audiobook Writing Religion: The Making of Turkish Alevi Islam (AAR Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion) by Markus Dressler in History

Description

In 1950; Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested for allegedly passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union; an affair FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover labeled the "crime of the century." Their case became an international sensation; inspiring petitions; letters of support; newspaper editorials; and protests in countries around the world. Nevertheless; the Rosenbergs were executed after years of appeals; making them the only civilians ever put to death for conspiracy-related activities. Yet even after their executions; protests continued. The Rosenberg case quickly transformed into legend; while the media spotlight shifted to their two orphaned sons. In Executing the Rosenbergs; Lori Clune demonstrates that the Rosenberg case played a pivotal role in the world's perception of the United States. Based on newly discovered documents from the State Department; Clune narrates the widespread dissent against the Rosenberg decision in 80 cities and 48 countries. Even as the Truman and Eisenhower administrations attempted to turn the case into pro-democracy propaganda; U.S. allies and potential allies questioned whether the United States had the moral authority to win the Cold War. Meanwhile; the death of Stalin in 1953 also raised the stakes of the executions; without a clear hero and villain; the struggle between democracy and communism shifted into morally ambiguous terrain. Transcending questions of guilt or innocence; Clune weaves the case -and its aftermath -into the fabric of the Cold War; revealing its far-reaching global effects. An original approach to one of the most fascinating episodes in Cold War history; Executing the Rosenbergs broadens a quintessentially American story into a global one.