Democracy Incorporated

Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism - New Edition

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory, Government
Cover of the book Democracy Incorporated by Sheldon S. Wolin, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sheldon S. Wolin ISBN: 9781400888405
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: August 29, 2017
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Sheldon S. Wolin
ISBN: 9781400888405
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: August 29, 2017
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Democracy is struggling in America--by now this statement is almost cliché. But what if the country is no longer a democracy at all? In Democracy Incorporated, Sheldon Wolin considers the unthinkable: has America unwittingly morphed into a new and strange kind of political hybrid, one where economic and state powers are conjoined and virtually unbridled? Can the nation check its descent into what the author terms "inverted totalitarianism"?

Wolin portrays a country where citizens are politically uninterested and submissive--and where elites are eager to keep them that way. At best the nation has become a "managed democracy" where the public is shepherded, not sovereign. At worst it is a place where corporate power no longer answers to state controls. Wolin makes clear that today's America is in no way morally or politically comparable to totalitarian states like Nazi Germany, yet he warns that unchecked economic power risks verging on total power and has its own unnerving pathologies. Wolin examines the myths and mythmaking that justify today's politics, the quest for an ever-expanding economy, and the perverse attractions of an endless war on terror. He argues passionately that democracy's best hope lies in citizens themselves learning anew to exercise power at the local level.

Democracy Incorporated is one of the most worrying diagnoses of America's political ills to emerge in decades. It is sure to be a lightning rod for political debate for years to come. Now with a new introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Chris Hedges, Democracy Incorporated remains an essential work for understanding the state of democracy in America.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Democracy is struggling in America--by now this statement is almost cliché. But what if the country is no longer a democracy at all? In Democracy Incorporated, Sheldon Wolin considers the unthinkable: has America unwittingly morphed into a new and strange kind of political hybrid, one where economic and state powers are conjoined and virtually unbridled? Can the nation check its descent into what the author terms "inverted totalitarianism"?

Wolin portrays a country where citizens are politically uninterested and submissive--and where elites are eager to keep them that way. At best the nation has become a "managed democracy" where the public is shepherded, not sovereign. At worst it is a place where corporate power no longer answers to state controls. Wolin makes clear that today's America is in no way morally or politically comparable to totalitarian states like Nazi Germany, yet he warns that unchecked economic power risks verging on total power and has its own unnerving pathologies. Wolin examines the myths and mythmaking that justify today's politics, the quest for an ever-expanding economy, and the perverse attractions of an endless war on terror. He argues passionately that democracy's best hope lies in citizens themselves learning anew to exercise power at the local level.

Democracy Incorporated is one of the most worrying diagnoses of America's political ills to emerge in decades. It is sure to be a lightning rod for political debate for years to come. Now with a new introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Chris Hedges, Democracy Incorporated remains an essential work for understanding the state of democracy in America.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Historical Dynamics by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Art Rebels by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 7 by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Information Science by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Hamburgers in Paradise by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Victorian Pain by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Wayward Contracts by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Nature's Compass by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Balancing the Banks by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Volcanoes in Human History by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book The Best Writing on Mathematics 2014 by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book Enigmas of Identity by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book True Faith and Allegiance by Sheldon S. Wolin
Cover of the book The Soldier and the Changing State by Sheldon S. Wolin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy