26-H205 The Inevitability of Donald Trump: A Reconsideration of America’s History – Alvin Finkel
Many view Donald Trump as an anomaly in American history, an anti-democratic, racist, demagogic, authoritarian liar. This course, examining American history from the Puritans to the period before Trump’s two periods in office, argues the opposite. While Trump is a narcissist extremist, the history of the U.S. from the early 1600s to 2016 makes the rise of such a character predictable. Puritan rigidity, destruction of Indigenous societies, slavery followed by segregation, monopoly capitalism, McCarthyism, U.S. overthrow of elected governments during the Cold War, opposition to feminism, and the development of a society of glaring economic inequalities refute notions that Trump is overthrowing a “liberal order” as opposed to being more publicly brutal than his predecessors. This course traces all of these phenomena as well as efforts to create a more just America. Discussions will focus on why the latter have been weaker than the former, paving the way for Trump.
Instructor: Alvin Finkel
Dr. Alvin Finkel is a prolific historian whose 14 books have sold over 200,000 copies. He is also a social activist, and has served as president of the Alberta Labour History Institute since 2016. Alvin was professor of History at Athabasca University for 36 years and taught at several other universities for 4 years before joining Athabasca University as a tenured professor. He earned his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1976 where he studied Canadian and American history. His books include survey textbooks on the history of Canada that have been used by universities across the country, as well as textbooks on Canadian social policy and Alberta labour history. His most recent book, Humans: The 300,000 Year Struggle for Equality, was named one of the best 100 books of 2024 by Indigo Books. Alvin has taught ELLA courses most years since 2015 after his retirement a year earlier from Athabasca U.
