The People's Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution - Softcover

Guma, Greg

Softcover

ISBN 10: 093305078X ISBN 13: 9780933050785

Publisher: New England Pr Inc, 1989

Synopsis

Independent Socialist Bernard Sanders' election as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1981 caught the attention of the entire nation and inspired progressives throughout the world. But after four terms as mayor and an amazing razor-thin defeat in the 1989 race for Vermont's lone US House seat, the question remained: How had Burlington -- and Vermont -- changed since Sanders first victory? Written in 1989, just before Sanders won his first race for the US House of Representatives in 1990, The People's Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution was the first comprehensive analysis of Sanders' mayoral years and the progressive movement in Vermont. It remains the most intimate and revealing.

Greg Guma's exploration of the "revolution" goes far beyond Sanders and his impact on Burlington. The factors behind the initial surprise victory, the tension between leftist ideals and pragmatic politics, the evolution of an effective political coaliton outside the two-party system -- all these topics and more Guma investigates, with an eye on global political implications as well as the immediate local impact. The People's Republic is for all those interested in progressive politics and political history, not to mention those in places where a similar "revolution" is possible.

About this title

About the Author

Greg Guma has been a writer, editor, historian, and manager of media enterprises for over four decades. His books include The People's Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution (1989), Passport to Freedom (1992, with Garry Davis), Uneasy Empire: Repressions, Globalization and What We Can Do (2002), and the Vermont historical novel Spirits of Desire (2005), as well as the play Inquisitions (and Other Un-American Activities), scripts for documentaries on Haiti, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Bread & Puppet Theatre, and contributions to anthologies. In 1968 he became a reporter for the Bennington Banner, and subsequently edited The Vermont Vanguard Press and Vermont Guardian. In 1984 he won first prize from the Chittenden Historical Society for his research and writing on Burlington's early progressive era. His articles have appeared in publications throughout around the world.

Review

A fast-moving description that illustrates one of the great efforts at innovative government of the past fifty years...
--Pierre Clavel, Cornell University

A treasure house of first-hand information ...of great value to explore combining third-party politics with other methods of working for justice, peace, environmental sanity and genuine democracy.
-- David Dellinger, author/activist

If you are at all interested in Vermont and Burlington, and public policy, get this book. --- Phil Hoff, former Vermont Governor

Edition details

• Publisher: New England Pr Inc
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 093305078X
• ISBN 13: 9780933050785
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 199