Catalog

Record Details

Catalog Search



Public citizens : the attack on big government and the remaking of American liberalism / Paul Sabin.

Sabin, Paul, 1970- (author.).

Summary:
"The story of the dramatic postwar struggle over the proper role of citizens and government in American society. In the 1960s and 70s, an insurgent attack on traditional liberalism took shape in America, built on new ideals of citizen advocacy and the public interest. Environmentalists, social critics, and consumer advocates like Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Ralph Nader, and others crusaded against what they saw as a misguided and often corrupt government. Drawing energy from civil rights protests and opposition to the Vietnam War, the new citizens movement drew legions of followers and scored major victories, disrupting plans for highways and dams, banning harmful chemicals, and blocking pipelines. In the process, citizen advocates helped to undermine big government liberalism and, ironically, clear the way for Reagan-era "free market" conservatives who sought to slash regulations and enrich corporations. Public Citizens traces the history of the public interest movement and explores its tangled legacy, showing the ways New Deal liberalism fell apart and the challenges in trying to replace it"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780393634044
  • ISBN: 0393634043
  • Physical Description: xviii, 254 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York, N.Y. : W.W. Norton & Company, [2021]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
The postwar partnership of business, labor, and government -- Rethinking the liberal embrace of government agencies -- Creating public interest firms -- "Insecure" power and the nonprofit rationale -- Making regulation "government-proof" -- "Sue the bastards" -- Institutionalizing the public interest movement -- The Carter administration's struggle for balance -- Stalemate : the 1980 election and its legacy.
Subject: Liberalism > United States > History > 20th century.
Bureaucracy > United States > History > 20th century.
Public interest groups > United States > History > 20th century.
Pressure groups > United States > History > 20th century.
United States > Politics and government > 1945-1989.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Abington Community Library 320.513 SABIN (Text) 50687011734897 Adult Nonfiction Available -

Summary: "The story of the dramatic postwar struggle over the proper role of citizens and government in American society. In the 1960s and 70s, an insurgent attack on traditional liberalism took shape in America, built on new ideals of citizen advocacy and the public interest. Environmentalists, social critics, and consumer advocates like Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Ralph Nader, and others crusaded against what they saw as a misguided and often corrupt government. Drawing energy from civil rights protests and opposition to the Vietnam War, the new citizens movement drew legions of followers and scored major victories, disrupting plans for highways and dams, banning harmful chemicals, and blocking pipelines. In the process, citizen advocates helped to undermine big government liberalism and, ironically, clear the way for Reagan-era "free market" conservatives who sought to slash regulations and enrich corporations. Public Citizens traces the history of the public interest movement and explores its tangled legacy, showing the ways New Deal liberalism fell apart and the challenges in trying to replace it"--

Additional Resources