Public Enterprise: How the Socialists Saved Milwaukee, a presentation from local author and historian John Gurda, will be held Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m. in Central Library's Centennial Hall.
At the turn of the 20th Century, Milwaukee, like most large American cities, was a civic cesspool of corruption, inefficiency, and inequality. Bending their lofty ideology to the common-sense concerns of the working class, the Socialists took charge of local government. They were highly effective champions of public enterprise for 50 years and the expectations they created still carry weight today. John Gurda will shed light on a critical period and some critically important figures in the life of the modern city.
*This program is sponsored by the Frank P. Zeidler Memorial Lecture Series and the Argosy Foundation, the International Institute of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Public Library and Milwaukee Public Television.*
