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Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History of Prohibition First Edition

by Mark Lawrence Schrad (Author)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
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This is the history of temperance and prohibition as you've never read it before: redefining temperance as a progressive, global, pro-justice movement that affected virtually every significant world leader from the eighteenth through early twentieth centuries.

When most people think of the prohibition era, they think of speakeasies, rum runners, and backwoods fundamentalists railing about the ills of strong drink. In other words, in the popular imagination, it is a peculiarly American history.

Yet, as Mark Lawrence Schrad shows in Smashing the Liquor Machine, the conventional scholarship on prohibition is extremely misleading for a simple reason: American prohibition was just one piece of a global phenomenon. Schrad's pathbreaking history of prohibition looks at the anti-alcohol movement around the globe through the experiences of pro-temperance leaders like Vladimir Lenin, Leo Tolstoy, Thomás Masaryk, Kemal Atatürk, Mahatma Gandhi, and anti-colonial activists across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Schrad argues that temperance wasn't "American exceptionalism" at all, but rather one of the most broad-based and successful transnational social movements of the modern era. In fact, Schrad offers a fundamental re-appraisal of this colorful era to reveal that temperance forces frequently aligned with progressivism, social justice, liberal self-determination, democratic socialism, labor rights, women's rights, and indigenous rights. Placing the temperance movement in a deep global context, forces us to fundamentally rethink its role in opposing colonial exploitation throughout American history as well. Prohibitionism united Native American chiefs like Little Turtle and Black Hawk; African-American leaders Frederick Douglass, Ida Wells, and Booker T. Washington; suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Frances Willard; progressives from William Lloyd Garrison to William Jennings Bryan; writers F.E.W. Harper and Upton Sinclair, and even American presidents from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Progressives rather than puritans, the global temperance movement advocated communal self-protection against the corrupt and predatory “liquor machine” that had become exceedingly rich off the misery and addictions of the poor around the world, from the slums of South Asia to the beerhalls of Central Europe to the Native American reservations of the United States.

Unlike many traditional "dry" histories, Smashing the Liquor Machine gives voice to minority and subaltern figures who resisted the global liquor industry, and further highlights that the impulses that led to the temperance movement were far more progressive and variegated than American readers have been led to believe.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0190841575
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0190841577
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    September 10, 2021
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    9.37 x 2.36 x 6.3 inches
  8. Print length
    752 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this groundbreaking, revisionist work on the history of temperance and prohibition. Schrad makes a compelling case that the temperance movement was not just an American phenomenon but "the most popular, most influential, and longest-lived international social-reform movement in the history of the world" (p. 9) ... This study will go a long way toward reorienting scholars' approach to temperance and prohibition." -- J. M. Richards, CHOICE

"The best book on Prohibition, period. It is a revelation on the causes and nature of the Prohibition movement, and takes a properly international perspective, considering colonies and indigenous peoples as well. You will never look at Prohibition the same way again." -- Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics, George Mason University

"A wide-ranging, thoroughly revisionist history... Readers won't look at temperance the same way once they take Schrad's inventive and persuasive thesis into account."--Kirkus, Starred Review

"[An] eye-opening reevaluation of the global temperance movement... Infused with knowledgeable sketches of world affairs and vivid profiles of activists and political figures including Carrie Nation and Swedish prime minister Hjalmar Branting, this is an authoritative reassessment of a misunderstood chapter in world history."--Publishers Weekly

"Written in a lively style and with arguments presented clearly, if at times rather overemphatically, the book is an engaging and informative read which deserves to be in any serious historical library." -- Annemarie McAllister, Culture and Social History

Book Description

A unique retelling of the history of temperance and prohibition that reveals how the movement frequently aligned with progressivism, social justice, liberal self-determination, democratic socialism, labor rights, women's rights, and indigenous rights.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (September 10, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 752 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0190841575
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0190841577
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.68 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.37 x 2.36 x 6.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 39 ratings

About the author

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Mark Lawrence Schrad

Mark Lawrence Schrad

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Mark Lawrence Schrad is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Villanova University, who moonlights as an antiquarian typewriter repairman. He is the author of "The Political Power of Bad Ideas" (2010), "Vodka Politics" (2014), and "Smashing the Liquor Machine" (2020), all with Oxford University Press. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
39 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

John D. Sens
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, scholarly, and eminently readable
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
I bought the hardcover version of this excellent book. It was money well spent. I agree with all of the five star reviews and can't add any points not already covered. The book is pleasurably readable.
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Malvin
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything we know about Prohibition is wrong
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2021
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
“Smashing the Liquor Machine” by Mark Lawrence Schrad emphatically proves that everything we know about Prohibition is wrong. Professor Schrad, who currently teaches at Villanova University, has spent decades studying the subject of Prohibition. Empowering the forgotten voices of the Prohibition Era to speak for themselves, professor Schrad’s book is a masterpiece that deserves our attention, thought and action.

Professor Schrad contextualizes: Prohibition was not just an American church-lady thing. We are reminded that Prohibition was the largest organized struggle against corporate abuses of power in world history. Expanding our view of Prohibitionists to include Mahatma Gandhi, Vladimir Lenin, Chief Little Turtle, Frederick Douglass and yes, Carrie Nation (but she was a badass, too!) we understand that capitalism was spread world-wide by the gun, state, church - and bottle.

