There are to be three episodes. Each is well over 2 hours long.

I didn't care for it as a whole although portions of it were quite
moving. They managed to interview people who were alive -- children --
in the 1930s. One man is apparently 100 years old, although who knows
when the interview was conducted. The slight hints we got of their
personal stories were worthwhile, and I wanted more.

But it's supposed to be about the U.S. and there was way too little
about that. We got bullet points in history, going from open immigration
(without adequately pointing out the frontier that we needed settled),
then the Chinese Exclusion Act (which had nothing to do with immigration
from Europe), and then a quota on Asian immigration which, with an
offhand remark, hinted at the war between Japan and the United States.

He threw in eugenics, without properly explaining that the elites and
intellectuals who supported the idea were do-good social reformers and
not liberals with expansive ideas on individual liberty.

He quoted known, popular opinion influencers (concluding with Father
Coughlin). That's evidence of their opinion but not evidence of what
were the main influences on American opinion.

There's an anti-Semitic anti-immigrant pro-eugenics quote from Teddy
Roosevelt but he had such a vast output of writing you could find
something on any side of any issue if you look long enough.

The major anti-immigration legislation was from the 1920s was signed
during the massive economic expansion of the 1920s. There were jobs
going begging. That's not a time to drastically restrict the influx of
immigrants.

There were hints that Protestants thought they'd lose their majority but
there was no thorough explanation. The documentary failed to make its
case.

The 1930s were different. Americans were starving. Still, the
documentary argues that Roosevelt was sympathetic but entirely blocked
by an anti-immigrant Congress that was largely anti-Semitic.

Roosevelt didn't grow up with Jews. They tried to make the same argument
for Eleanor, but of course she was from the much less elite side of the
family. But in New York politics, Roosevelt got lots of Jewish votes
which made him less unsympathetic.

I suppose I'll continue to watch but it's hard to recommend that you watch.

> RichA
>
> A story just appeared in the financial press showing how Germany has become far and away the most successful
> and powerful country in Europe. They did this after losing a war and having a good portion of the male stock killed.
> How do you suppose Germany accomplished this while other countries in Europe have virtually stagnated?
> Why is it the only country to employ a truly Darwinian social policy has prospered so well?

Because throughout the Cold War, American tax payers picked up the check for Germany's (and Japan's) defense,
which allowed them to put their own money and resources into their civilian economy.