First published 2020
Kurt Andersen examines how America's economic fairness collapsed after decades of progress. Through the twentieth century, the nation built increasingly prosperous and equitable systems that created a large, stable middle class where shared prosperity lifted everyone. Then came the reversal. Starting in the early 1970s, a coordinated campaign by corporate executives, wealthy elites, and conservative activists systematically destroyed the structures that enabled middle class success. Andersen documents this calculated assault on economic progress, showing how these forces made greed acceptable, stripped workers of power, and elevated market fundamentalism above all else. They weaponized nostalgia while constructing an oligarchy that served only itself, leaving most Americans facing shrinking prospects and fading hope. The author names specific culprits and provides detailed evidence, holding accountable the economic radicals, financial leaders, complicit establishment figures, and liberal enablers who participated in this transformation. This meticulously researched chronicle reveals why America abandoned the path toward shared prosperity for a system that concentrates wealth and power among the few.
Genres: american, political-science, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
Setting: America
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
430 pages · Hardcover · Random House