Capitalist Democracy on Trial: The Transatlantic Debate from Tocqueville to the Present

Capitalist Democracy on Trial examines the long-standing debate between writers and politicians in the USA and Europe about capitalist democracy, tracing its evolution through three phases: participation, manipulation, and regulation. It provides a systematic approach to the debate, combining theoretical insight with clarity of exposition, making it an invaluable text for students of political science, sociology, social theory, and the history of political economy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 244 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

First published in 1990, Capitalist Democracy on Trial delves into the enduring transatlantic discourse on capitalist democracy. It scrutinizes the divergent opinions expressed by writers and politicians in the United States and Europe. The book's first section, titled "Democracy and the Rise of Big Business," explores the perspectives of notable thinkers such as Tocqueville, Mill, Carnegie, Chamberlain, Bryce, Ostrogorski, Veblen, and Hobson. The second section, "Capitalism and the Rise of 'Big Government," examines the ideas of Laski, Lasswell, Hayek, Schumpeter, Galbraith, Friedman, Miliband, Brittan, Piven, and Cloward. Employing a historical and comparative framework, Dennis Smith contends that the transatlantic debate on capitalist democracy has undergone three distinct phases. By the outbreak of World War I, the early nineteenth-century ideology of "participation" had given way to a conception of capitalist democracy as "manipulation." Between the wars, this perspective was supplanted by an ideology of "regulation." Subsequently, there has been a gradual shift towards the importance of "conservation." Smith's systematic approach adeptly showcases the evolving dynamics of the ongoing debate, seamlessly blending theoretical insights with clear and concise exposition. This book holds immense value for students of political science, sociology, social theory, and the history of political economy.

Weight: 620g
Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032350585