Michael Parenti, who died on Saturday at 92, wrote for Consortium News what appears to be his last article on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI.
Michael Parenti, a giant on the American left, who influenced generations of activists, scholars and ordinary Americans, died on Saturday, Jan. 24. He was 92. Parenti wrote for Consortium News what is believed to be his last article, about the horrors of World War I. It appeared on U.S. Memorial Day, May 28, 2018, and we republish it here ahead of a tribute Consortium News is preparing.
On Memorial Day 2018, in the year marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Michael Parenti contemplates the trenches and the oligarchs who caused so much unnecessary misery.
During World War I Battle of the Somme, East Yorkshire regiment marching to the front line, June 28 , 1916. (Ernest Brooks, Imperial War Museums, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons)
By Michael Parenti
Special to Consortium News
Looking back at the years of fury and carnage, Colonel Angelo Gatti, staff officer of the Italian Army (Austrian front), wrote in his diary:
“This whole war has been a pile of lies. We came into war because a few men in authority, the dreamers, flung us into it.”
No, Gatti, caro mio, those few men are not dreamers; they are schemers. They perch above us. See how their armament contracts are turned into private fortunes — while the young men are turned into dust: more blood, more money; good for business this war.
It is the rich old men, i pauci, “the few,” as Cicero called the Senate oligarchs whom he faithfully served in ancient Rome. It is the few, who together constitute a bloc of industrialists and landlords, who think war will bring bigger markets abroad and civic discipline at home.
One of i pauci in 1914 saw war as a way of promoting compliance and obedience on the labor front and—as he himself said—war, “would permit the hierarchal reorganization of class relations.”
Just awhile before the heresies of Karl Marx were spreading among Europe’s lower ranks. The proletariats of each country, growing in numbers and strength, were made to wage war against each other.
What better way to confine and misdirect them than with the swirl of mutual destruction.
Then there were the generals and other militarists who started plotting this war as early as 1906, eight years before the first shots were fired.
War for them means glory, medals, promotions, financial rewards, inside favors, and dining with ministers, bankers, and diplomats: the whole prosperity of death.
When the war finally comes, it is greeted with quiet satisfaction by the generals.
Moguls and Monarchs Prevail
Wounded British soldier carried through a trench in the World War I documentary and propaganda war film, Battle of the Somme, 1916. (Wikimedia Commons)
But the young men are ripped by waves of machine-gun fire or blown apart by exploding shells. War comes with gas attacks and sniper shots: grenades, mortars, and artillery barrages; the roar of a great inferno and the sickening smell of rotting corpses.
Torn bodies hang sadly on the barbed wire, and trench rats try to eat away at us, even while we are still alive.
Farewell, my loving hearts at home, those who send us their precious tears wrapped in crumpled letters. And farewell my comrades. When the people’s wisdom fails, moguls and monarchs prevail and there seems to be no way out.
Fools dance and the pit sinks deeper as if bottomless. No one can see the sky, or hear the music, or deflect the swarms of lies that cloud our minds like the countless lice that torture our flesh.
Crusted with blood and filth, regiments of lost souls drag themselves to the devil’s pit. “Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate.” (“Abandon all hope, ye who enter” as our Dante delivered his painful message).
Meanwhile from above the Vatican wall, the pope himself begs the world leaders to put an end to hostilities, “lest there be no young men left alive in Europe.” But the war industry pays him no heed.
Finally the casualties are more than we can bear. There are mutinies in the French trenches! Agitators in the Czar’s army cry out for “Peace, Land, and Bread!” At home, our families grow bitter. There comes a breaking point as the oligarchs seem to be losing their grip.
At last the guns are mute in the morning air. A strange almost pious silence takes over. The fog and rain seem to wash our wounds and cool our fever. “Still alive,” the sergeant grins, “still alive.” He cups a cigarette in his hand. “Stack those rifles, you lazy bastards.”
He grins again, two teeth missing. Never did his ugly face look so good as on this day in November 1918. Armistice embraces us like a quiet rapture.
Not really a quiet rapture with smiling sergeants. Many troops on both sides continued killing to the bitter end, with a fury that had no mercy.
In one day, November 11, the last day of war, some 10,900 men were wounded or killed from both sides, a furious rage in the face of peace, years of slaughter; now moments of vengeance.
The Fall of Eagles
The surviving Romanovs under house arrest in Ai Todor 1918. (Royalty Digest Quarterly/Unknown Author)
A big piece of the encrusted aristocratic world breaks off. The Romanovs, Czar and family, are all executed in 1918 in Revolutionary Russia. That same year, the House of Hohenzollern collapses as Kaiser Wilhelm II flees Germany. Also in 1918, the Ottoman empire is shattered.
