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The crisis of the middle-class constitution : why economic inequality threatens our republic

Author

Sitaraman, Ganesh, author.

Title

The crisis of the middle-class constitution : why economic inequality threatens our republic / Ganesh Sitaraman.

Format

Book

Edition

First edition.

Published

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2017. ©2017

Description

vi, 423 pages ; 25 cm

Portion of title

Why economic inequality threatens our Republic

Notes

Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-402) and index.

Contents

• Part I. The radicalism of the American Constitution:
• From Athens to America : the two traditions
• America's middle-class constitution
• Part II. A brief history of the middle-class constitution:
• The emergence of the plutocracy
• The search for solutions
• Part III. The crisis of the middle-class constitution:
• How economic inequality threatens the Republic
• The future of the middle-class constitution.

Summary

"In this original, provocative contribution to the debate over economic inequality, Ganesh Sitaraman argues that a strong and sizable middle class is a prerequisite for America's constitutional system. For most of Western history, Sitaraman argues, constitutional thinkers assumed economic inequality was inevitable and inescapable--and they designed governments to prevent class divisions from spilling over into class warfare. The American Constitution is different. Compared to Europe and the ancient world, America was a society of almost unprecedented economic equality, and the founding generation saw this equality as essential for the preservation of America's republic. Over the next two centuries, generations of Americans fought to sustain the economic preconditions for our constitutional system. But today, with economic and political inequality on the rise, Sitaraman says Americans face a choice: Will we accept rising economic inequality and risk oligarchy or will we rebuild the middle class and reclaim our republic? The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution is a tour de force of history, philosophy, law, and politics. It makes a compelling case that inequality is more than just a moral or economic problem; it threatens the very core of our constitutional system."--Publisher

Subject headings

Constitutional law--Economic aspects--United States. Equality--Economic aspects. Income distribution--United States. Middle class--United States. Power (Social sciences) Plutocracy. United States--Social conditions.

ISBN

9780451493910 hardcover 0451493915 hardcover 9780451493927 (ebook)