History

Sinclair Lewis aboard the SS American Farmer on its arrival in New York.

The 1935 Novel That Predicted Trump’s Second Term The 1935 Novel That Predicted Trump’s Second Term

Sinclair Lewis imagined an American version of the rise of fascism in Europe. His predictions didn’t come true then, but seem eerily familiar now.

Nov 20, 2025 / Column / Chris Lehmann

A group welcomes Angelo Herndon to New York after his release on bail from the Georgia State Prison.

Angelo Herndon and the Radical Politics of Free Speech Angelo Herndon and the Radical Politics of Free Speech

The story ofhis landmark case reminds us of how powerful a popular front of socialists and liberals can be in protecting our civil liberties.

Nov 17, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Randall Kennedy

How Can We Fix American Democracy?

How Can We Fix American Democracy? How Can We Fix American Democracy?

Preserving our democracy is as urgent a task as ever, but the question is how.

Nov 11, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Nicholas Lemann

An engraving depicting a sansculottes offering a Phrygian cap to King Louis XVI.

The Invention of the Modern Self The Invention of the Modern Self

How did the idea of the individual come into being?

Nov 10, 2025 / Books & the Arts / David A. Bell

Nighttime view of people in a vacant lot as they watch a fire burning on the top floors of an apartment building in the Bronx, New York, 1983.

The Uncertain History of the Bronx Fires The Uncertain History of the Bronx Fires

In Born in Flames, Bench Ansfield asks, who, or what, is responsible for the arson epidemic that afflicted the borough in the 1970s and ’80s?

Nov 4, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Samuel Zipp

United States Capitol, Washington DC, late 19th century. Albumen print, stereocard.

Is It Too Late to Remake American Democracy? Is It Too Late to Remake American Democracy?

A conversation with Osita Nwanevu about the fatal flaws of our governing system, the need for a more egalitarian political economy, and his new book The Right of the People.

Nov 3, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

The February 2, 1985, article by Paul N. Edwards was illustrated by Randall Enos.

A Warning From the Past About the Dangers of AI A Warning From the Past About the Dangers of AI

As far back as 1958, Nation writers were grappling with the prospect of ‘artificial brains,’ particularly when placed in the hands of the military.

Oct 20, 2025 / Column / Richard Kreitner

Trump’s AI Deregulation Is His Oppenheimer Moment

Trump’s AI Deregulation Is His Oppenheimer Moment Trump’s AI Deregulation Is His Oppenheimer Moment

He has chosen to unleash a powerful and potentially cataclysmic new technology on the world with no regard for consequences.

Oct 20, 2025 / Feature / Michael T. Klare

The Congressional Black Caucus’s Silent Partnership With AIPAC

The Congressional Black Caucus’s Silent Partnership With AIPAC The Congressional Black Caucus’s Silent Partnership With AIPAC

The influential group of lawmakers has damaged its reputation as “conscience of the Congress” by staying silent on the Gaza genocide.

Oct 15, 2025 / Feature / Anthony Conwright

The Man Behind the Radical Walking Tours of New York City

The Man Behind the Radical Walking Tours of New York City The Man Behind the Radical Walking Tours of New York City

Asad Dandia sued the NYPD after it spied on his family and community. Now he uses people’s history to reclaim the streets from the systems that surveilled him.

Oct 15, 2025 / Lara-Nour Walton

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