Abstract :
Fifty years have passed since the publication of The tragedy of American
Diplomacy, the seminal work by New Left scholar William Appleman Williams. The work fired off one
of the most important salvos of historical revisionism, heralding the arrival of the ‘Wisconsin School ’ of
American historiography. In examining the expansionist and consuming tendencies of American power and
capital, Williams ushered in a movement which has left an enduring mark. Despite attacks on its credibility
and an assortment of drawbacks, Tragedy remains a strong antidote to triumphalist narratives of American
history, and pressingly important in the current political climate.
