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cover of episode Encore: Presidential Assassinations | Anarchist at the Exposition | 3

Encore: Presidential Assassinations | Anarchist at the Exposition | 3

2024/8/21
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American History Tellers

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The Panic of 1893 devastated the US economy, impacting figures like William McKinley, who faced financial ruin but was bailed out by wealthy benefactors. Conversely, Leon Czolgosz, a working-class Polish immigrant, lost his job and became disillusioned with existing systems, turning to anarchism.
  • McKinley's experience in the Panic of 1893 garnered public sympathy and led to his reelection as Ohio governor.
  • Czolgosz's disillusionment stemmed from job loss and perceived inadequacy of societal support systems.
  • Czolgosz's introduction to anarchism provided an alternative ideology and the concept of "propaganda of the deed."

Shownotes Transcript

In September 1901, President William McKinley visited the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York to deliver a speech celebrating American achievements at home and abroad. But waiting in the crowd in Buffalo was an embittered Polish-American laborer seeking to prove his commitment to the anarchist cause. Leon Czolgosz fired two bullets, striking the 25th president and sparking a rush to save McKinley’s life. With the president’s life hanging in the balance, McKinley’s ambitious Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, waited in the wings with bold ambitions for expanding America’s imperial might.

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