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The Cambridge History of Twentieth-Century Political Thought
Book

The Cambridge History of Twentieth-Century Political Thought

Volume 6

Cambridge UP, 2003
First Edition: 2003 plus...

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Editorial Rating

8

Recommendation

If you skipped those economic or political lectures in your History of the Twentieth Century class, or if you simply need a refresher course, this hefty tome will walk you through the "isms" of the past 100 years. Editors Terence Ball and Richard Bellamy offer a remarkably thorough history that runs the gamut from fascism to Keynes, from feminism to environmentalism, from surrealism to mystical racism, and in a way that makes you realize that they’re all intertwined. Be forewarned, though, this isn’t light reading. It’s a dense, academic work by major political thinkers. getAbstract suggests this book to anyone interested in putting today’s political climate into historical context. If you are involved in the financial life of Europe or the United States, this is your back story.

Take-Aways

  • The welfare state sought to control the economy and politics to redistribute income from the rich to the poor.
  • The welfare state provided pensions for the elderly and assistance for workers who unexpectedly became sick, hurt or unemployed.
  • John Maynard Keynes is the economist most associated with the welfare state’s rise.

About the Authors

Terence Ball is professor of political science at Arizona State University. A longtime academic, he has edited the political writings of James Mill and others. He wrote Rousseau’s Ghost: A Noveland other works. Richard Bellamy is professor of government at the University of Essex. He has edited a number of books and is the author of Modern Italian Social Theory, Liberalism and Pluralism and other books. This book is the chronological conclusion of the Cambridge History of Political Thought series.


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