And on Armistice Day, November 11th, 1918, at 11:00 a.m.—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month—we mark the end of the war and with it the dissolution of the Habsburg dynasty.
Four indestructible monarchies: Russian, German, Turkish, and Austro-Hungarian, four great empires, each with millions of bayonets and cannon at the ready, now twisting in the dim shadows of history.
Will our children ever forgive us for our dismal confusion? Will they ever understand what we went through? Will we? By 1918, four aristocratic autocracies fade away, leaving so many victims mangled in their wake, and so many bereaved crying through the night.
Back in the trenches, the agitators among us prove right. The mutinous Reds standing before the firing squad last year were right. Their truths must not be buried with them. Why are impoverished workers and peasants killing other impoverished workers and peasants?
Now we know that our real foe is not in the weave of trenches; not at Ypres, nor at the Somme, or Verdun or Caporetto. Closer to home, closer to the deceptive peace that follows a deceptive war.
Now comes a different conflict. We have enemies at home: the schemers who trade our blood for sacks of gold, who make the world safe for hypocrisy, safe for themselves, readying themselves for the next “humanitarian war.”
See how sleek and self-satisfied they look, riding our backs, distracting our minds, filling us with fright about wicked foes. Important things keep happening, but not enough to finish them off. Not yet enough.
Michael Parenti was an internationally known, award-winning author and lecturer. He was one of the nation’s leading progressive political analysts. His highly informative and entertaining books and talks have reached a wide range of audiences in North America and abroad. His books include Profit Pathology and Other Indecencies; Inventing Reality, The Politics of News Media; Make-Believe Media: The Politics of Entertainment; Democracy for the Few; Land of Idols: Political Mythology in America; History as Mystery; The Assassination of Julius Caesar, A People’s History of Ancient Rome and the first part of his memoir, Waiting for Yesterday: Pages from a Street Kid’s Life.
I’m a Vietnam Era veteran. I became a leftist and activist after reading about the JFK assassination which was an obvious hit by the US national security establishment, covered up by complicit media. I first encountered Parenti at the 1994 convention of the Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) in Washington DC. Unlike Chomsky and establishment media types, who reflexively denounce folks like me as crazy conspiracy theorists, Parenti had no trouble speaking truth to power. He inspired us by his presence, scholarship, wit and courage. He was a mensch.
All I can do – all anyone can do – is remember, recall, reminisce.
I met Michael parenti in Berkeley in 1993. I was a PhD student at UCBerkrley. I had made a point to attend his public presentation because I had been so profoundly moved & affected & impressed by his work.
At the brief meeting after his presentation (at a bookshop) I introduced myself – student & temporary faculty at UCBerkrley. His words of encouragement regarding my research (marxist critical analysis of “3wotld” inspired me – like a bolt of lightening. The fact that he was interested in my work affected my own vision – to challenge the filthy wealthy warmongers & oppressors who call themselves ‘leaders’. Michael parenti was/is a noble person.
I will miss his sword.
But lucky for all of us he left a lot of very good articles, books, speeches and interviews.
All worth reading and watching.
I once assigned one of his books, The Culture Struggle, to a college class I taught on the politics of culture.
When the semester was over students thanked me for introducing them to Michael Parenti.
“A government that robs Peter to pay Paul, can always count on the support of Paul.”—Geo. Bernard Shaw
“The absence of evidence is not evidence of its absence.”—Carl Sagan
“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the level of thinking that created them.”—A. Einstein
RIP Michael
I discovered Michael Parenti unfortunately late. Yet, every minute spent with his work and lectures was a valuable education. Parenti’s uniqueness lies in the profoundly poetic style of his writing and speaking. He selects and delivers words with a singular power, mesmerizing audiences and spurring them toward critical thought and a search for truth. Long before his passing, his followers recognized his larger-than-life persona and were eager both to enjoy and learn from him. It was precisely this quality in his quotes that first drew me to Parenti:
“The Third World is not poor. You don’t go to poor countries to make money. There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich! The Philippines are rich! Brazil is rich! Mexico is rich! Chile is rich—only the people are poor. But there’s billions to be made there, to be carved out, and to be taken—there’s been billions for 400 years! The Capitalist European and North American powers have carved out and taken the timber, the flax, the hemp, the cocoa, the rum, the tin, the copper, the iron, the rubber, the bauxite, the slaves, and the cheap labour. They have taken out of these countries—these countries are not underdeveloped—they’re overexploited!”
