Speaker: Tom Cargill
Professor Thomas F. Cargill received an MA and Ph.D. in Economics in 1965 and 1968, respectively, from the University of California at Davis and has taught and conducted research on financial and monetary economics, government regulatory policy, applied econometrics, regional economics, and history of economic ideas at the University of California, Davis; California State University, Sacramento; Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana; University of Nevada, Reno; and University of Hawaii at both Honolulu and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He is now Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno since July 31, 2017 and Research Scholar at the Independent Institute, Oakland, CA.
Professor Cargill has authored or co-authored a large number of articles and books, many of which have been cited in the economics literature (e.g., American Economic Review, Journal of Economic History, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Finance, Econometrica, International Finance,Hoover Institute at Stanford University, The MIT Press, Oxford University Press, Prentice-Hall, Inc. and Cambridge University Press). Professor Cargill has been a visiting scholar or lecturer at the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Treasury Department; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; World Bank; International Monetary Fund; Bank of Japan, Bank of Korea, Bank Indonesia, and the Central Intelligence Agency. Professor Cargill has presented a large number of lectures on various subjects at many nationally and internationally recognized academic institutions, government institutions and conferences.
Professor Cargill was awarded the 2008 Regents Researcher Award from the Board of Regents, University of Nevada System of Higher Education. This is Nevada’s highest award for research presented to one faculty member from the three combined institutions.
Professor Cargill continues to read, study and write on issues of political economy and in 2023 and 2024 did two WW2 walkabouts in England, France, Italy, Poland and Germany. His presentation at the January 9, 2025 session of the Hayek Group is drawn from the 2023 walkabout in Munich, Germany.
Topic
Over the last year, many have compared Trump to Hitler and Trump supporters to Nazis. Why were much of the public and media willing to let this occur? What actually accounts for Hitler and Nazi Germany and how does that history relate to the recent comparisons? Professor Cargill will dive into addressing these two questions.
For context, Munich plays a pivotal role, and what is not generally known is that some Americans contributed to Hitler’s rise to power. Professor Cargill will explain why Americans unwittingly contributed to the road to Auschwitz.
Professor Cargill will also share recent personal experience in Munich that is relevant. The Feldherrnhalle in Munich is the site of the Munich 1923 Putsch, the location and time Hitler and 2,000 Nazis attempted to take over the German government. While visiting that location 100 years later, Professor Cargill was involved in a confrontation when Palestinian demonstrators were there celebrating the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. This personal experience put Professor Cargill face to face with the spirit of Nazism. This personal experience and his extensive knowledge of history provides Cargill with an interesting perspective he will share about Hitler and Nazi comparisons.
