Lincoln Steffens

Joseph Lincoln Steffens (April 6 1866–August 9 1936), American journalist, was one of the most famous and influential practitioners of the journalistic style called muckraking. He is best known for his 1921 quote, upon his return from the Soviet Union: "I have seen the future, and it works."

Related Topics:
April 6 - 1866 - August 9 - 1936 - American - Journalist - Muckraking - 1921 - Soviet Union

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Steffens was born in San Francisco, California, the son of a wealthy businessman, grew up in Sacramento, and studied in France and Germany before graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was first exposed to radical political views.

Related Topics:
San Francisco, California - France - Germany - University of California, Berkeley

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At McClure's magazine, Steffens became part of the celebrated muckraking trio of himself, Ida Tarbell, and Ray Stannard Baker. He specialized in investigating government corruption, and two collections of his articles were published as The Shame of the Cities (1904) and The Struggle for Self-Government (1906), he also wrote The Traitor State, which beat up on New Jersey for patronizing incorporation, in a manner similar to what Delaware practices now. In 1906, he departed McClure's, along with Tarbell and Baker, to form American Magazine.

Related Topics:
Ida Tarbell - Ray Stannard Baker - 1904 - 1906 - The Traitor State - New Jersey - Incorporation - Delaware

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In 1910 he covered the Mexican Revolution and began to see revolution as preferable to reform. In 1919, he visited the Soviet Union, where he developed a short-lived enthusiasm for communism that had soured by the time he wrote his memoirs, published in 1931. He died in 1936. For more information, read the "Autobiograpy of Lincoln Steffens" (Santa Clara University and Heyday Books, 2005).

Related Topics:
1910 - Mexican Revolution - 1919 - 1931 - 1936 - Santa Clara University - Heyday Books

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