Difference between revisions of "Ronald Radosh"

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==Academic Career==
 
==Academic Career==
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For most of his academic career intimately associated with leftist causes, e.g., an intellectual defense of the Rosenbergs, initial support for the [[FMLN]] and opposition to the [[Contras]], etc., he gradually evolved into a neoconservative polemicist in the mold of his colleagues, [[David Horowitz (conservative writer)|David Horowitz]] and [[Peter Collier (political author)|Peter Collier]].  
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During the [[1950s]], Radosh attended the [[University of Wisconsin-Madison]], where he engaged in jam sessions with a young [[Bob Dylan]]. During the [[Khurshchev thaw]], he broke with the Soviet-backed Party of his parents' generation and became a founding father of the [[New Left]]. A former participant in campus radicalism during the 1960s, he recalls in his memoirs that many otherwise Left-Wing professors opposed any effort to politicize the universities, arguing in favor of keeping them neutral as places of learning and inquiry.
  
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Two pivotal moments that solidified this change of philosophy were his decision to collaborate with [[Joyce Milton]] on an examination of the Rosenberg files—which led him to conclude that Julius Rosenberg was indeed guilty of the espionage charges he would ultimately be convicted of, with his wife potentially being an important accomplice in this scheme—and a visit to Central America during the 1980s. This was done because he was considering writing a piece for ''[[The New Republic]]'', which he had intended as a balanced portrait of the government led by [[Daniel Ortega]] and the [[Sandinistas]].  
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==''The Rosenberg File''==
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Although he has admitted to having had doubts about aspects of the movement for a long time, his decision to break with the left was sparked by his research into Rosenberg case. In 1978, Professor Radosh began conducting research into [[FBI]] files obtained under the [[Freedom of Information Act]]. Although he had originally intended to prove the innocence of [[Julius Rosenberg]] and his wife Ethel, Professor Radosh was eventually convinced of their mutual guilt.  
  
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However, after examining the composition of the government—and its policies—he came to the conclusion that it was infiltrated by [[Stalinist]]s, and was not moving in a democratic direction.
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After the publication of his research and conclusions in 1979, Professor Radosh was ostracized by his former comrades and attacked in print. He recalls how a longtime friend told him, "The facts are irrelevant. We need the Rosenbergs as heroes."<ref> Ronald Radosh, "Commies," page 157.</ref>
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These two events—which Radosh describes as being crucial in the evolution of his political philosophy—led him to be ostracized from his former allies, and for both sides to begin a reciprocal-and often vituperative-public war of words that continues to this day.  
 
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Radosh is the father of journalist [[Daniel Radosh]].
 
  
 
==Current Status==
 
==Current Status==

Revision as of 01:20, December 8, 2008

Ronald Radosh (b. 1937, New York City) is an American historian specializing in Cold War espionage. His critics have accused him of exaggerating the significance of Soviet espionage in the United States, while he maintains that they are naive, doctrinaire Leftists, who haven't reconciled themselves to the crimes committed on behalf of Communism, and whose enmity stems from that fundamental flaw.

Early Life

Radosh was born on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 1937. His parents, Reuben and Ida Radosh, were Jewish immigrants from the former Russian Empire and life long members of the Communist Party USA. A self-described Red Diaper Baby, he attended the Little Red Schoolhouse and Elisabeth Irwin High School.

Academic Career

During the 1950s, Radosh attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he engaged in jam sessions with a young Bob Dylan. During the Khurshchev thaw, he broke with the Soviet-backed Party of his parents' generation and became a founding father of the New Left. A former participant in campus radicalism during the 1960s, he recalls in his memoirs that many otherwise Left-Wing professors opposed any effort to politicize the universities, arguing in favor of keeping them neutral as places of learning and inquiry.

The Rosenberg File

Although he has admitted to having had doubts about aspects of the movement for a long time, his decision to break with the left was sparked by his research into Rosenberg case. In 1978, Professor Radosh began conducting research into FBI files obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Although he had originally intended to prove the innocence of Julius Rosenberg and his wife Ethel, Professor Radosh was eventually convinced of their mutual guilt.

After the publication of his research and conclusions in 1979, Professor Radosh was ostracized by his former comrades and attacked in print. He recalls how a longtime friend told him, "The facts are irrelevant. We need the Rosenbergs as heroes."[1]

Current Status

Radosh is currently an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.,[1] and professor of history emeritus at Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York [2]. His commentaries on the Rosenbergs and other topics have appeared in The New Republic, The Weekly Standard and National Review, and the blog Frontpagemag.com. His memoirs are entitled Commies: A Journey Through the Old Left, the New Left, and the Leftover Left.

Bibliography

  • Ronald Radosh and Murray Rothbard eds., A New History of Leviathan, New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972
  • Prophets On The Right: Profiles of Conservative Critics of American Globalism, 1975
  • Ronald Radosh and Joyce Milton, The Rosenberg File, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-300-07205-8
  • Harvey Klehr and Ronald Radosh, The Amerasia Spy Case: Prelude to McCarthyism, University of North Carolina Press,1996. ISBN 0-807-82245-0
  • Divided They Fell: The Demise of the Democratic Party, Free Press, 1996. ISBN 0-684-82810-3
  • Commies: A Journey Through the Old Left, the New Left, and the Leftover Left, Encounter Books 2001. ISBN 1-893554-05-8
  • Spain Betrayed: The Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War, Yale University Press 2005. ISBN 0-300-08981-3
  • Ronald Radosh and Allis Radosh, Red Star Over Hollywood: The Film Colony's Long Romance With The Left, Encounter Books 2005. ISBN 1-893554-96-1

External links

Essays and Reviews

  1. ↑ Ronald Radosh, "Commies," page 157.
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