I most say I'm disappointed from you... While I've heard of this "far right" organization before I never cared all that much as to look into it but by the sound if it it's a very very very reasonable organizational pushing for very reasonable tight wing ideology... now we can disagree on some ideas/ideology but it's still by no means "far" right I just find that absurd... You need to get a grip man... You've been too closed off in the soviet far let's echochamber fantasy world... To put it in perspective mccarthyism right-far right Birch society center-righ Marxism far left Simple......... ok you get what I mean..
I have to say, overall I think you were very fair in your coverage of the organization and its history! Although I am a little disappointed you didn't mention William F Buckley's influence on their loss in popularity, but perhaps that can be an episode of its own! Personally, I think a lot of what they feared were in fact things to be legitimately concerned about. There could be various possibilities to simply be warned about or looked out for (government finding excuses to gain more control over citizens in violation of the Constitution, conspiracies, backroom initiatives, or even legitimate debates about societal decay, etc). Their biggest continuous fault is that they build a conspiracy of possibilities and then present it almost assuredly as fact that's currently in motion. You just can't do that. Ultimately, there is the greater possibility then you not only get lost in your own ever increasing web, but you also very likely harm your ultimate mission laid out in the first place. Anyways though, good video.
I was born in 1950, so I’m old. I remember my father talking about the John Birch Society.. I don’t remember if he supported it or not. He avoided the subject when I asked about it so I never knew what the JBS was about. I do now though. Thanks very much.
Every now and then, you'll see a small number of "College Republican" types trying to either resurrect the John Birch society or the Lyndon LaRouche organization to some sort of modern respectability, but usually it's easier to just sell the set of beliefs individually rather than the whole package. They'll (rarely) show up wherever you can rent tables, sometimes even at things like art fairs.
@@delusionnnnn Good observation. I'm pretty left wing, though I think of myself as more of a radical progressive. However, I think my basic instincts and impulses when I was young, a precocious 11 year old, were right wing (but anti-Nazi, 1960s obviously there were a lot of guys around who'd fought those bastards). By being interested enough to read, ask questions, listen to my grandmother and seek out understanding I never wound up a 'college Republican'. I think you're observation is a good one, they're tepid about what they actually stand for because they have no logical framework or actual historical basis to support it. What I noticed when we snuck in to frat parties to drink their beer is often some guy would come over and start talking smack about Blacks, Jews, Poles! (I'm part Polish), Italians! Seriously. When I told them to f* off, they didn't get mad, they just went away. This is why I think they don't get anywhere unless they're in numbers. They're just trying this nonsense on. What we should stop doing is letting them get away with it. It was reassuring that when that clearly fascist anti-Semitic gathering was held in Virginia a few years ago some of the guys who showed up on TV got chewed out by their families and fired from their jobs. We've seen a lot of nonsense since, but Tiki Torches haven't been sold out since.
Actually he has been discussed. And yes this channel does produce videos that cover pre cold war events. In order to give context to what happened during the cold war.
Wait... these guys just sound like normal Republicans today. And your saying these guys were considered the FRINGE?!?!?! ugh... this country is definitely going downhill.
Also note that the terms "Right-wing" and "Left-wing" were European terms that were practically unheard of in America until the John Birch Society propagated the term. Prior to the 1950's, the terms came up in English translations of European books or studies of European politics, but it was never used to describe American politics. Right-wing used to be defined as a rigid social hierarchy, largely associated with Feudalism, Monarchism, and Collectivism. While Left-wing was associated with social equality. Free market capitalism was classified as a left-wing concept in European politics. But the JBS created a new definition and propagated the idea that free market capitalism was Right-wing and collectivism was Left-wing. This idea became popular among American Conservatives but it didn't go mainstream until William F. Buckley, who hated the JBS, also began using it, which in turn meant Nixon and Reagan went on to use it.
