State and Society in Twentieth-Century America

Robert Harrison's study explores the growing role of the state in modern US society and the changing attitudes of Americans themselves towards it. He examines the development of liberal reform, from progressivism to the New Deal and beyond; and explains how the growth in size of the state led to a questioning by both Republicans and Liberals over state provision. From being the solution government is now widely seen as the problem. This is both a perceptive introduction to contemporary America - exploring some of the key social and economic changes this century - and also a searching examination of the nature and limitations of power.