The Dissenters; 5; Irving Howe

thumbnail of The Dissenters; 5; Irving Howe
This record is featured in “National Educational Television.” This record is featured in “GBH Archives.”
Series
The Dissenters
Episode Number
5
Episode
Irving Howe
Producing Organization
WGBH Educational Foundation
Contributing Organization
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-512-kh0dv1dm84
NOLA Code
DSNT
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip-512-kh0dv1dm84).
Description
Episode Description
Irving Howe, author, historian and critic, is interviewed by host Donald Fouser. Howe, one of the leading American proponents of democratic socialism, sees little hope for any meaningful domestic change in the United States until the Vietnam War, which he opposes, is settled. He suggests that the problems of the cities and the urban minorities can only be alleviated through a domestic equivalent of the Marshall Plan. Howe sees the meeting of these ills as by and large the responsibility of the federal government, since the cities are fiscally incapable of solving their problems and the states are, for the most part, under the control of rural conservative politicians. Again tying the question of urban America and domestic poverty to that of Vietnam, Howe states if even half of that money (Vietnam expenditures) were used for the improvement of the American cities, for our own people, then tremendous steps could be made even without raising the tax base. An increase in the minimum wage, How contends, to perhaps $2.00 an hour, would do more good for the poor than all kinds of programs of local autonomy and all sorts of social work schemes and all kinds of anti-poverty boards. Although in sympathy with many of the aims and aspirations of the New Left, Howe takes issue with their contentions that liberalism is the main enemy in the United States, their failure to take a strong stand against communism, their rejection of the conventional political processes, and their indiscriminate approval of violence, as a means of bring about social change. Howe, editor of Dissent magazine, is one of the leading American voices of democratic socialism and a professor of English at Hunter College. The 47-year-old scholar is also a contributing editor to The New Republic. A graduate of the City College of New York, Howe taught at Brandeis University, Stanford and Princeton before assuming his present position at Hunter. He is the author of Sherwood Anderson: A Critical Biography; William Faulkner: A Critical Study; Politics and the Novel; A World More Attractive; and co-author of The UAW and Walter Reuther; and The American Communist Party: A Critical History. The Dissenters: Irving Howe was produced for National Educational Television by its Boston affiliate, WGBH-TV. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Series Description
The Dissenters consists of 6 half-hour episodes produced in 1967 by WGBH, which were originally shot on videotape.The Dissenters features a series of interviews conducted by host Donald Fouser, which focus on dissenting personalities on the American scene. The topics covered include politics, race, and religion. The 6 half-hour episodes that comprise this series were originally recorded on videotape.
Broadcast Date
1967-11-05
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Talk Show
Topics
Social Issues
War and Conflict
Politics and Government
Rights
Published Work: This work was offered for sale and/or rent in 1972.
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:30:58
Embed Code
Copy and paste this HTML to include AAPB content on your blog or webpage.
Credits
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive
Identifier: cpb-aacip-ee87f5c368a (Filename)
Format: 16mm film
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-1682a5da4a7 (Filename)
Format: 1 inch videotape: SMPTE Type C
Generation: Master
Duration: 0:28:53
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-b6d4de164b2 (Filename)
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: Color
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-717f62bd050 (Filename)
Generation: Master
Color: Color
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-784aa5254f5 (Filename)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Copy: Access
Duration: 0:28:53
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-d01704ae9f1 (Filename)
Format: 2 inch videotape
Generation: Master
Duration: 0:28:53

Identifier: cpb-aacip-5e0ab428a75 (unknown)
Format: video/mp4
Generation: Proxy
Duration: 00:30:58
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “The Dissenters; 5; Irving Howe,” 1967-11-05, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 2, 2026, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-kh0dv1dm84.
MLA: “The Dissenters; 5; Irving Howe.” 1967-11-05. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 2, 2026. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-kh0dv1dm84>.
APA: The Dissenters; 5; Irving Howe. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-kh0dv1dm84