Free market capitalism was never a left-wing project. On the contrary, left-wing (social democrats, socialist) and right wings (conservatives) were very against free market capitalism for different reasons. Left liberals and National liberals were more of a promoter for free market capitalism
@ravanpee1325 free market capitalism was considered left-wing in Ireland, and many places in Europe until the 50s, 60s etc. depending on country. Many countries were corpartist, Ireland Catholic Corpartist. But with the rise of communism corparitism was supplanted by freemarket capitalism. US Americans to be fair really are very politically uneducated and don't know much about these things.
I feel that capitalism is part of a free world not a communist Democratic Society. In a Democratic or communist Society the government owns and runs everything hence you will own nothing and be happy which is part of the Great reset of the wef. In a free world you can build a business and become successful. While I do agree some corporations have become too powerful getting into politics and paying the right people to push their policies. That's why we the people need to govern ourselves and keep our brothers and sisters in line. If you want to make a business and make billions that's great but don't go stepping on other people's toes and changing things to make our lives more difficult. That's just my opinion if you don't agree that's fine. That's the beautiful thing about the First Amendment and our freedoms in this country. Communism and dictatorship wouldn't allow me to write this comment of my own free will I would be arrested and probably murdered. So if you like sharing your opinion maybe you should look to the side of Freedom instead of communist Democrats
Your analysis is not correct. The political spectrum of the founding fathers had anarchy (no government) on one extreme and unlimited government on the other extreme (totalitarian state). The political tradition of America was based on limited government, sovereignty of the people, written constitutions and Federalism. During the Civil War, we weakened Federalism. During the Progressive period, we stopped following the constitution and we got the 16th amendment and the Federal Reserve. The modern establishment media started using the European Political Spectrum. A conservative according to the media was okay with the reforms under Woodrow Wilson while a liberal was for big welfare government and equality. The John Birch Society taught people that the media was using the European Political Spectrum instead of the political spectrum of the Founding Fathers. You got confused.
John Birch actually met Col. Jimmy Doolittle in 1942 (not 1944) when missionary John Birch led the pilots to safety shortly after the "Doolittle Raid on Japan". U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald (D-GA), President of the JBS, was aboard KAL-007 when USSR attacked the Boeing 747 in International waters.
I've always admired Americans for their tenacity and will power. When they decide to become good at something, they immediately become the mf best. And so it went for American conservatives: with anticommunism, millions of Americans decided to go full retard. They've been the mf best at it ever since
You don’t have to have gone “full retard” to be anti-communist. I was born behind the iron curtain in the 70s so I am anti-communist because I experienced it. I prefer the American model any day.
From how they were described here, the JBS doesn't seem far right. Rabid anticommunism and generally socially conservative views aren't enough on their own to make a group far-right.
I first heard of the JBS through a book called Wrapped in the Flag. The author’s parents were founding members and was crazy to see that much of the rhetoric from back then is still I use today.
By whom? You're probably targeting the JBS, but the deep state doesn't seem to have veered much from its course, nor its methods either, wouldn't you agree..? ^_^
The right-wing fringe sure loves to imagine themselves as very clever by being able to unravel the 5-D conspiracy chess being played by its (largely imaginary) insidious globalist enemies. That's why Q is so popular.
The benefit of hindsight also shows it was a little bit backwards, in that, instead of China invading Vietnam and then the US siding with the Soviet Union, after the Vietnamese communists won, they were aligned with the Soviet Union, and then the US started cozying up to China. Vietnam then went to war with both China and its ally Democratic Kampuchea ("Khmer Rouge" Cambodia), with Soviet aligned countries backing Vietnam while the Western Capitalist countries indirectly backed the Chinese side by backing the monarchist/nationalist Cambodian rebels who were in fact working closely with the exiled Khmer Rouge and increasing trade with China while sanctioning Vietnam and ironically recognizing (or at least ensuring the UN recognized) Pol Pot's Democratic Kampuchea as the legitimate government of Cambodia throughout the 1980s rather than the Vietnam-installed People's Republic of Kampuchea and complaining about Vietnamese imperialism and Vietnamization of Cambodia.
