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October 2022 MBR The Political Science Shelf
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Midwest Book Review
Nov 3, 2022, 1:36:25 PM11/3/22
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The Political Science Shelf
After Populism
William C. Pratt
South Dakota Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813362, $34.95, HC, 338pp
https://www.amazon.com/After-Populism-William-C-Pratt/dp/1941813364
Synopsis: Populism was a farmer-led movement that called for sweeping economic reforms and became a major American political force in the 1890's. Though short lived, Populism's heyday has received ample attention from historians of the Northern Great Plains. But how did agrarian radicals and left-of-center farmers' groups in the region respond to the massive political changes of the twentieth century?
"After Populism: The Agrarian Left on the Northern Plains 1900-1960" is collection of essays by historian and academician William C. Pratt that sheds light on this period by tracking the evolution of rural activism and its impact across space and time. This broad, analytical history of agrarian movements on the northern plains pays close attention to local particularities and variations from national and even international trends.
"After Populism" explores farmers' relationships to Socialist groups; the persistence of radicalism in isolated plains communities; agrarian radicals' involvement in local affairs; women's roles in radical farm groups; the importance of the Farmers Union in regional and national politics; repeated, unsuccessful attempts at third-party organizing; and the gradual decline of progressive farm protest in the late twentieth century.
Professor Pratt's work builds on research in collections from throughout the Great Plains, as well as documents from the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History in Moscow and Federal Bureau of Investigation records. In addition, he pulls from decades of personal interviews and site visits, allowing him to add colorful anecdotes that help bring his subjects to life on the page.
Critique: Informative enhanced with the inclusion of a twenty page Epilogue (Using History to Make History?: Progressive Farm Organizing during the Farm Revolt of the 1980s), ninety-seix pages of Notes, and a twenty-one page Index, "After Populism" is a essential reading for students, academia, and historians of the Northern Great Plains, as well as non- specialist general readers with an interested in the history of American farm politics. A seminal work of meticulous and seminal scholarship, "After Populism: The Agrarian Left on the Northern Plains 1900-1960" must be considered an essential and core addition to community, college, and university library 20th Century American Political History collections in general, and supplemental curriculum 20th Century Agrarian Political History studies lists in particular.
Editorial Note: William C. Pratt is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was the Distinguished Fulbright Lecturer in American History at Moscow State University (2000) and a Senior Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Warsaw (2007).
The Hidden History of Neoliberalism
Thom Hartmann
https://www.thomhartmann.com
Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.
1333 Broadway, Suite 1000, Oakland CA, 94612
www.bkconnection.com
9781523002320, $17.00, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-History-Neoliberalism-Reaganism-Greatness/dp/1523002328
Synopsis: With four decades of neoliberal rule coming to an end, America is at a crossroads. In this powerful and accessible book, Thom Hartmann demystifies neoliberalism and explains how we can use this pivotal point in time to create a more positive future.
With the publication of "The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness", author Thom Hartmann traces the history of neoliberalism (a set of capitalistic philosophies favoring free trade, low taxes on the rich, financial austerity, and deregulation of big business) up to the present day.
Hartmann explains how neoliberalism was sold as a cure for wars and the Great Depression. He outlines the destructive impact that it has had on America, looking at how it has increased poverty, damaged the middle class, and corrupted our nation's politics.
America is standing on the edge of a new progressive era. We can continue down the road to a neoliberal oligarchy, as supported by many of the nation's billionaires and giant corporations. Or we can choose to return to Keynesian economics and Alexander Hamilton's "American Plan" by raising taxes on the rich, reversing free trade, and building a society that works for all.
Critique: Critically important, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science & Economic Theory collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Thom Hartmann (https://www.thomhartmann.com) is a four time winner of the Project Censored Award. He has authored more than thirty books, and is America's #1 progressive talk radio show host for more than a decade. His show is carried on SiriusXM and radio stations nationwide and simulcast as television on Free Speech TV.
