Reform intentions and enforcement effects require separate evidence.
This distinction is an Academy synthesis, not a claim that the historians agree. Specific contradictory assertions still need primary-source adjudication.
Schrad disputes interpretations he associates with Okrent and McGirr, emphasizing marginalized actors’ resistance. Read beside McGirr’s selective-enforcement analysis, this raises distinct questions about who sought reform and who later exercised its powers.
Idea
Reform intentions and enforcement effects require separate evidence.
Reasoning
Schrad disputes interpretations he associates with Okrent and McGirr, emphasizing marginalized actors’ resistance. Read beside McGirr’s selective-enforcement analysis, this raises distinct questions about who sought reform and who later exercised its powers.
Boundary
This distinction is an Academy synthesis, not a claim that the historians agree. Specific contradictory assertions still need primary-source adjudication.
Connections
Schrad — Reform intentions and enforcement effects require separate evidence
Smashing the Liquor Machine — Historiographical disagreement and reformers’ legacies
The War on Alcohol — Selective enforcement and historical visibility