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1 TRACES The UNC-Chapel Hill Journal of History Vol. 8 2020 2 TRACES: THE UNC-CHAPEL HILL JOURNAL OF HISTORY 3 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Published in the United States of America by the UNC-Chapel Hill History Department Hamilton Hall, CB #3195 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3195 “Unfortunately there is no Past, available for distil- (919) 962-2115 lation, capture, manipulation, observation and [email protected] description. There have been, and there are, events [email protected] in complex and innumerable combinations, and no magic formula will ever give us mastery over http://www.traces.unc.edu them…. There are, instead, some rather humdrum operations to be performed. We suspect or surmise Copyright 2020 by UNC-Chapel Hill that an event, a set of events has taken place: where can we find the traces they must have left behind them? Or we have come across some traces: what All rights reserved. Except in those cases that are they worth, as traces, and to what events do comply with the fair use guidelines of US copy- right law (U.S.C. Title 17), no part of this publica- they point? Later on we shall find out which events tion may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, we can, from our own knowledge of their traces, or transmitted in any form by any means, elec- tronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the prior safely believe to have taken place. It remains a written permission from the publisher. fact, nevertheless, that the whole historical world Printed in the United States of America by Univer- uses the word ‘sources,’ and will continue to do sity of North Carolina Press. so. By refusing to follow its example we shall at Traces is produced by undergraduate and graduate any rate draw attention to the fact that history is students at UNC-Chapel HIll in order to showcase students’ historical research. It was created in 2011 not a deductive science, but an activity and a craft.” by UNC-Chapel Hill students G. Lawson Kueh- nert and Mark W. Hornburg, with support from the UNC-Chapel Hill Parents Council. Traces: The –G.J. Renier, History: Its Purpose and Method UNC-Chapel Hill Journal of History is affiliated with the Delta Pi chapter (UNC-Chapel Hill) of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society. 4 TRACES: THE UNC-CHAPEL HILL JOURNAL OF HISTORY 5 Sponsors Donors Delta Pi Chapter (UNC-CH), Phi Alpha Theta, Each year, the publication of Traces is supported in part by private donations. The generosity of our National History Honor Society alumni and friends gives undergraduate and grad- Department of History, UNC-Chapel Hill uate students the opportunity to edit and publish original research for an award-winning journal. If UNC-Chapel Hill Parents Council you would like to support the ongoing publication UNC-Chapel Hill Student Government of Traces, please consider making a gift at http:// give.unc.edu. Please be sure to search for “Traces Journal” (account no. 100365) to designate your fit. If you would prefer to mail your donation, please send all checks made payable to the “Arts and Sciences Foundation” to the address below: Attention: Jennifer Parker Administrative Manager The UNC Department of History Hamilton Hall, CB# 3195 Chapel Hill, NC 27514 6 TRACES: THE UNC-CHAPEL HILL JOURNAL OF HISTORY 7 Ackowledgments Staff Editors-in-chief: The editorial staff is indebted to the students, Daniel Velásquez faculty, staff, and friends who have supported Traces Kimathi Muiruri since its creation in 2011. We especially would like to Victoria Johnson thank Dr. William Sturkey for serving as the journal’s Chief Faculty Advisor: Chief Faculty Advisor and Sarah Miles and Emma Dr. William Sturkey Rotherberg, the journal’s previous editors-in-chief, for their support in transitioning to the 2020 team. We are also grateful to the UNC-Chapel Hill Parents council, the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of History, and the UNC-Chapel Hill Student Congress for the funding that has supported the journal’s publication. Finally, we would like to thank Joshua O'Brien for his instrumental help in finishing the design of this issue and preparing it for publicaiton. Cover photograph: UNC's Old Well by Victoria Johnson 8 TRACES: THE UNC-CHAPEL HILL JOURNAL OF HISTORY 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS 10 A Note From the Editors 13 Contributors 15 Impartiality in French Revolutionary Newspapers Marine Elia 39 “We Must Strike While the Iron is Hot”: Henry Stim- son and the Preparedness Movement, 1914-1917 Amir Rezvani 64 Special Section: Echoes From the Russian Revolution Introduction: The Russian Revolution Goes Global Donald Raleigh 70 Reds, Whites, and Blacks: Revolutionary Russia in the Black Press, 1910-1922 Cara Price 101 The Black Hammer of Soviet Industry: A