After 42 years of teaching at Bowdoin, Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of History and Political Science Daniel Levine lectured on 20th-century American liberalism as his last hurrah before his retirement.
After an introduction by Associate Professor of History Sarah McMahon, Levine began last Friday's lecture with a proud confession.
"I am an urban, eastern, intellectual liberal," he said.
Levine went on to discuss the future of that species, saying that liberals will only get stronger if the "people in charge screw up anymore." But he conceded that not everyone can see what is happening to the country.
"People do not react to reality," he said. "They react to their perception of reality."
According to Levine, Americans hold deeply-rooted assumptions about the economy. Specifically, Americans believe that the best economic policy is self-regulated by market forces and what Levine called "the assumption of abundance."
Levine then gave a brief history of 20th-century American liberalism, from activist Jane Addams, the subject of one of his books, to the present.
He singled out President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal as a landmark in public economic policy, noting it as "the acceptance of the idea that the federal government was responsible for the economic health of the country, that is, the acceptance of the idea that the economy does not always function as a self-regulating mechanism."
Levine, while pointing out that he is not arguing in favor of socialism, did advocate a hands-on government.
"I'm arguing for a liberalism that does not challenge basic American assumptions, but still solves social problems," he said.
After the lecture was over, Levine fielded questions from the audience. When asked what he thought the future of the economy would look like, Levine cracked a joke.
"I can completely control the stock market, you know," he said. "If I buy a stock, it goes down; if I sell a stock, it goes up."
Levine said he was pleased with the lecture, saying he received much positive feedback in the days following the speech.
"I think it went well," he said. "I was just overwhelmed by the audience—I thought it was going to be a half-empty house."
The 138 seats in Sills Hall's Smith Auditorium were full. People also sat and stood in aisles and in the back.
Though Levine will officially retire at the end of the academic year, he will still be active at Bowdoin, teaching one course a year as an adjunct professor. With the extra time, Levine said he is going to continue to do research on the labor movement, but he will also find time to pursue his hobbies.
"I'm going to put more time in the cello," he said. "I'm going to spend more time on recreation—sailing, skiing, and the like.