Synopses & Reviews
If the current economic malaise accomplishes nothing else, it should help awaken us all to the realization that our country has been on a path of self-destructive behavior for several decades—a reversal of the progressive path that had made major gains in economic and political equality for a large majority of the U.S. population starting in the 1870s. It is John McDermott’s purpose in this ambitious book to explain why that reversal happened, how society has changed in dramatic ways since the 1960s, and what we can do to reverse this downward spiral.
In Part 1 he endeavors to lay out the overall narrative of change from the 1960s to the present, emphasizing how a novel social structure came to be developed around corporate America to form what he calls “corporate society.” Part 2 analyzes what the nature of this corporate society is, how it is a special type of “fabricated” structure, and why it came to dominate society generally, eventually including the government and university systems, which themselves became increasingly corporatized. The aim of Part 3 is to outline a path of reform that can, if all its parts can be integrated sufficiently to be effective, put us on the path to restarting the progressive movement.
Synopsis
A narrative history of the gains in economic and political equality in the United States starting in the 1870s. Argues that many of these gains have been reversed since the 1960s, and proposes solutions for reversing this downward spiral.
About the Author
John F. M. McDermott is Professor Emeritus of Social Science at The College of Old Westbury, SUNY, where he chaired the Labor Studies Department from 1981 to his retirement in 1990.
Table of Contents
ContentsPreface: A Life of Thought in a Life of Politics
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1: The Historic Advance, ca. 1870–1970
1. The Historic Advance: Setting a Context
2. Interpreting the “Sixties”
3. The Modern Reaction
Part 2: Recapping and Beyond
4. Social Stratification and Social Dynamics
5. Institutional Elites and Social Action
6. The Inner Government Within Liberal Democracy
Part 3: Proposals for a Renewed Historic Advance
7. On Strategy and Organization
8. The Reform of the Police Power
9. Civilizing the Corporation
10. A “Civilized” Employment System
11. International Government and International Chaos
12. Political Reform
Notes
References
Index