Cc 301 - the Iron Heel

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The Oligarchy would not have gained a following, nor would have been able to rule through fear, without heavy use of propaganda and the suppression of facts and ideas. The Iron Heel employed techniques to take over the social, economic, and international conditions to enable a fascist takeover. “The press of the United States? It is a parasitic growth that battens on the capitalist class. Its function is to serve the established by moulding public opinion, and right well it serves it” (London 59-60). This was spoken by Ernest, who shed light on the realities of things controlled by the government, like the press. The controlling began with the Oligarchy suppressing minor instances, such as the case of one of the factory workers, Jackson. Based on facts, Jackson should have undoubtedly won the case filed against the company for the violent machine-tearing of his arm. However, the company provided Jackson with a lawyer who purposely asked damaging questions so Jackson would lose the case regardless. The trusts suppressed the facts, such as the fact that Jackson attempted to save the machinery from being injured, but he himself suffered the injury. They made sure Jackson’s case would never reach any newspaper (London 37). Then, books and articles were erased from history. Avis’s father was forced to resign from the University he taught at, and his book, “Economics and Education” was made impossible to find after copies were destroyed by the power of the Oligarchy because the book talked about the flaws in capitalism within the education system. He spoke out about the suppression of his book, and the press twisted his words, arising a cry of alarm throughout the country. He was then branded as an anarchist for speaking out about it (London 83). The suppression and elimination of articles and books written to weaken the Oligarchy was one of the Oligarchy’s most successful propaganda tactics. The tyranny gained a stronger following and liking, and reactionary groups were thus born.

The Oligarchy enforced and praised reactionary groups that combatted the revolutionary groups. The Black Hundreds was just one of the several groups created to put an end to the socialist movement. The Black Hundreds rioted and destroyed socialist newspapers and property owned by the socialists. The group was praised and represented as a savior of society for destroying the socialist presses, with help from the Oligarchy for deceiving the country into thinking the socialists were a true threat to peace and harmony in the country. The group would even purposely wreak havoc, such as provoking strikes to get rid of surplus stock and burning freight cars to increase disorder (London 87). Another group, the strike-breakers, fought and killed hundreds of thousands of factory workers for organizing a strike. These people were praised for splitting up the strikes, despite their excessive use of force and willingness to murder anyone involved. The strike-breakers were never punished for their brutish actions. The Oligarchy even controlled the entire military, and had the authority to enforce the U.S. soldiers to imprison and murder anyone who was working with the Socialist group and anyone who defied the Oligarchy. These groups were all enforced by the Oligarchy to prove to revolutionists just how much power the tyranny had. By inflicting fear through these groups, the Oligarchy hoped to put an end to those attempting to overthrow the government.

The Oligarchy inflicted pain and fear on every single socialist’s life in the United States. The fascist government was merciless and did not stop until every revolutionist was imprisoned or murdered. The government felt the only way to tame the socialists was by ruling through fear; strip the socialists of every basic human right so they are left no other option but to obey the government. But, that tactic only worked for so long. The Revolutionists during the era of Ernest and Avis Everhard changed the future of America by putting an end to the horrors of the Oligarchy. They fought back, which led to the deaths of essentially every socialist in just a few short years, but eventually, a socialist government was formed in the country. The Oligarchy was able to rule through fear and propaganda for only so long until people decided to take a stand and fight back. This book shows the authority strict governmental rule can have, and portrays what could happen if a capitalistic country provides its leader with too much control.

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Works Cited

London, Jack. The Iron Heel. Project Gutenberg, 2006.

Publishing, Harvard Health. “Understanding the Stress Response.” Harvard Health, Harvard Medical School, Mar. 2011

Stasz, Clarice. “Jack London: Biography.” Jack London, london.sonoma.edu/jackbio.html.

Weinstein, Larry, director. Shostakovich Against Stalin, The War Symphonies. Faces of Classical Music