The Upswing : How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again

A celebrated political scientist shows how we can remedy the current economic, social and political ills - by doing what we did a century ago and becoming once more a 'we' rather than 'I' society An eminent political scientists brilliant analysis of economic, social, and political trends over the past century demonstrating how we have gone from an individualistic I society to a more communitarian We society and then back againand how we can learn from that experience to turn the corner towards a stronger, more unified nation, from the author of Bowling Alone and Our Kids . Deep and accelerating inequality; unprecedented political polarization; vitriolic public discourse; a fraying social fabric; public and private narcissismAmericans today seem to agree on only one thing: This is the worst of times. But weve been here before. During the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, America was highly individualistic, starkly unequal, fiercely polarized, and deeply fragmented, just as it is today. However as the twentieth century opened, America becameslowly, unevenly, but steadilymore egalitarian, more cooperative, more generous; a society more focused on our responsibilities to one another and less focused on our narrower self-interest. Sometime during the 1960s, however, our nation turned another corner, and all of these trends reversed, leaving us in todays disarray. In a sweeping overview of more than a century of history, drawing on his inimitable combination of statistical analysis and storytelling, Robert Putnam analyzes a remarkable confluence of trends that brought us from an I society to a We society and then back again. He draws inspiring lessons for our time from an earlier era, when a dedicated group of reformers righted the ship, putting us on a path to becoming a society once again based on community. Engaging, revelatory, and timely, this is Putnams most ambitious work yet, a fitting capstone to a brilliant career. From the author of Bowling Alone and Our Kids , a "sweeping yet remarkably accessible" ( The Wall Street Journal ) analysis that "offers superb, often counterintuitive insights" ( The New York Times ) to demonstrate how we have gone from an individualistic "I" society to a more communitarian "We" society and then back again, and how we can learn from that experience to become a stronger more unified nation. Deep and accelerating inequality; unprecedented political polarization; vitriolic public discourse; a fraying social fabric; public and private narcissism—Americans today seem to agree on only one thing: This is the worst of times. But we've been here before. During the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, America was highly individualistic, starkly unequal, fiercely polarized, and deeply fragmented, just as it is today. However as the twentieth century opened, America became—slowly, unevenly, but steadily—more egalitarian, more cooperative, more generous; a society on the upswing, more focused on our responsibilities to one another and less focused on our narrower self-interest. Sometime during the 1960s, however, these trends reversed, leaving us in today's disarray. In a "magnificent and visionary book" ( The New Republic ) drawing on his inimitable combination of statistical analysis and storytelling, Robert Putnam analyzes a remarkable confluence of trends that brought us from an "I" society to a "We" society and then back again. He draws on inspiring lessons for our time from an earlier era, when a dedicated group of reformers righted the ship, putting us on a path to becoming a society once again based on community. This is Putnam's most "remarkable" ( Science ) work yet, a fitting capstone to a brilliant career. 'The most important book in social science for many years' Paul Collier, TLS Books of the Year The Upswing is Robert D. Putnam's brilliant analysis of economic, social, cultural and political trends from the Gilded Age to the present, showing how America went from an individualistic 'I' society to a more communitarian 'We' society and then back again, and how we can all learn from that experience. In the late nineteenth century, America was highly individualistic, starkly unequal, fiercely polarised and deeply fragmented, just as it is today. However, as the twentieth century dawned, America became - slowly, unevenly, but steadily - more egalitarian, more cooperative, more generous; a society 'on the upswing,' more focused on responsibilities to each other and less focused on narrow self-interest. Over the course of the 1960s, however, these trends reversed once again, leading to today's disarray. In a sweeping overview of more than a century of history, Putnam and Romney Garrett draw on inspiring lessons for our time from an earlier era, when a dedicated group of reformers righted the ship, creating once again a society based on community. Engaging, revelatory and timely, this is Putnam's most ambitious work yet, with a relevance right across the anglophone world. It is an unmissable contribution to the debate about where we want society to go. 'Putnam's book speaks for the many millions who don't think the way zealots do' GuardianThe Upswing is Robert D. Putnam's brilliant analysis of economic, social, cultural and political trends from the Gilded Age to the present, showing how America went from an individualistic 'I' society to a more communitarian 'We' society and then back again, and how we can all learn from that experience.In the late nineteenth century, America was highly individualistic, starkly unequal, fiercely polarised and deeply fragmented, just as it is today. However, as the twentieth century dawned, America became - slowly, unevenly, but steadily - more egalitarian, more cooperative, more generous; a society 'on the upswing,' more focused on responsibilities to each other and less focused on narrow self-interest. Over the course of the 1960s, however, these trends reversed once again, leading to today's disarray.In a sweeping overview of more than a century of history, Putnam and Romney Garrett draw on inspiring lessons for our time from an earlier era, when a dedicated group of reformers righted the ship, creating once again a society based on community. Engaging, revelatory and timely, this is Putnam's most ambitious work yet, with a relevance right across the anglophone world. It is an unmissable contribution to the debate about where we want society to go "An eminent political scientist's brilliant synthesis of social and political trends over the past century that shows how we have gone from an individualistic society to a more communitarian society and then back again -- and how we can use that experience to overcome once again the individualism that currently weakens our country"-- This is the worst of times... but we've been here before. During the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, America was highly individualistic, starkly unequal, fiercely polarized, and deeply fragmented, just as it is today. As the twentieth century opened, America became more egalitarian, more cooperative, more generous; a society on the upswing, more focused on our responsibilities to one another and less focused on our narrower self-interest. Sometime during the 1960s these trends reversed, leaving us in today's disarray. Putnam analyzes the confluence of trends that brought us from an "I" society to a "We" society and then back again. -- adapted from jacket "An eminent political scientist's brilliant synthesis of social and political trends over the past century that shows how we have gone from an individualistic society to a more communitarian society and then back again -- and how we can use that experience to overcome once again the individualism that currently weakens our country"-- Provided by publisher What's past is prologue -- Economics : the rise and fall of equality -- Politics : from tribalism to comity and back again -- Society : between isolation and solidarity -- Culture : individualism vs. community -- Race and the American "we" -- Gender and the American "we" -- The arc of the twentieth century -- Drift and mastery An eminent political scientist's brilliant analysis of economic, social, and political trends over the past century demonstrating how we have gone from an individualistic 'I' society to a more communitarian 'We' society and then back again and how we can learn from that experience.