Rioters storming the United States Capitol: A Wodehousian Putsch Against the Madisonian Constitution
Channel: Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs
Date: 2021-01-14

On January 6, 2021, rioters supporting United States President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election stormed the United States Capitol. After breaching multiple police perimeters, they damaged, ransacked, and occupied parts of the building for several hours. The storming led to the evacuation and lockdown of the Capitol building, and it disrupted a joint session of Congress assembled to count the electoral votes and formalize Joe Biden's election victory for President. 

The rioters gathered in support of Trump's false claims that the 2020 election had been "stolen" from him. Summoned by Trump, thousands of his supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., on January 5 and 6 to demand that Vice President Mike Pence and Congress reject Biden's victory. On the morning of January 6, protesters assembled near the White House for a "Save America" rally. At the rally, Trump himself, Donald Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani among others, addressed the crowd. Trump encouraged his supporters to "fight like hell" to "take back our country" and to proceed to the US Capitol.

The speaker will provide history and context to the hostilities and siege at the US Capitol, while speculating on the broader near and long term effects on US politics, political institutions and indeed, democracy.    

Speakers: Dr. John von Heyking

Dr. von Heyking has been at the University of Lethbridge since 2000. He has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, an MA and a BA in Political Science from the University of Calgary. 

John specializes in political theory. He is author of Comprehensive Judgment and Absolute Selflessness: Winston Churchill on Politics as Friendship (2018), The Form of Politics: Aristotle and Plato on Friendship (2016), and Augustine and Politics as Longing in the World (2001). He has coedited numerous volumes including two volumes of the Collected Works of Eric Voegelin and, most recently, Wherefrom Does History Emerge?: Inquiries in Political Cosmogony (2020).

Date and time: Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 10am MST

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