War and Peace
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, author
Alex Prichard, editor
Paul Sharkey, translator
AK Press
370 Ryan Ave #100, Chico, CA 95973
www.akpress.org
9781849354684, $30.00, PB, 625pp
https://www.amazon.com/War-Peace-Principle-Constitution-Peoples/dp/1849354685
Synopsis: "War and Peace: On the Principle and Constitution of the Rights of Peoples" by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was originally published in 1861, and still remains one of the only extended accounts of anarchist international theory -- and is one of the earliest in the history of socialist thought.
It is a profound contribution to the traditions of 'jus gentium' and just war theory, that puts force and power at the centre of analysis. Alex Prichard's introduction describes both its specificity and the multiple lines of influence "War and Peace" had on thinkers as diverse as Tolstoy, Sorel, French sociology more broadly, and post-1945 Anglo-American International Relations theory.
Critique: This new paperback edition of "War and Peace: On the Principle and Constitution of the Rights of Peoples" from AK Press is ably translated into English for an American readership by Paul Sharkey and is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Political Science collections. Of special note to readers with an interest in Anarchism, Class Theory, and Social Theory that "War and Peace: On the Principle and Constitution of the Rights of Peoples" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note #1: A French politician, philosopher, economist and the founder of mutualist philosophy, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (15 January 1809, Besan on - 19 January 1865, Paris) was one of Europe's most well-known socialists during his lifetime. His complete works span over sixty volumes. From his opening salvo on the social origins of the Sabbath, to the claim that "all property is theft!", to his final writings on international relations, federalism, and the political capacity of the working class, his works shaped European socialism for a generation, and continue to act as the intellectual spine of modern anarchism.
Editorial Note #2: Alex Prichard (https://politics.exeter.ac.uk/staff/prichard/) is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Exeter. He has written widely on Proudhon's thought and on the political theory of anarchy. His most recent project is Anarchic Agreements: How to Build Groups and Coalitions with PM Press. He resides in England.
Editorial Note #3: Paul Sharkey is one of the most well-known and highly respected translators of anarchist writings of the past thirty years. He has translated works by Kropotkin, Malatesta, Proudhon, and many more. He lives in Ireland.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.
The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com
Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
After Populism
William C. Pratt
South Dakota Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813362, $34.95, HC, 338pp
https://www.amazon.com/After-Populism-William-C-Pratt/dp/1941813364
Synopsis: Populism was a farmer-led movement that called for sweeping economic reforms and became a major American political force in the 1890's. Though short lived, Populism's heyday has received ample attention from historians of the Northern Great Plains. But how did agrarian radicals and left-of-center farmers' groups in the region respond to the massive political changes of the twentieth century?
"After Populism: The Agrarian Left on the Northern Plains 1900-1960" is collection of essays by historian and academician William C. Pratt that sheds light on this period by tracking the evolution of rural activism and its impact across space and time. This broad, analytical history of agrarian movements on the northern plains pays close attention to local particularities and variations from national and even international trends.
"After Populism" explores farmers' relationships to Socialist groups; the persistence of radicalism in isolated plains communities; agrarian radicals' involvement in local affairs; women's roles in radical farm groups; the importance of the Farmers Union in regional and national politics; repeated, unsuccessful attempts at third-party organizing; and the gradual decline of progressive farm protest in the late twentieth century.
Professor Pratt's work builds on research in collections from throughout the Great Plains, as well as documents from the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History in Moscow and Federal Bureau of Investigation records. In addition, he pulls from decades of personal interviews and site visits, allowing him to add colorful anecdotes that help bring his subjects to life on the page.
Critique: Informative enhanced with the inclusion of a twenty page Epilogue (Using History to Make History?: Progressive Farm Organizing during the Farm Revolt of the 1980s), ninety-seix pages of Notes, and a twenty-one page Index, "After Populism" is a essential reading for students, academia, and historians of the Northern Great Plains, as well as non- specialist general readers with an interested in the history of American farm politics. A seminal work of meticulous and seminal scholarship, "After Populism: The Agrarian Left on the Northern Plains 1900-1960" must be considered an essential and core addition to community, college, and university library 20th Century American Political History collections in general, and supplemental curriculum 20th Century Agrarian Political History studies lists in particular.
