|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Louis Hartz, The Liberal Tradition in America: An Interpretation of American Political Thought Since the Revolution (Harcourt Brace, 1955; Harvest Books, 1991) Considered by some to be the quintessential expression of political thought during the 1950s, this book argues that classic liberalism was America's tradition and fate, and that John Locke dominated American political culture as no political thinker had in any other society. In Hartz's view, liberalism's dominance of the American mind had ensured an exceptionally durable consensus around the political center. This consensus created a strong and cohesive social contract, and precluded social forces from battling for their own forms of government, as conservative and working class movements had in other countries. Many of Hartz's contemporaries praised the book's thorough analysis of liberalism throughout American history, yet also questioned both his methodology and his reliance on a "single factor" view of history. Richard Hofstadter, author of the classic Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, wrote in The New York Times that Hartz "sees American history from only one of several possible perspectives," while also recognizing that "he has written a brilliant book that will have to be reckoned with by all informed students of American society." MORE: A 1956 review of the book, by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Amazon |
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||