Governing America - The Revival of Political History

Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-0-691-15073-4
Verlag: Princeton University Press

Buch, Englisch, 416 Seiten, Format (B × H): 167 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 742 g

In recent years, the study of American political history has experienced a remarkable renaissance. After decades during which the subject fell out of fashion and disappeared from public view, it has returned to prominence as the study of American history has shifted its focus back to politics broadly defined. In this book, one of the leaders of the resurgence in American political history, Julian Zelizer, assesses its revival and demonstrates how this work not only illuminates the past but also helps us better understand American politics today. Governing America addresses issues of wide interest, including the rise of the welfare state, the development of modern conservatism, the history of Congress, the struggle over campaign finance, changing views about presidential power, and national security. Throughout, it addresses four big questions: How have interpretations of American political history changed over time? How have taxes and budgets constrained policymakers? How have changes in the political process defined historical eras? And how have policy and politics interacted on decisions like going to war? Zelizer's answers to these questions are fresh and often surprising, providing compelling new perspectives on modern American politics.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Zelizer, Julian

Zelizer, Julian E.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Amerikanische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgments ix

Governing America: An Introduction 1

Part I: Thinking about the Field 9

One: Beyond the Presidential Synthesis: Reordering Political Time 11

Two: Clio?s Lost Tribe: Public Policy History Since 1978 41

Three: History and Political Science: Together Again? 60

Four: Rethinking the History of American Conservatism 68

Five: What Political Science Can Learn from the New Political History 90

Part II: Paying for Government: Taxes, Money, and Fiscal Restraint 105

Six: The Uneasy Relationship: Democracy, Taxation, and State-Building Since the New Deal 107

Seven: The Forgotten Legacy of the New Deal: Fiscal Conservatism and the Roosevelt Administration, 1933-1938 124

Eight: "Where Is the Money Coming From?" The Reconstruction of Social Security Finance 153

Nine: Paying for Medicare: Benefits, Budgets, and Wilbur Mills?s Policy Legacy 168

Part III: The Rules of the Game: The Politics of Process 193

Ten: Seeds of Cynicism: The Struggle Over Campaign Finance, 1956-1974 195

Eleven: Bridging State and Society: The Origins of 1970s Congressional Reform 221

Twelve: Without Restraint: Scandal and Politics in America 232

Thirteen: Seizing Power: Conservatives and Congress Since the 1970s 259

Fourteen: How Conservatives Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Presidential Power 290

Part IV: Politics and Policy: The Case of National Security 307

Fifteen: Congress and the Politics of Troop Withdrawal, 1966-1973 309

Sixteen: Detente and Domestic Politics 321

Seventeen: Conservatives, Carter, and the Politics of National Security 335

Notes 351

Index 399

Über Autor(innen)

Zelizer, Julian E.
Julian E. Zelizer is professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. His most recent books include "Jimmy Carter, Arsenal of Democracy," and "The Presidency of George W. Bush" (Princeton). He is a regular contributor to CNN.com and Politico and has written for the "New York Times," the "Washington Post," and many other publications.

Julian E. Zelizer is professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. His most recent books include Jimmy Carter, Arsenal of Democracy, and The Presidency of George W. Bush (Princeton). He is a regular contributor to CNN.com and Politico and has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many other publications.