Compari- son of Robert Robinson to Two African Americans Work- ing in the Soviet Union, 1930-1939 Evan Amico 124 “The Red Flag Shall Not Menace America”: North Carolina Politicians Lee Overman and Josephus Daniels in the Red Scare, 1919-1921 Holt McKeithan 10 TRACES: THE UNC-CHAPEL HILL JOURNAL OF HISTORY 11 populations wildly different in space, time, and ideology have resolved to make good of the moment and reshape what is possi- ble for the future. This work is not, and has never been, done in a silo. The writing of history and telling of stories matters at moments like these. We at Traces affirm our support for the critical action transpiring across the nation. We are humbled at the opportunity to showcase scholarly work on pivotal moments in history while living in one. It is a fortunate coincidence that, A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS amid the reality of upheaval in America today, this issue is centered around issues of political upheaval from the past. The first essay, by Marine Elia (UNC ‘20), offers a fresh look at the politics of news media during the French Revolution. The second essay, by Amir Rezvani (Yale ‘20), offers a similarly fresh take on the phenomenon of the “Preparedness Movement” in America - a 20th century predecessor to modern militarism. The special On behalf of all of the editors here at Traces, welcome section at the end of this issue, Echoes from the Russian Revolu- to our eighth volume. In keeping with the times, the produc- tion, is a look back on the Russian Revolution with one hundred tion of this issue has been both affected by and become years of hindsight. First in the section is an incising introduction a commentary on the turbulent nature of our historical from Professor Donald Raleigh, who teaches the undergraduate moment. When COVID-19 forced UNC to close its campus history writing seminar with a focus on the Russian Revolu- this March, it was not yet clear what kind of change would tion here in the UNC department. He offers valuable insight on follow. Still, what has transpired in the months since has proved the legacy of this event in the global imagination. Following beyond what we thought possible in a pre-COVID world. are three articles from UNC undergraduates who studied under Throughout the heat of the summer, all fifty states in the Professor Raleigh. The articles are diverse in their content but Union - and many nations around the world in chorus - have been common in their insightfulness. All, in some way, comment gripped by the spirit of moral reckoning. Sparked by continuous, on political repression, media representation, and racial poli- gruesome cases of police violence against Black Americans, and tics of the Russian Revolution from an American perspective. spurred on by the energy and organization of front line activists The editors would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the everywhere, a diffuse movement has spawned a palpable chal- hard work and dedication of our staff and writers. Our graduate lenge to power. Acts of revolution are often steeped in crises. and undergraduate collaborators put tremendous work into this In 1789 France there were famines, in 1917 Russia there was edition, and we owe them all a debt of gratitude. Moreover, the exhaustion from global war, and this year there is a once-in-a- editors would like to thank all the staff in UNC-Chapel Hill’s lifetime global health crisis. On the back of these conditions, History Department, the previous editors and founders of Traces, 12 TRACES: THE UNC-CHAPEL HILL JOURNAL OF HISTORY 13 and our faculty sponsor, Dr. William Sturkey, who has supported ONTRIBUTORS this journal since its inception. The quality of the work in Volume C 8 of Traces is a testament to the high quality of research conducted Amir Rezvani graduated from Yale University in 2020. He by our students and the outstanding mentorship of our faculty. majored in history with a focus on twentieth century Ameri- can political and legal history and plans to attend law school — Victoria Johnson, Kimathi Muiruri, in the near future. His article is adapted from his senior thesis. and Daniel Velásquez Editors in Chief Cara Price graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2020 with degrees in computer science and history with a specialization in Russia and Eastern Europe. This fall, she will join the D. E. Shaw Group as a software developer. Evan Amico graduated from the University of North Caro- lina at Chapel Hill with distinction in 2020, receiving both a Bachelors of Arts in History and Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. During his time at UNC he focused on African, Asian, and Middle Eastern history while conduct- ing research on the Soviet Union. Holt McKeithan graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in the spring of 2020 with degrees in history and political science.