Editorial Note: William C. Pratt is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was the Distinguished Fulbright Lecturer in American History at Moscow State University (2000) and a Senior Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Warsaw (2007).
The Hidden History of Neoliberalism
Thom Hartmann
https://www.thomhartmann.com
Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.
1333 Broadway, Suite 1000, Oakland CA, 94612
www.bkconnection.com
9781523002320, $17.00, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-History-Neoliberalism-Reaganism-Greatness/dp/1523002328
Synopsis: With four decades of neoliberal rule coming to an end, America is at a crossroads. In this powerful and accessible book, Thom Hartmann demystifies neoliberalism and explains how we can use this pivotal point in time to create a more positive future.
With the publication of "The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness", author Thom Hartmann traces the history of neoliberalism (a set of capitalistic philosophies favoring free trade, low taxes on the rich, financial austerity, and deregulation of big business) up to the present day.
Hartmann explains how neoliberalism was sold as a cure for wars and the Great Depression. He outlines the destructive impact that it has had on America, looking at how it has increased poverty, damaged the middle class, and corrupted our nation's politics.
America is standing on the edge of a new progressive era. We can continue down the road to a neoliberal oligarchy, as supported by many of the nation's billionaires and giant corporations. Or we can choose to return to Keynesian economics and Alexander Hamilton's "American Plan" by raising taxes on the rich, reversing free trade, and building a society that works for all.
Critique: Critically important, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science & Economic Theory collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Thom Hartmann (https://www.thomhartmann.com) is a four time winner of the Project Censored Award. He has authored more than thirty books, and is America's #1 progressive talk radio show host for more than a decade. His show is carried on SiriusXM and radio stations nationwide and simulcast as television on Free Speech TV.
War and Peace
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, author
Alex Prichard, editor
Paul Sharkey, translator
AK Press
370 Ryan Ave #100, Chico, CA 95973
www.akpress.org
9781849354684, $30.00, PB, 625pp
https://www.amazon.com/War-Peace-Principle-Constitution-Peoples/dp/1849354685
Synopsis: "War and Peace: On the Principle and Constitution of the Rights of Peoples" by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was originally published in 1861, and still remains one of the only extended accounts of anarchist international theory -- and is one of the earliest in the history of socialist thought.
It is a profound contribution to the traditions of 'jus gentium' and just war theory, that puts force and power at the centre of analysis. Alex Prichard's introduction describes both its specificity and the multiple lines of influence "War and Peace" had on thinkers as diverse as Tolstoy, Sorel, French sociology more broadly, and post-1945 Anglo-American International Relations theory.
Critique: This new paperback edition of "War and Peace: On the Principle and Constitution of the Rights of Peoples" from AK Press is ably translated into English for an American readership by Paul Sharkey and is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Political Science collections. Of special note to readers with an interest in Anarchism, Class Theory, and Social Theory that "War and Peace: On the Principle and Constitution of the Rights of Peoples" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note #1: A French politician, philosopher, economist and the founder of mutualist philosophy, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (15 January 1809, Besan on - 19 January 1865, Paris) was one of Europe's most well-known socialists during his lifetime. His complete works span over sixty volumes. From his opening salvo on the social origins of the Sabbath, to the claim that "all property is theft!", to his final writings on international relations, federalism, and the political capacity of the working class, his works shaped European socialism for a generation, and continue to act as the intellectual spine of modern anarchism.
Editorial Note #2: Alex Prichard (https://politics.exeter.ac.uk/staff/prichard/) is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Exeter. He has written widely on Proudhon's thought and on the political theory of anarchy. His most recent project is Anarchic Agreements: How to Build Groups and Coalitions with PM Press. He resides in England.
Editorial Note #3: Paul Sharkey is one of the most well-known and highly respected translators of anarchist writings of the past thirty years. He has translated works by Kropotkin, Malatesta, Proudhon, and many more. He lives in Ireland.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.
The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com
Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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