wilson. After the war, of the Founders’ idea of limited gov- enduring appeal among Progressive Progressives like Croly broke with ernment with enumerated powers. In intellectuals was how, more than any Wilson over the Versailles Treaty. electoral politics, as it was expressed other single writer, he filled in the Then, in 1919, came Prohibition, by writers such as Herbert Croly, theoretical blanks of what the future which left Croly disheartened with Progressive democracy was built on of Progressivism should look like and Progressivism in general; prohibition an increased concentration of political how to get there. What Croly wanted of alcohol was a diversion from real power, primarily in the executive. was clear progress toward political issues. By the time he died in 1930, The primacy of executive power perfection that looked very much he was thoroughly disillusioned with was not original with Croly; philo- like the welfare-state system pat- electoral politics, which had not sophically, he borrowed it from terned after that of Europe in general turned out as he had expected.
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