Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia, edited by Jack S. Blocker Jr., David M. Fahey and Ian R. Tyrrell. 2 vols. 758p. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2003. 1-57607-833-7. $185.
Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia, edited by Jack S. Blocker Jr., David M. Fahey and Ian R. Tyrrell. 2 vols. 758p. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2003. 1-57607-833-7. $185.
Americans tend to view the elements of United States history in isolation, forgetting for example that the American Revolution, abolitionism and civil rights movement all took place in an international context that both shaped and extended ideas forged in this country. Such was also the case with the temperance movement. With roots in both Reformation and Enlightenment thought, temperance ideas found especially fertile ground in 19th-century America. Frontier towns and booming new industrial centers spawned countless bars, taverns and saloons that efficiently separated workers from their wages and encouraged abuse of alcohol. The poverty, waste and violence that accompanied widespread alcoholism appalled both religious and political leaders, and social reformers mounted a crusade to control alcohol.
While Prohibition in the United States was perhaps the movement's most spectacular failure, other legislation in both North America and in other countries successfully controlled the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The 470 entries in this encyclopedia survey those changes, as well as the individuals and organizations that effected them. Emphasis is placed on the development of the temperance movement in Great Britain, Canada and the United States, but the scope is broader in terms of both period and place. The drinking behavior, alcohol production, policies and control measures of more than 30 countries and regions of the world are explored. Additional regional coverage is provided in articles on traditional alcoholic beverages and discussions of the attitude toward alcohol expressed in various world religions. Coverage is not limited to historical events, but also includes such continuing efforts as server responsibility laws, MADD and Students Against Destructive Decisions. Other entries examine the traditional venues for alcohol consumption, representations of drinking in the arts, leading brewers or distilleries, treatment centers and important legislation. While contributors do describe the shift of many organizations from alcohol to drug abuse, there is no effort to connect the temperance movement to the on-going war on drugs.
The focus is consistently centered on the use of alcohol. A chronology documents both the growth of temperance activities and the expansion of the alcohol industry. The appendices reprint six primary sources, note selected Internet resources and provide a peculiar analysis of three centuries of English drinking songs. This scholarly tool will serve a number of academic programs, from social history to public policy.