I grew up in the Mormon Church (Though I have since left). Former Mormon leader Ezra Taft Benson who was president of the church from 1985 to 1994 was a member of the John Birch Society. He was also the former secretary of agriculture under Eisenhower and claimed to have met with Kruschev in that role. He often caused controversy with his views even promoting the idea that Integration was communist. He even wrote a book called "Communism and the Negro" to be clear the church has made much progress since then but has never really openly disavowed anything he said.
You dont know how much these far right fascists disgust me and how happy it makes me as an atheist that more and more good religious people (At least in most western countries) distance themselv from these disgusting views.
@@fantuswitt9063 Thank you! And I totally not distanced myself from things Ezra Taft Benson said in regard to politics I totally disavowed his political views even when I was still an active believing Mormon. And even though the Mormon leadership is not supposed to use their position to officially endorse any political ideology (according to their own policies) he did many time's. And I got a lot of heat from other members because I dared to "question a prophet of God" nowadays I'm an agnostic but honestly I feel better than I ever have before.
@@caseclosed9342 That likely had something to do with it. But even after that it was still an issue. I had a friend who claimed to have been an intern at Church Headquarters in the 80's. And he claimed to have sat in on many a meeting where he said "The Brethren had to tell President Benson to tone down that kind of rhetoric"
@@jonjahr3403 I did not know any of that so thank you. On a side note I always liked and respected President Hinckley and I have heard President Kimball was really good too but that was before my time.
@@BitchyHistory ...and the society was not even something new. Before them, there were conspiratorial movements like the Know Nothings and the Anti-Masonic Parties. (but this is not that relevent to the Cold War.)
So they were part of the giggle defense corps? I wonder if they'd recognize how much the mainstream deep state is fulfilling all of JBS' predictions for the great reset..Do you?
Senator Jesse Helms was also supposed to be on that same flight with Representative Larry McDonald but decided to take another flight at the last minute.
Yeah, except for the fact that communism was popular among the least useful members of society in the 70's and even still today... so they were absolutely correct.
I live in Macon, Ga. Used to live right down the street from John Birch's brother, went to school with his niece and nephew. He was known locally by his reputation, which was that of an asshole, made a real impression at Mercer University. (you all do understand sarcasm, right?) and that is exactly what got him killed in China, not his politics, not that he was an American, none of it, was because he was a jerk and he was a jerk to a bigger one with a gun. Let's just say he is not a subject of dinner conversation around here. While we have stuff named for Otis Redding, James Brown, Alexander Stephens, Jefferson Davis, MLK Jr, Duane Allman, Barry Oakley and Rosa Parks, not a damned thing is named after John Birch...
Nah, he was a nice guy, commies just engage in fraudulent mass defamation of political opponents. Just keep telling everyone hes "an a$$hole" and eventually enough people believe it regardless of the mans actual character.
I've been fairly in touch with the counter culture for the last couple decades, since I've been nomadic. I associate a lot with hippies, Anarchists, punks, homeless, etc. Historically these groups have been left leaning, but in recent years I've seen many go full JBS, to the extent that they have much more in common with the far right. The Rainbow Family of Living Light is the biggest example that comes to mind.
Within all countercultures, there’s always elements of fascist favouring sub groups. For both far left and far right, certainly share in being viscerally anti-US government. Occupy Wall Street was an example of left-wing populism counterculture, whereas the proud boys are an example of right-wing populist counterculture.
The Birchers were largely exiled from the larger conservative community when Goldwater was running for President. They were always around, but considered fringe. But, as others have commented, many of their ideas have reached greater acceptance in recent years, and the fringe has moved towards even more crazy -- like Qanon.
@@DimensionsofChange Goldwater was afraid that the Birchers, and their crackpot theories, would damage his campaign, so in a meeting with National Review founder William F. Buckley, Jr., and Russell Kirk, author of The Conservative Mind, it was decided to attack Robert Welch and to expel the society from the conservative movement.
