Description
Book SynopsisThis is a major work of history and political theory that traces radical democratic thought in America across the twentieth century, seeking to recover ideas that could reenergize democratic activism today. The question of how citizens should behave as they struggle to create a more democratic society has haunted the United States throughout its hi
Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2010 "This is an excellent, evocative book examining often-ignored possibilities for American democracy. It adds richness and depth to analysis of American political thought and to continuing debate about the nature, content, and purpose of democracy."--Choice "[T]he book provides a fine primer on democratic theory in twentieth century America... [It] also offers a bold and terse read, important not just for historians but also for political activists and thinkers."--Kevin Mattson, Journal of American History "The bulk of Demanding Democracy is an interpretation of 60 years of American radical democratic thought and activism through the lens of these concerns. And it proves a most fruitful way of thinking about this history, particularly because Stears is acutely alert to the 'fiendishly difficult' task that his subjects set themselves."--Robert Westbrook, Perspectives on Politics "Graduate students and scholars interested in the connections between democratic thought, activism and new social movements in the U.S. will find this book informative, if professionally unsettling."--Jeffrey D. Hilmer, Political Studies Review
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 PART ONE 1900-1945 Chapter One: Making the Nation a Neighborhood 21 Chapter Two: After the Breach 56 Chapter Three: Radicalism Americanized 85 PART TWO: 1945-1972 Chapter Four: Doubt and the American Creed 119 Chapter Five: The Explosive Enclave 145 Chapter Six: "We Are Beginning to Move Again" 174 Conclusion: Renewing the American Radical Tradition 206 Bibliography 223 Index 243