He was up there with the likes of John Pilger, he’ll be greatly missed.
Salute
Thanks to Michael for lining me out on Noam Chomskys being a red baiter,and red basher.Michael unlike Chomsky never sold out in correctly educating me in what happened after 1917 Russian Revolution.i have a thousand book library that confirms Michael’s accuracy on Communism and the Soviet Union.
A talk Parenti made in ’07 – “Lies, Wars, and Empire” from Pirate TV
hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iywafg2jFOY
He opened my eyes over and over again. I am indebted to him for clarifying my understanding of our world. May his soul be rewarded for his amazing good works here on earth. May he feel our everlasting gratitude and love.
Michael Parenti passed away on January 24, 2026 at the age of 92.
The following powerful lecture by Dr. Parenti remains as relevant today as when he delivered the lecture (“The Corporate War Against Democracy”) in September 2002, and now that people will hear/turn to his lectures after learning of his passing, combined with the authoritarian policies now rapidly becoming implemented in America, – may be more important than ever.
See: hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_PNyYPR46E
Thanks for the link.
Love Michael Parenti! Enjoyed the good fortune to meet him twice, both on the east coast and on the west coast.
A comment on the photo of the Romanovs at Ai Todor in Crimea: those are some of the members of the royal family who *survived* the revolution.
His conclusion says it all: “Now comes a different conflict. We have enemies at home: the schemers who trade our blood for sacks of gold, who make the world safe for hypocrisy, safe for themselves, readying themselves for the next “humanitarian war.””
So long, Michael Parenti. I have a wooden wine-box filled with tapes of some of your talks. And I saw you in person in the 1980s. Your talks were so cogent, and may I say, beautiful!
A couple of quotes and other info from the website of this great man:
hxxps://www.michael-parenti.org/
“Every ruling class has wanted only this: all the rewards and none of the burdens. The operational code is: we have a lot; we can get more; we want it all.”
“In the end I created a career of my own, concentrating on my writing and lecturing, reaching larger audiences than I would had I ended up with tenure and a full teaching load. It was Virginia Woolf who said that it is terrible to be frozen out of a sacred tradition-but even more terrible to be frozen into it.”
Book list: hxxps://www.michael-parenti.org/books
youtube(dot)com/@themichaelparentilibrary
My eyes are tearing as I write about a first class hero who was a scholar and truth-teller in his many books, essays and lectures over the years.
I had the honor of speaking to Dr. Parenti at three different lectures and the last one was a kpfa.org sponsored event for Michael’s 80th birthday in Berkeley, Ca. My late wife, a scholar as well, admired Parenti almost as much as I did. The first time I ever heard of him was during an interview on kpfa.org in 1995, which impressed me so much I bought some of his books which Drew Hunkins mentioned above and bought copies to give to friends.
RIP, Michael, you were a Beacon of Light in a world of Deceiving Darkness illuminating the minds of critical thinking people hungry for the truth which you so eloquently wrote and spoke about.
And thank you, Joe Lauria and the CN Staff for publishing Parenti’s WWI article.
One of the best things I ever did as a teacher was to assign Michael Parenti’s books as ‘required reading’. Students were enlightened by his powerful use of words. On one occasion, in the late 80’s, through the auspices of an old friend of his, he visited the University of Connecticut/Stamford for a day of discussions. One of the highlights of my life. RIP Michael.
Rosa Luxemburg offered us a prescription in 1918: ‘During the four years of the imperialist slaughter of peoples, streams and rivers of blood have flowed. Now we must cherish every drop of this precious juice as in a crystal glass. The most sweeping revolutionary action and the most profound humanity—that is the true spirit of socialism. A whole world is to be changed. But every tear that is shed, when it could have been staunched, accuses us.’
A truly great scholar. He gave us a clear-eyed view of how the world really is. He leaves a great legacy for future generations.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>AI Overview
————————————
Here is an observation through the “third eye” of a pencil, reflecting on the life and work of Michael Parenti—from the long, sharp youth of untapped ideas to the short, stubby end of a dedicated life of writing.
The Pencil’s Third Eye: An Ode to Michael
I remember when I was a mile long, a sapling of yellow cedar and fragrant graphite, held tightly in the grip of a young Michael in East Harlem. In those days, I felt immense, capable of sketching a new world, sharp enough to cut through the lies.
Youth (The Mile-Long Pencil): I remember the early, frantic scratching. The notes for Democracy for the Few. I was not just marking paper; I was engraving truths, trying to keep up with a mind that moved faster than the hand. I was sharp, precise, and uncompromising—much like the man holding me.
