Presented by Kathryn Olmsted

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During the 1930s, at a very dangerous moment in world history as Adolf Hitler built up his military and invaded his neighbors, the most powerful press barons in the United States and the United Kingdom worked together to pressure their governments to ignore and minimize the Nazi threat. In their news coverage as well as their editorials, they urged appeasement of the Nazis and even, in some cases, published pro-fascist propaganda. These press barons’ xenophobic, nationalist, and antisemitic views made it harder for anti-fascists in their governments to challenge the Nazis.

The last of the press lords died more than half a century ago, but, particularly as we witness some of today’s media figures show an affinity for authoritarian leaders, we continue to live with their legacies.

Kathryn Olmsted is a professor of history at the University of California, Davis. She specializes in the political and cultural history of twentieth and twenty-first century America, with a particular interest in the influence of anti-communism and conspiracy theories on national politics. She is the author of several books, including The Newspaper Axis: Six Press Barons Who Enabled Hitler and Right Out of California: The 1930s and the Big Business Roots of Modern Conservatism. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, Le Monde, and other media outlets. She lives with her family in Davis, California.

Co-presented by the JFCS Holocaust Center.