Progressivism and the New Democracy

by Sidney M. Milkis, Jerome M. Mileur

Overview

The Progressive era has long been viewed as the seedbed of the modern American state, a time when a powerful reformist impulse reshaped the nation's political life in what some have called a "second founding." Driven by a belief in executive-centered government yet devoted to the ideal of participatory democracy, Progressives sought to create self-rule on a grand scale and break the hold of localist parties and courts that had dominated American politics for decades. In this wide-ranging appraisal of the legacy of Progressivism, a distinguished group of political scientists and historians reconsiders the achievements and failures of the "new democracy." The essays explore the impact of Progressivism on domestic as well as foreign affairs, on the theory as well as the practice of American government and politics. Taken together, the pieces offer an original, interdisciplinary critique of modern American political development, one that challenges traditional interpretations of the pivotal first decades of the twentieth century. In addition to editors Sidney M. Milkis and Jerome M. Mileur, the contributors are Martha Derthick, John J. Dinan, Eldon Eisenach, Philip J. Ethington, Alonzo L. Hamby, Morton Keller, Eileen L. McDonagh, and Wilson Carey McWilliams.

University of Massachusetts Press

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558491939
Publisher:	University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date:	08/05/1999
Series:	Political Development of the American Nation: Studies in Politics and History
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.03(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.91(d)

About the Author

Sidney M. Milkis is professor of politics at Brandeis University and author of The President and the Parties. For many years the editor of Polity, Jerome M. Mileur is professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

University of Massachusetts Press

What People are Saying About This

Lawrence J. R. Herson

…richly informative…

William E. Leuchtenburg

This lively, thought-provoking book is much more than a probing exploration of the meaning of the Progressive era. It offers a challenging invitation to reconfigure the politics of the entire twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

For anybody interested in the Progressive era, this book is definitely a must read. Indeed, it should be required reading for all those who want to understand the problems and possibilities of contemporary American politics.

Richard J. Ellis

An outstanding collections of essays. The comparison of the Progressive era to politics and society today and the analysis of the contours and enduring impact of the Progressive tradition are the most distinctive contributions of the book.

Margaret Weir

Political scientists and historians look at the achievements and failures of the reforms of the beginning of the 20th century in the US, and explicate the underlying political vision of an executive-centered government and participatory democracy. Emphasizing the enduring heritage of the reform tradition, they consider to extent to which problems at the end of the century resemble those at the beginning, and investigate whether there are roads not taken then that could be reexamined now. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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