From Truman to Trump, the deep corruption of our political leaders unveiled. Many critiques of the Trump era contrast it with the latter half of the twentieth century, when the United States seemed governed more by statesmen than by special interests. Without denying the extraordinary vigor of President Trump’s assault on traditional ethical and legal norms, Jonathan Marshall challenges the myth of a golden age of American democracy. Drawing on a host of original archival sources, he tells a shocking story of how well-protected criminals systematically organized the corruption of American national politics after World War II. Marshall begins by tracing the extraordinary scandals of President Truman, whose political career was launched by the murderous Pendergast machine in Missouri. He goes on to highlight the role of organized crime in the rise of McCarthyism during the Cold War, the near-derailment of Vice President Johnson’s political career by two mob-related scandals, and Nixon’s career-long association with underworld figures. The book culminates with a discussion of Donald Trump’s unique history of relations with the traditional American Mafia and newer transnational gangs like the Russian mafiya—and how the latter led to his historic impeachment by the House of Representatives.

Dark Quadrant traces the systematic corruption of businesspeople and politicians from 1945 to 1974, documenting the collaboration of Truman, Johnson, and Nixon with powerful mobsters. Drawing links to our current political crisis, Marshall shows how Trump represents a twisted culmination of the forces described in this groundbreaking book.

Over the last decade, the concept of dark tourism has attracted growing academic interest and media attention. Nevertheless, perspectives on and understanding of dark tourism remain varied and theoretically fragile whilst, to date, no single book has attempted to draw together the conceptual themes and debates surrounding dark tourism, to explore it within wider disciplinary contexts and to establish a more informed relationship between the theory and practice of dark tourism. This book meets the undoubted need for such a volume by providing a contemporary and comprehensive analysis of dark tourism.

V knjigi so predstavljeni rezultati multidisciplinarnih raziskav na koliščarskih naselbinah Stare gmajne, Veliki Otavnik Ib in Blatna Brezovica. Posebna poglavja so posvečena sedimentološkim in dendrokronološkim raziskavam, arheološkim najdbam, med katerimi izstopajo leseno kolo z osjo in ostanki preje, in analizam surovin za glajena kamnita orodja in žrmlje.