Here’s an aside. I had a college classmate who’s grandfather knew John Birch. The grandfather’s opinion was that John Birch wouldn’t want any association with the JBS
Despite your left of center opinions your rubric is is incorrect the JBS has worked to preserve farmers rights and the fight against agenda 21 / 2030 as well as the unwanted non elected influence of the United Nations. Is warranted and our group has done much to bring a social awareness to these otherwise behind the scenes issues threatening American sovereignty. In an effort to establish an unelected world governance with the help of the World Economic Forum amungst other NGO’s working toward the globalization of world governance resulting in a non elected group taking the reins of policy over the UN’s “ member states “ the word member states infers that these states are no longer sovereign countries but rather subject “states” under a globalist hierarchy’s tyrannical control . Indeed many warnings sounded by the JBS. In the early years as described on your little show have come to fruition. Thusly the “ conspiracy “ of today becomes very much tomarow’s reality . Biased news is really just story telling to support a counter narrative. Good day sir !
Sadly, more like "stay insane." I had a barber who was a JBS member until just a few years ago. Otherwise decent fellow and knew when not to talk politics.
@@BSJinx Naw. There is no such thing as "otherwise decent." All of this stuff comes with toxic baggage. Even the worst sociopaths can be very charming, because they need to be.
In high school, I tore the lateral ligament in my left knee that required surgery. My parents found a local surgeon in Pasadena. On my first visit to his office, I was in his waiting room and looked for something to read. The only magazines he had were the John Birch Society, American Opinion and the Dan Smoot Report. Despite his political ideology, he performed my knee surgery perfectly and I have never had any problems with that knee.
@@america3744 there are 5 official communist countries left in the world. the largest communist party on earth is supported by only 10% of its population. the communist party of usa peaked in the late 1940s with over 75k members, but today has maybe 5k if that & zero political power or representatives in congress. this was part of a move on the right to get votes by pitting americans against themselves & playing on their irrational fears. instead of rooting out communists, it worked as a kind of psyop that effectively made large swaths of the US population question their neighbor's americanism in place of an invisable boogieman that's never named. it is devisive at its core & had a very specific agenda. it's not a coincidence that the John Birch Society eventually moved its headquarters to the hometown of Senator Joseph McCarthy, either, the leader of the second Red Scare... same ruse; different day.
@@america3744 it does. time, i.e., actual history, has proven virtually everything they've posited wrong. communism is virtually extinct. hence, it all makes zero sense in hindsight, like still believing "9/11 inside job." that was AJ' work. as a kid, he was inspired by None Dare Call It Conspiracy, a book by JBS. same ruse; different day. JBS' ideas literally contradict everything the father of modern capitalism/economics once preached. they're an extension of the isolationist American First movement that supported AH during WW2, & later the failed Libertarian Party & Tea Party. or, please provide actual examples that you can prove are accurate & correct, which demonstrate that the JBS was/are historically "right" according to your beliefs with supporting evidence. don't just say it, substantiate it.
There's nothing surprising about JBS style rhetoric resurfacing. Having won the Cold War, esentially by mistake, a US Conservative Movement that had built itself around the need to fight an apocalyptic World War 3 (which would, they told themselves, kill off their domestic opponents in the cities) found itself bereft of purpose. They could either disarm their rhetoric and accept victory, or embrace radical ideologies and conspiracy theories whereby the Cold War was actually lost, or at least still ongoing. Given how they had already embraced the level of extremism needed to see nuclear war as desirable, it's not surprising that they chose the more extreme option.
@@mou6854 you're right, it was an attempt to find new meaning in a world no longer defined by the Cold War. But it was always doomed to fail. There was no way that a group of small scale terrorist networks, most of them disconnected from each other and none of them with any ability to recruit non-Muslims, could ever fill the role "Global-Communism" had held.
I see where the MAGA get their playbook from. I never thought Republicans would be against NATO and Pro-Russian authoritarianism but they had simply adopted JBS isolationism word for word.
