Making History: American Left and The American Mind: The American Left and the American Mind

Looks at the history of American participation in politic, explains the reasons for public apathy, and assesses the ability of Left to reestablish political influence in the U.S.

American radical theory is reformulated in this conceptually elegant revisionist study. The author is, mirabile dictu , an original thinker whose underlying thesis is that people do not "naturally" seek political or ideological avenues for protecting and advancing their interests. Rather, they give their "commitment to everyday life"to home and joband accept these constraints willingly as long as "trade-offs" exist, e.g., adequate income and freedom for leisure. But Flacks is not despairing. The conditions that make possible contemporary privatism and conservatism can also lead to mass political participation. Rejecting Marx as a guide for the future, he would not reject Marx's goal; and his book, an attempt to formulate a nonideological framework for popular political consciousness, promises to advance radical thinking. Milton Cantor, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.