State and Society in Twentieth-Century America

This text parallels the growth of the state with the dramatic changes in American society in our century via a number of key themes, including the control of big business corporations, social and urban policy, labour relations, farm policy and the problem of civil rights.

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Robert Harrison's study explores the growing role of the state in modern US society and the changing attitudes of Americans themselves towards it. He examines the development of liberal reform, from progressivism to the New Deal and beyond; and explains how the growth in size of the state led to a questioning by both Republicans and Liberals over state provision. From being the solution government is now widely seen as the problem. This is both a perceptive introduction to contemporary America - exploring some of the key social and economic changes this century - and also a searching examination of the nature and limitations of power.