It's going to make me sick if and when they take over, they will extract as much wealth from Ukraine as they can, appease and stall as the great people of Ukraine suffer and die. Vote Blue, Slava Ukraine>
being against Nato, the nazi organization that mass murdered Libyans, is a good thing and whose central members slaughter Iraqis and afghans for decades is a good thing. you should ask yourself why you're more pro-war mongering than outright reactionaries.
Well looking back at that time and seeing how things turned out. I must say that we owe McCarthy and the John Birch Society a big big sorry. Because they were 100 Percent right about it.
@@blitzkriegfritz2779 The Bircher's see everything as a communist conspiracy because the see the class struggle itself as a conspiracy against the capitalist bosses. They see the capitalist system as ordained by God and their role as defender of faith in American capitalism. They fear the UN and international organizations because the fear the inevitable loss of sovereignty caused by conflict in the world market and foreign trade.
@@blitzkriegfritz2779 What you don't get is their can only be one master race and nation not multiple. So as far as the American Imperialist are concerned tour Deutschland loving Fascists have no place but as second fiddle in George Bushes "New World Disorder.". Its every boss for himslf as the global capitalist version of the Titanic begins to sink.
Conspiracy nutters seek acolytes not results and get abusive when anyone doesn't follow the party line. Even when you don't disagree, they often start railing at you. Then everyone gets mad at you for setting them off. "All I said was, 'HI Al, how've you been?' What was I supposed to say?" Someone suggested, 'When Al says, 'Hello,' it's best to respond, "Shut the F up Al, we don't want to hear it."
can't say I really like the JB society mostly because of there strange stance on the Illegal Fed. Income Tax ? JB wants us to continue paying and filling the 1040 confession form so think about that and question it ...
Ah the pure hatred of a group of religious fanatics and political fantatics with fantasies of exceptionalism and love the idea that they are so right that they get to force others to conform to their ideals despite the fact that Christianity itself tells you to not try and force others to follow it's teachings but unfortunately that doesn't matter to those who want to use it for their own purposes
Even though my grandparents were members, I never really looked into them before. It’s a shame this video wasn’t released in 2019. Looking back on a lot of what was mentioned (especially the bunk cancer cure), the far right’s response to the pandemic makes a little bit more sense now.
The bunk cures, and endless stream of them, probably back for a hundred years... and they never learn. (There was once a doctor on liberal KCRW who just would not shut up about Laatrile (amygdalin mentioned in the video. More people are familiar with the name laatrile.) How many people died of cancer going to fraud clinics in Mexico instead of a U.S. Oncologist? It's not even that they get suckered, they seek out this gimcrack nonsense. Whenever anyone mentions they're not vaccinated against Covid or that it's a conspiracy I ask them if they've had it. All of them - 'but it wasn't that bad.' (Tell that to the million Americas dead from it.)
@analyticalinsight dingbat political actors and their followers claimed any rando online pushing false cures was "far-right" even when they weren't. While eventually calling anyone who demanded an end to the stupid universal lockdowns, excessive masking when N-95 masks were the only ones that actually worked for a virus, repeated shot mandates for middle-aged adults, teenagers, and children When it had already been clear only delete elderly individuals when the danger zone from dying due to covid-19, Mandating and demanding businesses and teams fire uncompliant individuals despite them being perfectly healthy, etc "far-right" and "unscientific" Even when the establishment voices were repeatedly proven to be counterfactual in their flip flopping recommendations or data. That was the problem. If it was up to them and the people who kept listening to them, we'd still be doing periodic lockdowns and mandates for a third year.
Respect to the channel. It’s impressive to see how well researched, scripted and presented these videos are especially considering the high volume of content
McCarthism did not start in the USA before the 50s. From 1945-1948 the American public opinion was still seeing the Soviets as their allies at the war against nazism. Attitudes started to change after the Berlin blockade. Anti communism prevailed in American society after the summer of 1949, when the 1st successful nuclear test from the USSR, showed that a ring of soviet spies had infiltrated and worked in the USA. The Korean War, the unprovoked attack of the North to the South and later the Chinese intervention as well as the provocative and offensive stance of the USSR, against the USA and the West in general, gave the final blow. Thus, the American anticommunism of the 50s, was not irrational or unjustified, as the liberal left claims (especially the European left).
