Government
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The History of Government Influence Over Universities May 23, 2025
During the Cold War, the government relied on universities for research, but also saw scholars as dangerous....
The History of the Tax Collector May 23, 2025
Gangsters, banksters, and politicians. Today on the show, how the hunt for Al Capone helped turn the IRS into one of the U.S. government's most powerful tools — and most effective weapons....
The Playwright of the French Revolution May 21, 2025
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, who had covertly aided the American Revolution, had long coveted his civil rights. And in the France of the 1780s, he used the theater not only as a center of major entertainment but also as a political weapon, ...
How Iran-Contra Scandal Impacts American Politics Today May 19, 2025
The Iran-Contra affair exposed how government officials can ignore democratic norms and practices....
America’s Legislative Tradition Has Revolutionary Roots May 16, 2025
On May 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened for its opening session in the building that would later become known as Independence Hall. Its organization followed the Battles of Lexington and Concord that April. With all other means of c...
Conservative Realism and Vietnam May 14, 2025
April 30, 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and America’s ultimate defeat in the Vietnam War. U.S. involvement in Vietnam stretched back to the Truman administration which provided aid to the post–World War II French government i...
Why Papal Conclaves Have Drawn the Attention of Spies May 12, 2025
Intelligence agencies have long gathered information to help their governments get a sense of who the next pope might be...
The Louisiana Purchase and Pragmatic Presidential Power May 09, 2025
On April 30th, 1803, American diplomats in Paris reached an agreement with the French government to purchase the Louisiana Territory for approximately $16 million. It’s a massive but imprecisely defined tract of land between the Mississippi River and...
One Frenchman and the American Revolution May 07, 2025
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799) was a man of many talents whose life provides an interesting pivotal transitional point from the American Revolution on one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the French Revolution on the other. Born to a ...
The Deadly Story of the U.S. Civil Service May 02, 2025
When James Garfield won the Presidency in 1880, Charles Guiteau got ready to accept his new government job. No one had actually offered him a job – but he'd campaigned for Garfield, so he assumed he'd be rewarded. That was the spoils system, and it w...
The Misguided War on Cash: Defending Financial Liberty in the Digital Age December 05, 2024
Let us focus upon one of the major lessons of history that if something appears too good to be true, then for all intents and purposes, it quite likely is.As the United States navigates the complexities of the 21st century, a less visible but profoun...
History's Surprising Lesson for Musk and Ramaswamy December 04, 2024
William Howard Taft also focused on government efficiency—but he knew it sometimes required more bureaucrats and experts....
The “Horrible Secret” and Orwell in Spain December 03, 2024
The Historians Costello and Tsarev contend that Joseph Stalin harbored a “horrible secret,” namely that as a young revolutionary the Red dictator had been an informant for the Tsarist secret police, the Okhrana. There is some evidence to support the ...
The Best Precedent for the Next President November 04, 2024
Our writers—from Sohrab Ahmari to Tom Woods—suggest examples for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump to follow....
Why RealClear Needs Its Readers November 04, 2024
This is RealClearPolitics’ seventh presidential election. More than two decades ago, RCP set out to provide one-stop shopping for those who care about campaigns, elections, and governance....
Why RealClear Needs Its Readers November 02, 2024
This is RealClearPolitics’ seventh presidential election. More than two decades ago, RCP set out to provide one-stop shopping for those who care about campaigns, elections, and governance....
Remembering the Slanted Media Coverage of the 2016 Trump Election November 01, 2024
I don’t watch television anymore, but I did so on that night in 2016, when my wife and I stayed up for the U.S. presidential election— until coverage was over. We alternated watching between ABC News and CBS News. On ABC News, George Stephanopoulos a...
Why RealClear Needs Its Readers November 01, 2024
This is RealClearPolitics’ seventh presidential election. More than two decades ago, RCP set out to provide one-stop shopping for those who care about campaigns, elections, and governance....
