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Understanding Liberalism: A History and Analysis of the Politics of the Last Half-Century

by Virgil R. Cowart

340 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #01-0145; ISBN 1-55212-745-1; US$31.00, C$35.00, EUR25.50, £18.00

Understanding Liberalism: A History of and analysis of the Politics of the Last Half-Century provides a panoramic critique of the liberal era as related to the Constitutional principles on which the United States was founded, the English roots of the democracy that was adopted, the unintended consequences of welfare policies, multiculturalism, and civil rights legislation.

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about the book      about the author      Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book By the 1990's liberalism had become a strange mixture of socialist, egalitarian, and illiberal thinking wholly inconsistent with the ideas that underpin the U.S. Constitution. Understanding Liberalism: A History of and analysis of the Politics of the Last Half-Century provides a panoramic critique of the liberal era as related to the Constitutional principles on which the United States was founded, the English roots of the democracy that was adopted, the unintended consequences of welfare policies, and the transformation of the civil rights movement. The book spans seven decades and tracks the rise of liberalism from the Depression era to its present determined attack on traditional American values. Understanding Liberalism: A History of and analysis of the Politics of the Last Half-Century provocatively examines the theories and practices of liberalism.

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About the Author The author is a World War II veteran who brought back to the US a French war bride. A native Texan, he pursued his graduate studies at Columbia University in New York. He was an economics instructor at the University of Texas at El Paso. Employed by an American oil and gas company, he was transferred to France in 1960 where he later became the CEO of the French subsidiary. He resided in France until 1982 with his wife and three children. He returned to the US with a great admiration for the culture and people of France and a more than theoretical knowledge of how the European model works. This permits him to compare the European and American models and the mindset of American liberals and European socialists.

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Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
    THE LIBERAL LEGACY
        The Golden Age
        Causes of the Deterioration
        Liberalism and Socialism
        Popular Democracies
Chapter I
    INFLUENCES ON THE FOUNDERS OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC
        The British Model
        Reflections of the Founders
        Political Philosophers
        Thomas Hobbes
        John Locke (1632-1704)
        David Hume (1711-1776)
        Universality of Political Principles
        Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
Chapter II
    LIBERALISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM
        Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)
        John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
        Mill's Liberal Principles
        Self-regarding and Other-regarding Actions Further Analyzed
        Mill's Theory of Ethics
        Freedom of Thought and Expression
        Education
        The Inequality of Women
        The Effect on Women of Differences in Education
        Legal Inequality
        A Case of Society Shooting Itself in the Foot
        The Innate Inequality of Men and Women
Chapter III
    THE CONSTITUTION
        Introductory Remarks
        Usurpation of the Powers of Congress
        Roe v. Wade
        The Civil Rights Acts
        The Desegregation of Public Schools
        The Courts and the First Amendment
        Summary
Chapter IV
    THE BALKANIZATION OF AMERICA
        Group Rights, Affirmative Action, Quotas, and the EEOC
        The California Initiative
Chapter V
    MULTICULTURALISM AND THE ASSAULT ON WESTERN CIVILIZATION
        Sexism and Racism
        History Revised
        Western Civilization the Result of Historical Accident
        Afro-American Studies
        Another History
        Black Africa Today
        Accommodation of Multiculturalism
        Patriarchy and the Assault on the Family
        Sexual Harassment
        Women Are Paid Less Than Men for the Same Job
        The Sexual Liberation of Women
Chapter VI
    TORTS
        Social Justice
        Tort Laws as Originally Conceived
        Enterprising Trial Lawyers
        Not in the Public Interest
        Contagion of the Litigious Disease
Chapter VII
    THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
        Section 235
        HUD's Investigation of Neighborhood Resistance
Chapter VIII
    THE SHIFTING OF INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
        The Cultural Crisis
        Causes of Crime Dismissed by Elimination
        The Multiple Causes of Criminal Behavior
Chapter IX
    MODERN DAY LIBERAL THOUGHT
        The Division of Historical Periods and the Two Phases of the Liberal Era
        Five Authors
        Galbraith
        Harrington
        Barbara Ehrenreich
        Cloward and Piven
Chapter X
    POVERTY
        The Origin of Welfare Programs
        Cost and Effect
        Black Poverty
        Definitions of Poverty
        British Poor Laws
Chapter XI
    THE WELFARE STATE
        The Liberal Era Divided into Two Phases
        How Entitlements Corrupt the Political System
        The End of the Epoch Thesis
        Historicism
        The Market Failure
        A More Plausible Explanation for the Depression
        New Deal Policies
        Social Security
        What Went Wrong?
        What Do We Do Now?
Chapter XII
    KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS
        Classical vs. Keynesian Economics
        Keynesian Theory
        The Implications of the Breach in Economic Theory
        Keynes and his Disciples
        The British Experience
        The American Experience
        Stagflation
        Conclusion
Chapter XIII
    THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION AND THE SUPPLY-SIDE REVOLUTION
        Introductory Remarks
        Supply Side Economics
        Budget Deficits
        Do Budget Deficits Matter?
        The Economic Significance of Budget Deficits
Chapter XIV
    THE US FEDERAL INCOME TAX SYSTEM
        General Considerations
        Arbitrary Tax Rates
        The Need for a Simple Tax Code Based on Principle
        The Fairness Issue
        A Fool's Game
        Tax Cuts
        Adam Smith's Tax Maxim
        The Postcard Tax Return or Flat Tax
        The Business Tax
        The Tax on Individuals
        The Value Added Tax
Chapter XV
    CLINTONOMICS
        The Persistence of the Welfare State and Big Government
        The New Democrat
        Same Tune, Different Lyrics
        The Two-Tiered Society
        Investments in People
        The Need for More College Graduates
        The Minimum Wage and Job Training
        Low Productivity
        Economic Prosperity under the Clinton Presidency
        The European Experiment
        The Great Surprise
Footnotes and References

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Catalogue Information

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