The vital center : the politics of freedom

With a new introduction by the author, The Vital Center is an eloquent and incisive defense of liberal democracy against its rivals to the left and to the right, communism and fascism. It shows how the failures of free society had led to the mass escape from freedom and sharpened the appeal of totalitarian solutions. It calls for a radical reconstruction of the democratic faith based on a realistic understanding of human limitation and frailty. I. Politics In An Age Of Anxiety -- Ii. The Failure Of The Right -- Iii. The Failure Of The Left -- Iv. The Challenge Of Totalitarianism -- V. The Case Of Russia -- Vi. The Communist Challenge To America -- Vii. The Restoration Of Radical Nerve -- Viii. The Revival Of American Radicalism -- Ix. The Techniques Of Freedom -- X. Freedom In The World -- Xi. Freedom: A Fighting Faith. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. ; With A New Introduction By The Author. Originally Published: Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1949. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 259-268) And Index. The Vital Center is an eloquent and incisive defense of liberal democracy against its rivals to the left and to the right, communism and fascism. It shows how the failures of free society had led to the mass escape from freedom and sharpened the appeal of totalitarian solutions. And it calls for a radical reconstruction of the democratic faith based on a realistic understanding of human limitation and frailty. Originally published 50 years ago Schlesinger examines the politics of centrism, arguing for a resurgence of the middle way and for the techniques of freedom, rational methods for resolving problems and conducting discourse. The book is aimed at the extremes of fascism and communism.