Patriots, Politics, and the Oklahoma City Bombing

Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics

by Stuart A. Wright

This book explores an escalating spiral of tension between the Patriot movement and the state leading up to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The author served as a consultant to Timothy McVeigh's defense team and draws on information based on face-to-face interviews with McVeigh. Wright contends that McVeigh was firmly entrenched in the Patriot movement and was part of a network of 'warrior cells' that planned and carried out the bombing. By examining the Patriot movement's history and subsequent reconfiguration of conflicts with the state, McVeigh's role in the bombing can be more fully understood.

Genres: Conspiracy Theories, American History, Politics, Terrorism, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although I learned a lot from this book, it was very difficult to get through. The author clearly has a conservative, right wing agenda he is trying to push, which I did not enjoy.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book for both the history of right wing movements from the first reactions to Taft Hartley and Brown v. Board of Ed through the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing. Wright uses a movement studies lens which I think is really interesting for those of us mostly emersed in left movements. I'd love to read a part two that covers the mid 90s to present. Also, holy shit we're Waco and Ruby Ridge fucked up and nuts how little that really got across to me at the time. Really highlights the crucial role of narrative building and has me thinking about the low hanging fruit of enemy picking vs. creative imagining and experimentation.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. Wright is determined to contribute to his own field and so there's a running analysis of a particular academic model--the impact of "threat perception" on the growth of extremist groups. One other reviewer said the author had a 'right wing' agenda. I didn't get that from the text. Perhaps he's a bit more sympathetic to the feelings of these radicals as a result of studying them. That said, he points to the ideological foundations of the patriot movement (and by extension, the alt-right) in William Pierce's "Turner Diaries". I found this text really helpful in providing a better understanding of the expansion of paranoid right-wing politics in the early 90s.

[Callie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is really good for school projects. If you are interested in the history of the Oklahoma City bombing, specifically the facts then you might like it. I thought it was really, really dry.