From my research, lately:

I am far from a Nazi, & would probably get kicked out of Germany for my opinions regarding the universe, the facts of science, & the rights of free aesthetic expression—but at the same time I refuse to join in the blind herd-prejudice against an honest clown whose basic objects are all essentially sound despite the occasionally disastrous extremes & absurdities in his present policy. It may be that Hitlerism's function will be to point out certain needs which wiser heads & hands will ultimately rectify in a more moderate way—not only in Germany but in other nations where similar needs or problems exist.

• H. P. Lovecraft to J. Vernon Shea, 25 Sep 1933, LJVS 163

I do not condemn the reforms you say would be possible under Fascism. I simply do not believe they would exist under a Fascist government. Of course you can draw glowing pictures of a Fascist Utopia. But you can not prove that Fascism is anything but a sordid, retrogressive despotism, which crushes the individual liberty and strangles the intellectual life of every country it inflicts with its slimy presence. The Fascist movement in this country is nothing new; it is merely presented under a new name; it is the same old gang that in bygone days were called Tories, or Federalists, or Black-Republicans, or Hoover-Republicans — the same gang that are now ham-stringing the administration and yelling “Communism!” every time Roosevelt tries to free the country a little from their monopolistic clutch. I know it is the fad now to sneer at Democracy; but Democracy is not to blame for the troubles of the world. The men who are most to blame are the very men who now would “save” the country under the new name of Nazis, or Fascists. The last really Democratic president we had was Andrew Jackson. For nearly a hundred years this nation has not been a Democracy at all; it’s been a capitalistic oligarchy parading as a Democracy; except on the fringes of the frontier, where Democratic conditions really existed up to within the last generation. And Fascism is nothing but a new fad-name for industrial tyranny. It’s the final step of entrenched special privilege-holders, which would peon the people beneath them beyond all hope. The Fascist movement in America is nothing but a move on the part of the money-barons to establish themselves more firmly than ever, to stamp out the last vestige of freedom in the people beneath them.

• Robert E. Howard to H. P. Lovecraft, Dec 1934, CL3.263-264

Howard and Lovecraft had an abiding interest (though no direct involvement) in the politics of their time, both domestic and international. Both men's sympathies aligned with their deeper philosophies: Howard with a preference for individual liberty and sense of injustice at the disparity in power and wealth, Lovecraft with his belief in a strong central government and state-run economy because of the inability of the masses to properly govern themselves. Both men generally appear to have approved of New Deal programs - which aided the poor, and stimulated the economy - while at the same time disapproving of Bolshevism, which was seen as much more radical than the mild socialism of projects like the Civilian Conservation Corps. Lovecraft in particular was more optimistic in taking a centrist stance with regard to fascism - that wiser heads would moderate the excesses of Hitler; Howard was more critical, and mistrustful of authority in general. Both doubted anything like European fascism could take hold in the United States... it has been on my mind lately.

Going to shamelessly shill some of my own work today.

I wrote a longish analysis about the challenges the new Díaz-Canel government in Cuba will face for Jacobin Magazine. You can find it here.

Been at my museum studies internship for the past 3 weeks, it's been great! I really like interpreting and our field trips to museums have been wonderful and have met some really awesome museum professionals.

I really love my project too, helping out the museum's undergraduate study abroad program by helping the new history professor put together a primary source portfolio for her class by diving deep into the manuscripts collections (among others) at the museum. I've found so many cool things (a letter from Teddy Roosevelt for example) and I'm really loving the archive work.

I'm finalising my 'takedown' (of sorts) of Part I of Extra Credits' First Opium War series. It should be up on Saturday Showcase tomorrow. Nothing serious and original like the regular series by /u/Klesk_vs_Xaero, of course. It would have gone up on /r/badhistory some time last week, but there was (coincidentally) someone else doing something on the Opium War a couple of weeks before, and in any case it seems fair to just let that sub die slowly now. So, I've taken the time to write a more serious and focussed version.

Impromptu Poll:

Is beer really the foundation of human civilization?

a.) Yes

b.) No

It's been a really difficult few weeks and I have absolutely nothing meaningful to contribute except that I really enjoyed AMC's The Terror and I really, really enjoyed the opportunity it's afforded me to procrastinate on my actual projects by spiralling through Russell Potter's blogs and the National Maritime Museum's collection of Franklin expedition artifacts. I haven't really gotten into Arctic expedition reading since I was a kid, so there's a lot of ground to cover... a lot.

What would it take to turn the world into one big fusion reaction, wiping it clean of life and turning it into a barren rock? Asking for a friend. Apropos of nothing, I wrote a blog post on the history (and science) of people worrying about whether nuclear weapons could set the atmosphere on fire. The answer may surprise you! (It's not as strongly a no as you might believe.)

Any recommendations for good history podcasts? I've been listening to BBC In Our Time. Really helps the time go by at my sometimes tedious job. I'm pretty skeptical of most that I've found, so anything that this source dependent community could recommend would be great

Reading Henry James’ Midnight Song for a study of post modernist writing, and it has such a wonderful array of real historical figures. I’ve enjoyed learning more about Freud and Henry James, Ida b Wells, the anti Semitic movement beginning in Paris and Vienna and how it really answered a lot of my pre war questions all within the novel. Absolutely fantastic and I’ve learned quite a bit about the importance of Vienna in the late 19th century for art, literature, and science

Can anybody recommend a scholarly book on the 30 Years War? I'm more interested in the politics, religion and diplomacy of the period than an in-depth focus on the specific tactics of the battles.