1,237
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
I can't believe this page wasn't created already!
'''Saul Alinsky''' (January 30, 1909 - June 12, 1972) was a [[socialist]] writer. He is credited with the term "community organizer." His most well-known accomplishment was the book ''Rules for Radicals''. He achieved a doctorate in [[archeology]] from the University of Chicago and was awarded a fellowship in [[sociology]], which he never completed.
==Community Organizer==
In 1931, he went to work as a sociologist for the Illinois Division of Juvenile Research.<ref name="Answers">[http://www.answers.com/topic/saul-alinsky Answers.com Biography of Saul Alinsky]</ref> It was through this work that he attributed much of America's criminal activity to poverty.<ref>Alinsky, Saul. ''Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals.'' 1. 1971. </ref> In 1936 he left the Division of Juvenile Research in order to form the Back-Of-The-Yards Neighborhood Council. This was his first act of "community organizer," and cemented his position as a radical reformer. He went on to found the Industrial Areas Foundation, which was largely responsible for most of the [[liberal]] community groups throughout the country.
Alinsky had a tendency to rub the sores of a community raw. During the [[Great Society]] campaigns of [[Lyndon Johnson]], he pushed the Eastman Kodak Company to hire more black workers. However, his hard-knock, do-anything techniques rubbed many leaders the wrong way, and in 1967 he found himself without a contract. This led him to label [[Lyndon Johnson|Johnson]]'s "war on poverty" as a political pork barrel.
The Black Panther movement in the 1960s made it hard for Alinsky to organize the black populace; they had a difficult time dealing with white leadership. He finally settled with organizing middle-class white Americans to protest against the deterioration of the suburban markets.<ref name="Answers">
==Legacy==
Many right-wing talk radio hosts, such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage, attribute many of the strategies of the [[Democratic Party]] to Alinsky's ''Rules For Radicals''. [[Hillary Clinton]]'s senior honors thesis was an analysis of the works of Saul Alinsky and the effect that they have on politics today. [[Barack Obama]] can also trace his roots to the teachings of Saul Alinsky.<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10305695 NPR, ''Democrats and the Legacy of Activist Saul Alinsky'' (audio file)</ref>
==Literary Works==
*''Reveille for Racicals'', 1946
*''Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals'', 1971
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Authors]]
==Community Organizer==
In 1931, he went to work as a sociologist for the Illinois Division of Juvenile Research.<ref name="Answers">[http://www.answers.com/topic/saul-alinsky Answers.com Biography of Saul Alinsky]</ref> It was through this work that he attributed much of America's criminal activity to poverty.<ref>Alinsky, Saul. ''Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals.'' 1. 1971. </ref> In 1936 he left the Division of Juvenile Research in order to form the Back-Of-The-Yards Neighborhood Council. This was his first act of "community organizer," and cemented his position as a radical reformer. He went on to found the Industrial Areas Foundation, which was largely responsible for most of the [[liberal]] community groups throughout the country.
Alinsky had a tendency to rub the sores of a community raw. During the [[Great Society]] campaigns of [[Lyndon Johnson]], he pushed the Eastman Kodak Company to hire more black workers. However, his hard-knock, do-anything techniques rubbed many leaders the wrong way, and in 1967 he found himself without a contract. This led him to label [[Lyndon Johnson|Johnson]]'s "war on poverty" as a political pork barrel.
The Black Panther movement in the 1960s made it hard for Alinsky to organize the black populace; they had a difficult time dealing with white leadership. He finally settled with organizing middle-class white Americans to protest against the deterioration of the suburban markets.<ref name="Answers">
==Legacy==
Many right-wing talk radio hosts, such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage, attribute many of the strategies of the [[Democratic Party]] to Alinsky's ''Rules For Radicals''. [[Hillary Clinton]]'s senior honors thesis was an analysis of the works of Saul Alinsky and the effect that they have on politics today. [[Barack Obama]] can also trace his roots to the teachings of Saul Alinsky.<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10305695 NPR, ''Democrats and the Legacy of Activist Saul Alinsky'' (audio file)</ref>
==Literary Works==
*''Reveille for Racicals'', 1946
*''Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals'', 1971
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Authors]]