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

by Donald K. Routh (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138535657
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/09/2017
Pages:	420
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Donald K. Routh

Table of Contents

1: America as a New Nation; 1: Establishing National Authority; 2: Formulating a National Identity; 2: Stability in the Midst of Change; 3: A Changing American Character?; 4: Religion and American Values; 5: Trade Unions and the American Value System; III: Democracy in Comparative Perspective; 6: Values and Democratic Stability; 7: Value Differences, Absolute or Relative: The English-Speaking Democracies; 8: Values, Social Character, and the Democratic Polity; 9: Party Systems and the Representation of Social Groups; 10: Epilogue: Some Personal Views on Equality, Inequality, and Comparative Social Science