Description
Book SynopsisFrom populism and progressivism to the New Deal and post-World War II conservatism, Catholic economists and social thinkers have confronted the same problems as other Americans. Within the Market Strife recounts the history of American Catholic views on economic issues and places those views firmly wihtin the context of their time.
Trade ReviewKevin Schmiesing has produced an excellent exposition of American Catholic economic thought. Catholic thinkers demonstrated the moral foundations of private property and an understanding of the market process. -- Leonard P. Liggio, George Mason University School of Law; Executive Vice President, Atlas Economic Research Foundation
This book stands as the best single overview of American Catholic economic thought, a thorough and sophisticated account of a subject which is routinely misunderstood. -- James Hitchcock, St. Louis University
Within the Market Strife is a thoroughly researched, insightful examination of American Catholic thinking on economics in the years before Vatican II. Kevin Schmiesing ably demonstrates that the first half of the twentieth century was an intellectually vibrant time for Catholic thought. Schmiesing brings this spirited and diverse group of thinkers to life in this excellent study. -- John F. Quinn, Associate Professor of History, Salve Regina University
Carefully argued, and based on extensive research, this book demonstrates convincingly that American Catholic economic thinkers, while sharing the same faith, expressed a notable diversity of views. Schmiesing has made a significant contribution to our knowledge of American Catholicism during a critical period. -- Keith Cassidy, University of Guelph
A thorough, well organized, and adeptly written intellectual history of Catholic social thought on economic policy and systems during the first half of the twentieth century…Within the Market Strife is a scholarly achievement that adds greatly to American Catholic scholarship of the twentieth century. Professionals and interested readers of Catholic intellectual history will find this volume a welcome addition to their bookshelves. * The Catholic Historical Review *
Schmiesing presents a refreshing examination of American Catholic social though, focusing in new ways upon the history of divergent Catholic economic theories and reform programs that reflected on-going dialogues with diverse American approaches to the economy. He brings into the story line new voices as well as those that are more widely recognized. This well written study should be of great interest not only to historians of American religious life and thought, but also to social theorists, academic economist, especially those in Catholic higher education, and those Christian involved in businesses and industry. -- Patrick Carey, Marquette University
Table of Contents1 Introduction 2 Chapter 1: Early American Catholic Social Thought 3 Chapter 2: Catholics in the Age of Reform 4 Chapter 3: Catholic Economic Thought in the Twenties: A Survival of American Innocence? 5 Chapter 4: Catholics and the New Deal 6 Chapter 5: War, Anti-Communism, and the Rise of Conservatism 7 Chapter 6: Catholics and Capitalism in the Fifties 8 Conclusion
