View source for The Masses

==Introduction==
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The Masses was founded in 1911. It was an illustrated socialist monthly with 10 volumes that became short lived because in August 1917 it was barred from mail by the US government because it critiqued the US involvement in World War I. Was The Masses barred specifically because of this one article or was it barred because its conflicting views with the US government? The Masses was barred not because of its critique of the US involvement in World War I but it was barred because of its unpopular socialist opinions that proved a nightmare for the capitalist US government.  The article critiquing US involvement in World War I was used as a scapegoat to finally silence “the most dangerous magazine in America”.</html>

==Text Mining==

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===War===
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''The Masses'' held a very negative view of the United States' entrance and involvement in World War I. Peaks in the graph occur near issues in which war is discussed heavily. ''The Masses's'' views on the war were very strong and polarizing as well, which is part of the reason it was so inflammatory.

===Woman===
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===Labor===
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Labor was analyzed because labor is a very significant issue in the socialism versus capitalism conflict. It helps address the guiding question of whether "The Masses" was barred from mail because of one article on US involvement in World War I or if it was barred because of a build up of unpopular opinions that the US government eventually silenced.
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==Timeline==
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==Close Reading==


===Vol. 1 No. 12===
'''The Cheapest Commodity on the Market''' by A.O.Fischer  

''"Yet woman is the cheapest commodity on the market. You can buy ten women for the price of a good ruby."'

Fischer in this article addresses the worth of labor for both men and women and critiques the fact that women earn just enough to get by.

''"From these women will come the race of the future. According to their health and strength will be the health and strength of the next generation. Common sense ought to help us see that even if we lack the imagination to see in the degradation of women the degradation of the whole race."''

Fischer is appalled by the fact that the labor force is seemingly expendable. If someone was not doing their job properly or efficiently, they could easily find someone else to bring in. In regards to women as well, they are making just enough to get by. This, however, to Fischer was unacceptable as the future of a generation depended on women. 


#Are women really seen as equal in society? ''"To be a woman in a modern capitalist society means to be the cheapest commodity on the market."''
#Is the life of a person in general really worth what we make of it? ''"A jewel is a fine thing, but so far, as a jewel serves no practical purpose, one human life is worth all the jewels of the world."''
#''"What is the matter with a world that searches land and sea for a new jewel yet stands calmly by while women sell their lives to a machine and sell them for only enough to buy food and bed?"''
#Will we be the shameful era for women's rights for not doing something about this injustice now?

Fischer holds society accountable for the degradation of women in the modern society. He urges the populous to reconsider the image of women in society lest they be marked by shame for the future generations.

===Vol. 7 No. 1===

'''Labor and the Future''' by Amos Pinchot

===Vol. 9 No. 8===

'''Advertising Democracy''' by Max Eastman

''"It is not a war for democracy. It did not originate in a dispute about democracy, and it is unlikely to terminate in a democratic settlement."''

The Masses heavily criticized the U.S's involvement in the war, and Eastman contributes to this by attacking Wilson's intentions, claiming that the U.S. has caught war-fever and that the war, at heart, was never about liberty to begin with.

''"If you can not raise in our population a volunteer army of one million men for this war, then the American democracy does not want this war; and to call it a democratic war, or a war for democracy, while you whip them to it, is an insult in their faces."''

Challenging the President on the true intent of the war, Eastman asks a series of questions to Wilson in his article that question whether the war is a war for democracy:

# Would the U.S. end the war with a democratic Germany putting aside views on submarine war and trade of arms and munitions?
# Would Wilson recant his statement that citizens shouldn't engage in assisting revolution in other states?
# Would he promote a German group promoting democratic ideals?
# Would he make a peace agreement with the Reichstag (parliament) where the only item absolutely required is peace?

Eastman also holds the U.S. accountable for conscription which he feels strips away the very democratic essence of U.S. involvement. He argues that it's insulting to force soldiers into a war meant to spread freedom: "Come, boys, get on your chains, we're going to fight for liberty!"

==Conclusion==