WWI and Beer (page 3)

Farkel

moshe,

: Thank goodness, we know that beer topics are OK

It was about racism, my friend, not beer. The beer issue was only the result of the racism.

I guess I didn't make myself clear enough.

Farkel

stillajwexelder

All Japanese were bad after Pearl Harbor.

All muslims were bad after 9/11

nothing changes sadly. The human race seem to be haters

jws

Temperance movements were started and going on way before WWI, going back to the late 1700's and gained victories in the US long before the Federal prohibition. Mostly religious based.

Some of the prohibition movement was directed at the German beer industry, but that was only part of the cause. The cause had been alive and well and growing. And prohibited not only beer, but distilled spirits as well.

james_woods

Back on Farkel's anti-German "racism" point - my family were largely German-American immigrants - and this is absolutely true - during the time of both world wars.

I have heard it commented that they were glad the family name was not very noticeably German - (it was Hurst).

I had three uncles named Carl, Werner (the family pronounced it "Verner") and Adolph. Toward the end of the 1930s, Adolph started going by the initials A. D.

The interesting thing was - there was really VERY LITTLE anti-American, or pro-German feeling within the German-American community at any time during the 20th century.

Remember the old saying - "Germans make the very best Americans, but they seem to make the very worst Germans."? The top American flying ace of WW1 was named Eddie Rickenbacker.

botchtowersociety

It is interesting how a Constitutional amendendment was deemed necessary to prohibit a substance in the early 20th century (otherwise the Federal government was not considered to have the Constitutional authority)--but now it can prohibit whatever it chooses ad hoc. What an erosion of the Constitution!

JeffT

James, in one of his books (I can't remember which one I've read so many) Stephen Ambrose points out that there were more Geman-Americans in the American army than there were Gemans in the Geman army.

james_woods

It is interesting how a Constitutional amendendment was deemed necessary to prohibit a substance in the early 20th century (otherwise the Federal government was not considered to have the Constitutional authority)--but now it can prohibit whatever it chooses ad hoc. What an erosion of the Constitution!

An excellent point. It reminds me of the fact that nobody thought twice about forcing all citizens to buy health insurance whether they wanted it or not - and the issue of the constitutionality of this was ignored. I also think that Farkel made a GREAT point early on in this thread - Woodrow Wilson was probably the WORST president of the 20th century.

stuckinamovement

Spot on Farkel. I just watched Ken Burns prohibition special, and it was amazing how the womens temperance movements and the KKK were able to use the strong feelings of patriotism and hate for the Germans to attack the German Brewers. These groups piggybacked on an anti immigrant sentimant and used it for their own purposes.

If I remember right the Brewers accounted for 15% of the US economy at the time. Beer or should I say Bier was touted back then as a medicinal cure.

SIAM

TheClarinetist

Unlike prohibition, isn't there precedent for socialized healthcare? (Actually, I found reference to precedent for prohibition as well, though no specific examples)

EDIT: Sorry. Misread original post

james_woods

Beer or should I say Bier was touted back then as a medicinal cure.

It still is in many parts of good society.

WWI and Beer

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