Professor Schrad has written a real page-turner. No doubt, reader interest is piqued by the dramatic events including violent clashes that accompanied the world-wide struggle against the ‘alcohol traffic’ - the latter word ‘traffic’ being key. Prohibition was directed at the predatory sellers of poisonous, addictive alcoholic substances; just like activists today target the corporations that irresponsibly ‘traffic’ opioids to addicts (but not the addicts). This is a crucial distinction because it means the narrative of Prohibition as a ‘culture war’ is just plain wrong.

Importantly, Professor Schrad provides ample space for the protagonists to speak for themselves.
Prohibitionists from Lenin to Douglass to Nation knew the poor were enslaved physically through drink - and caring people wanted to stop it. To the extent that some Christians joined in the resistance to corporate power, it should not obscure that ownership of alcohol was always under the control of capitalists who identified as Christian and made it their personal mission to profit from the exploitation and misery of others born from addiction.

Professor Schrad proposes a framework to think more deeply about Prohibition: Marx, Jefferson and Jesus. The idea is that a coalition formed around Prohibition where Marx represents the struggle against exploitation, Jefferson is struggle for democratic control and decision making, a Jesus stands for morality against the saloon’s vices including drunkenness, prostitution, gambling and indebtedness. Thought provoking, indeed.

The author writes with compassion, intelligence and insight about the ordinary and extraordinary persons who were caught up in the struggle against the alcohol traffic. He lionizes William “Pussyfoot” Johnson for good reason. A hero who lost an eye during a mob assault in London, Johnson physically confronted sleazy alcohol merchants, smashed windows and fought saloon goons and yet remained unshakably committed to freedom, peace and humanity. Pussyfoot chose the nickname himself simply to taunt his rivals. Wow!

Put simply, Professor Schrad reminds us how alcoholism allowed capitalism to conquer the world. Prohibition was the world wide resistance to capitalist excess. On this point, there is no such thing as American Exceptionalism.*

‘Smashing the Liquor Machine’ is simply a masterpiece that deserves our attention. With its nearly 600 pages of riveting, thought-provoking and mind-expanding text, I highly recommend ‘Smashing the Liquor Machine’ to everyone.

*A small contribution to professor Schrad’s stated intent to get the Prohibition story ‘more right’. Since the book’s publication, China has announced what might be characterized as a ‘temperance’ campaign that limits screen time for children to three hours per week. Just like alcohol, video gaming is highly addictive and thus, tempering screen time (just like tempering alcohol consumption) is made in the name of the public good. In fact, game companies listed on Chinese exchanges immediately tumbled on the government’s actions - proving that the worldwide struggle against corporate power does indeed live on today. This opinion is my own, not the authors.
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Kevin Fontenot
5.0 out of 5 stars Important Revision of the Prohibition Narrative
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2021
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
Mark Schrad has written what can truly be called a revisionist study of the prohibition movement. This is the first time I have read a study that puts that movement into a global perspective, not just focusing on the US or local experiments. I won't go over the details of that movement, rather the most important aspect to the study is the historiographic contribution. Schrad argues that prohibition was a progressive idea rooted in an attempt to limit the power of alcohol manufacturers and saloons--he argues it was not an attempt to control personal behavior. He also upends the ideas of Richard Hofstadter who posited that prohibition was a conservative and religious attempt to control personal behavior. I am most pleased with this because I have always felt that Hofstadter had an irrational dislike of rural and religious people and that his ideas have negatively impacted the study of those groups. Schrad is trying to reposition prohibition as a positive progressive idea that broke the power of evil liquor lobby. And he does a good job of arguing that. However, in doing so, the progressives did what they always do, expand government into private lives and create a system that ultimately failed, fostering disrespect for the law. Just because progressive's wanted to help, doesn't mean result was good. This is a cautionary tale on many levels, how historians distort the narrative to fit their own prejudices, and how wanting to do something good isn't enough, you have to consider the real consequences. The author (who probably does not share my strong criticism of the progressives) has written an engaging book that moves much quicker than its many pages would suggest. If you are interested in any of these topics (prohibition, activist politics, and government regulation), you will learn much from this book.
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S. B.
5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging and enlightening look at the real stories behind prohibition
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2021
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This is simply an exceptional book, painstakingly researched and documented.

But it’s also very readable. The tone is not dry and scholarly. It reads like an epic novel. Author Mark Lawrence Schrad brings the “characters” to life with engaging dialog and colorful depictions of who, what, where, when, and how. The book is not presented as a timeline of events; rather the book is presented geographically, showing how temperance and prohibition were not limited to 20th Century America. We weren’t the only ones, and we weren’t even the first. And it wasn’t for the reasons you think. And the real drivers of the movement aren’t who you think.

As Schrad says, “This is a history of prohibition the way you’ve never heard it. And you’ve likely never heard it because most writers on prohibition have been looking for the wrong things in the wrong places at the wrong times, using the wrong assumptions to ask the wrong questions and draw the wrong conclusions.”

Schrad spent 10 years on this book, and it shows. The notes section takes 135 pages. His source materials were in fourteen languages from 150 collections in seventeen countries. He summarizes by hypothesizing that “...prohibition was part of a long-term people’s movement to strengthen international norms in defense of human rights, human dignity, and human equality, against traditional autocratic exploitation. …[A]ctivists held that building the wealth of the state or of moneyed elites upon the misery and addiction of society was no longer appropriate.”

Highly recommended.
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Top reviews from other countries

lachlan cheng
5.0 out of 5 stars Reframing and recontextualizing "known" history
Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2023
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A very fun book that presents a counter narrative to commonly held beliefs about prohibition in both the us and abroad.

A valuable and challenging read.
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