Monday, March 3, 2014

Flipping on War

There's some airbrushing going on regarding fellow travellers and communists all over the Internet. A common case is with the members of the folk singer group the Almanac Singers, especially prominent members Woodie Guthrie and Pete Seeger. 
A lot of people flipped their opinions on war when their country was attacked in WW II. The Almanac Singers flipped when the USSR was attacked. Before that happened the Almanac Singers recorded their debut album, Songs for John Doe. Here's the full song list. I've listened to it all. It's quite educational and filled with savage attacks on Roosevelt from the left.

Ballad of October 16th

Billy Boy

'C' for Conscription

Liza Jane

Plow Under (The only one I couldn't find on YouTube)

The Strange Death of John Doe
Washington Breakdown

With the attack on the USSR, the group flipped their politics and wrote pro-war songs. It's hard to find the album as most copies were destroyed when it became politically inconvenient. 

The Almanac Singers flip due to an attack on a foreign nation instead of an attack on the US did not sit well and the group soon disbanded. An honest pacifist was fine in pre WW II America but politicking in song to the Soviet's tune didn't sit well with most. 

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