The First New Nation: The United States in Historical and Comparative Perspective

by Lipset,Seymour

• ISBN13: 9780765805225
• ISBN10: 0765805227
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781351482790
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2003-06-30
• Publisher: Routledge
• More Book Details

Summary

The United States was the first major colony to revolt successfully against colonial rule. In this sense, it was the first "new nation." To see how, in the course of American history, its values took shape in institutions may help us to understand some of the problems faced by the new nations emerging today on the world scene. In The First New Nation, two broad themes occupy Seymour Martin Lipset's attention: the social conditions that make a stable democracy possible, and the extent to which the American experience was representative or exceptional.The volume is divided into three parts, each of which deals with the role of values in a nation's evolution, but each approaches this role from a different perspective. Part 1, "America as a New Nation, " compares early America with today's emerging nations to discover problems common to them as new nations, and analyzes some of the consequences of a revolutionary birth for the creation of a national character and style. Part 2, "Stability in the Midst of Change, " traces how values derived from America's revolutionary origins have continued to influence the form and substance of American institutions.Lipset concentrates on American history in later periods, selecting for discussion as critical cases religious institutions and trade unions. Part 3, "Democracy in Comparative Perspective, " attempts to show by comparative analysis some ways through which a nation's values determine its political evolution. It compares political development in several modern industrialized democracies, including the United States, touching upon value patterns, value differences, party systems, and the bases of social cleavage.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the 1979 Edition	v
Preface	xli
Introduction	1	(12)
PART I AMERICA AS A NEW NATION	13	(86)
1. Establishing National Authority	15	(46)
The Crisis of Legitimacy and the Role of the Charismatic Leader	16	(7)
The Problem of National Unity	23	(13)
Opposition Rights and the Establishment of New Polities	36	(9)
The Need for "Payoff"	45	(16)
2. Formulating a National Identity	61	(38)
The Need for Autonomy and Neutrality	62	(4)
The Role of the Intellectuals	66	(8)
Revolution as the Source of National Identity	74	(16)
Conclusion	90	(9)
PART II STABILITY IN THE MIDST OF CHANGE	99	(106)
3. A Changing American Character?	101	(39)
The Unchanging American Character	106	(4)
The Unchanging American Values and Their Connection with American Character	110	(12)
The Inadequacy of a Materialistic Interpretation of Change	122	(7)
Conclusion	129	(11)
4. Religion and American Values	140	(30)
All-Pervasiveness, a Consistent Characteristic of American Religion	141	(10)
Secularity, a Persistent Trait of American Religion	151	(8)
Voluntarism, the Source of Religious Strength	159	(11)
5. Trade Unions and the American Value System	170	(35)
Social Structure: the Source of American Unionism	173	(5)
Societal Values and the Union Movement	178	(3)
Societal Values and Union Leadership	181	(15)
The American Political System and the Union Movement	196	(3)
Other Equalitarian Societies: Canada and Australia	199	(4)
Conclusion	203	(2)
PART III DEMOCRACY IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE	205	(144)
6. Values and Democratic Stability	201	(47)
Value Patterns and a Democratic Polity	209	(4)
The United States and Great Britain	213	(11)
France and Germany	224	(15)
Social Change and Political Stability	239	(9)
7. Value Differences, Absolute or Relative: The English Speaking Democracies	248	(26)
Values and the Democratic Process	268	(6)
8. Values, Social Character, and the Democratic Polity	274	(12)
The Authoritarian versus the Democratic Personality	217	(64)
The Inner-directed versus the Other-directed Personality	281	(5)
9. Party Systems and the Representation of Social Groups	286	(32)
Social Structure and the Character of the Party System	289	(4)
Social Structure and Electoral Systems	293	(2)
Party Systems and the Bases of Social Cleavage	295	(6)
Consequences of the Different Systems	301	(11)
Conclusion	312	(6)
10. Epilogue: Some Personal Views on Equality, Inequality, and Comparative Social Science	318	(31)
Inequality in America	321	(19)
The Ever-Present Conflict between Equality and Inequality	340	(3)
Comparative Analysis	343	(6)
Name Index	349	(7)
Subject Index	356