@@AgusSimoncelli 1. what exactly was the provocation the Americans did that caused the north to invade in south Korea? Perhaps the declaration of free elections by the Americans, after the consistent refusal of the communist north to agree on a plan for panKorean elections? 2. I am not American. 3. Haven't you learnt anything from the blood stained history of communism throughout the 20th century? Do you still support that criminal ideology?
We're living in a world where they got exactly what they wanted. The rich have never been richer, the middle class is disappearing, the poor are working longer hours than ever but can't afford basic necessities, the middle of the country is crumbling while real estate prices in coastal cities continue to skyrocket, and religious fanatics and conspiracy theorists are winning elections by stoking hatred of minorities.
The JBS theories have all basically came true. Pretty good track record. To bad our elected representatives didn't heed the signs that were glaringly obvious.
How did the Vietnam theory come true? It literally didn't And the talk of one world government is nothing but conspiracy talk, you can't just call general cooperation between nations in the 21st century "a one world government" Sexual liberation wasn't a theory, by the 70s the writing on the wall was clear, yes societies since then have become more and more sexually liberal but that's not the fault of communism (interestingly communist states back then and now are socially conservative) that's the work of social liberalism
The John Birch Society transformed to gain effective control of both major political parties. When has there been any legislation antagonistic to Corporatist interests?
@@richardthomas598 That is why I continue to vote Democrat because without the Democrats getting back half of what the Republicans propose to take away we surely would be in a world of hurt. Oh my. Apologies for my micro aggressive use of pronouns. Huh, minor news, trivial, rumors of Credit Suisse default. Big deal. Just some foreign bank somewhere.
18:20 Wow, we also have similar sayings-- "Let's think about starving people in Ethiopia, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, you shouldn't complain, you should be grateful to our great glorious correct Communist Party of China, right?"
7:56 this is the man who started the whole rumor about Eisenhower being a communist, BUT Nixon was the guy in china at the time, NIXON that the Birchers loved, to this day! 😂😂
Very interesting episode. Top quality, thank you! Feels like the John Birch Society was the mentor of many of today's far right and libertarian conspiracies and fantasies!
@@curtwuollet2912 Your overall argument is just silly. Like burning down the house because you saw an insignificant spider. Extreme left is insignificant today like the spider. Unlike extreme right which threatens to take over whole western countries.
You can’t even call many of those conspiracies as theories anymore, many have been validated by this point. If we look at how history has played out, it seems the JBS wasn’t very far off with their predictions.
Hey what was the group that preceeded the Birchers, formed around 1915 with Fred Koch who was the man idea guy? I can't remember their name anymore. I think they supported Emma Goldmans splinter group. She was used as a pawn I think.
"Why, I'm a faithful follower of Brother John Birch And I belong to the Antioch Baptist Church And I ain't even got a garage You can call home and ask my wife!"
Growing up in the 70's, there was a John Bircher that lived next door to us. Very reasonable man, his main thing was that he didn't want our country to be subordinate to the U.N.
Ha, I think your neighbor could have been my dad. Going through this video with just knowing the name from him thinking he was either indifferent or vocally against these things (especially the racist stuff) wondering why he associated at all with them until the UN came up and was an immediate "ohhhh, that's why". Christ old man, surely you could have found a conservative group that was against the UN that didn't have all this other stuff attached.
@@randomlynamed3353 Um, who else is against the US In the UN? For those who claim it as a core belief are probably few and far between. Save for the super evangelicals who swear it's the beast of revelations who likely have much of the same baggage.
@@nomobobby I am skeptical of the U.N., but not viscerally opposed to it. Their recommendations need to be taken with a grain of salt, and their legislative influence on the U.S. should be near nil.
