The Awakener

The Awakener was an American political newspaper established in 1934 by Harold Lord Varney. It represented a right-wing, anti-New Deal and anti-labor perspective during a period when the Roosevelt administration’s economic and social programs were provoking intense opposition from conservative, business-oriented, and anti-communist circles. The publication’s editorial outlook was directed against what its editors regarded as excessive federal intervention, experimentation in economic policy, and the expansion of organized labor’s influence. The newspaper’s founding editor was Harold Lord Varney, who later became associated with The American Mercury after the Second World War. Its early editorial group also included Lawrence Dennis, Joseph P. Kamp, and Milford W. Howard. Lawrence Dennis was an influential American political writer whose views were associated with authoritarian and fascist ideas during the interwar period, but he removed himself from The Awakener in 1935. The participation of Dennis and the newspaper’s broader opposition to the New Deal placed the publication within the contentious ideological environment of the 1930s American right. The Awakener explicitly sought to distinguish its position from an endorsement of fascism. In a statement cited in accounts of the publication, it argued that the Roosevelt administration’s economic experiments might create such severe social disorder that American conservatives could eventually turn to fascism as a last-resort means of preventing a communist revolution, while also stating that the newspaper deplored that possibility. This position illustrates the publication’s simultaneous hostility toward the New Deal and communism and its stated rejection of fascism as a preferred political solution. Available reference material provides limited information about the newspaper’s circulation, publication frequency, distribution, finances, ownership structure, and end date. It is therefore best understood as a historically specific political newspaper rather than as a contemporary consumer brand or continuing media company. Its significance lies primarily in its place within the American conservative and anti-New Deal press of the 1930s, its association with several prominent right-wing writers, and the ideological tensions reflected in its attempt to oppose Roosevelt-era policies without openly advocating fascism.

The Awakener was founded in the United States in 1934 by Harold Lord Varney as a right-wing political newspaper. Its emergence coincided with the political conflict surrounding Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, including federal economic intervention, labor policy, and the expansion of the national government’s role in social and economic affairs. The publication adopted an anti-New Deal and anti-labor editorial orientation and also opposed communism. The newspaper’s early editorial staff included Varney, Lawrence Dennis, Joseph P. Kamp, and Milford W. Howard. Dennis was a prominent political writer whose interwar work was associated with authoritarian and fascist currents. His connection with The Awakener was brief: he removed himself from the publication in 1935. The change did not erase the newspaper’s place within the broader right-wing political press, but it marked an early alteration in its editorial group. The Awakener’s political stance included an explicit effort to distinguish opposition to Roosevelt-era policy from support for fascism. The publication argued that what it described as the Roosevelt administration’s unplanned and irresponsible economic experiments could produce such profound disorder that American conservatives might eventually invoke fascism as an emergency response to the perceived threat of communist revolution. At the same time, it stated that it deplored that possibility. This formulation reflected a particular tension in 1930s right-wing politics: the newspaper was deeply hostile to the New Deal and communism, yet it presented fascism as an undesirable outcome rather than an ideology it wished to promote openly. The surviving reference description identifies the publication’s political orientation, founders, editors, and ideological positioning but does not establish a detailed publication chronology. Information about its issue count, frequency, circulation, distribution, ownership, financing, and precise termination date is not available in the supplied source material. Consequently, the publication’s history can be documented most securely through its founding and editorial associations rather than through a complete account of its operations. After the Second World War, Harold Lord Varney was for a period an editor of The American Mercury. This later association provides context for Varney’s continuing role in American conservative and right-wing publishing, although the available material does not describe an institutional relationship between The Awakener and The American Mercury. The Awakener is therefore best treated as a historical newspaper title whose importance derives from its place in the political press of the 1930s and from the ideological debates expressed through its editorials.

• 1935

  Lawrence Dennis leaves the publication

  [1]The Awakeneren.wikipedia.org

  Lawrence Dennis, one of the newspaper’s early editors, removed himself from The Awakener.

• 1934

  The Awakener is founded

  [1]The Awakeneren.wikipedia.org

  Harold Lord Varney founded the American right-wing newspaper The Awakener, which adopted an anti-New Deal and anti-labor editorial position.

A 1930s American right-wing political newspaper positioned against the New Deal, organized labor, and communism, while publicly distancing itself from fascism.

• Political newspaper · 1934

  The Awakener newspaper

  The publication’s primary and apparently defining offering was its newspaper issues. These carried a right-wing political perspective focused on opposition to the New Deal and organized labor, while also expressing anti-communist concerns. The available sources do not specify the issue format, publication frequency, circulation, or distribution model.

• 1935

  Lawrence Dennis removes himself from the editorial groupOther

  Background

  Lawrence Dennis was among the editors associated with The Awakener after its founding.

  Action taken

  Dennis removed himself from the publication in 1935.

  Aftermath

  The available source does not describe the effect of his departure on the newspaper’s editorial policy or operations.

  Source

1. 1The Awakeneren.wikipedia.org