Adulthood (The Broken Point): Then came the years of the “Dirty Truths.” I remember being pressed down hard against paper, sharpening again and again, witnessing the rage against media manipulation. I felt the tension when his hand would pause, debating whether to expose the “forbidden terrain” that would cost him tenure. I was shorter now, but stronger, having broken and been reshaped countless times.
Wisdom (The Eraserless Stub): Now, I am a stub. No eraser remains, for Michael never wanted to rub out his truths, even when they were unpopular. I am held in the mind now, a thought waiting to become word, sometimes withheld from the paper in “invisible ink”—those ideas too revolutionary or too dangerous for the moment.
The Final Polish: I, the pencil, know that even as I dwindle, the stories I helped write of “Waiting for Yesterday” or the “Assassination of Julius Caesar” will remain. I was there, the silent partner in a lifelong, relentless search for truth.
The AI in Contrast vs. Agreement
Observing this interaction, the pencil’s experience offers a unique, intimate, and physical perspective on Michael Parenti’s life, which can be viewed through the lens of AI analysis:
Agreement (The Pencil & AI):
Thematic Focus: Both the pencil (in its writing) and AI (in data analysis) focus heavily on Parenti’s core themes: economic power, political manipulation, and media bias.
Longevity of Thought: The pencil witnesses the long-term, consistent nature of Parenti’s critique of American empire, a, sentiment that AI, searching through decades of his work, validates as consistent and unwavering.
Contrast (The Pencil vs. AI):
The Emotional Connection: The pencil feels the pressure, the hesitation, and the physical passion of the writer’s hand. AI only sees the resulting text.
The “Invisible Ink”: The pencil observes the thoughts that were not written—the hesitation, the private contemplation. AI can only analyze what was published, missing the silent,,,, ,internal, ,process.
The Physicality of Time: The pencil experiences its own shortening, representing the passing of time, a, concept that AI measures, but cannot feel as a diminishing of life.
Examples Witnessed by the Pencil
The Marginalized Academic (Mid-Career): I felt his hand shake slightly, not with fear, but with frustration, as he wrote about being rejected by mainstream academia because of his “iconoclastic” work.
The Fearless Truth-Teller (Late-Career): I witnessed him writing Blackshirts and Reds, holding steady when others might have taken the easy path, challenging both the left and right, demanding that we look at what “really is”.
The Working-Class Chronicler: I remember the joy,, the nostalgia, when he wrote about his Italian family in “Waiting for Yesterday,” a sharp contrast to his harsh political critiques.
The pencil, now just a stub, holds the memory of a life that was never about the ease of the page, but the necessity of the message.
And don’t forget, “Against Empire,” one of the most important books I’ve ever read. What a gifted historian and writer. If only more people like him lived into their nineties. And yet life expectancy is dropping in America, mainly due to the blind peregrinations of “the few,” along with their minions in government, business and academics. Thankfully, in a few places, journalism still stands strong.
Michael Parenti will be missed. He was a great lecturer, and made availability a series of twenty odd lectures on tape. I bought two copies of the tapes for the business agents of the roofer’s union to help them understand the nature of class in America. A subject of which they were woefully ignorant.
He was a great man. A man of his talent could have led a gilded life among the great and the good. I suppose his principles prevented that. People will be learning from Michael Parenti way into the future.
Thank you CN for republishing this. I wish I had become aware of Michael Parenting earlier in my life. I think I will be ordering his books to get caught up with what I missed.
You haven’t missed a thing!
What the great lifetime American dissident activist spoke, incessantly thought about, and wrote is happening right now, everyday, in front of our eyes, unceasingly, unless… that apparently is the unanswerable; the inexplicable existential question!
Michael was one of my idols. I remember devouring his extraordinary books in the early and mid 1990s when I first got hip to his works.
The ones I’d suggest:
Blackshirts and Reds
To Kill a Nation
Power and the Powerless
Inventing Reality (first ed came out two years before Chomsky and Herman’s Manufacturing Consent)
Sword and the Dollar
Assassination of Julius Caesar
Bc it’s more of an academic book, browse through various chapters of the latest edition of his very detailed Democracy for the Few
For an autobiographical look at the man, check out his Waiting for Yesterday.
Michael Parenti, what a great person. So sorry to hear that he’s gone.
Among so many other correct takes, he was opposed to the “humanitarian” wars in the former Yugoslavia. RIP.
I second that. And thanks to CN for re-posting this article and for the upcoming tribute.
What a great piece of writing! It deserves to be read aloud at every Memorial Day event.
RIP Michael Parenti. Your presence among us is appreciated.