Republic of Wrath
How American Politics Turned Tribal, From George Washington to Donald Trump
Ratings1
Average rating5
15
How American Politics Turned Tribal, From George Washington to Donald Trump
Ratings1
Average rating5
A prize-winning political scientist untangles the deep roots of tribalism in America.
American politics seems to be in an unprecedented uproar. But in this revelatory work of political history, James A. Morone shows that today's rancor isn't what's new -- the clarity of the battle lines is. Past eras were full of discord, but the most contentious question in American society -- Who are we? -- never split along party lines.
Instead, each party reached out to different groups on the margins of power: immigrants, African Americans, and women. But, as the United States underwent profound societal transformations from the Civil War to the populist explosion to the Great Migration to civil rights to the latest era of immigration, the party alignment shifted. African Americans conquered the old segregationist party and Democrats slowly evolved into the party of civil rights, immigration, and gender rights. Republicans turned whiter and more nativist. The unprecedented party lineup now injects tribal intensity into every policy difference.
Republic of Wrath tells the story of America as we've never heard it before, explaining the origins of our fractious times and suggesting how we might build a more robust republic.
Reviews with the most likes.
Excellent History Lesson. I'm a guy that prides myself in knowing more about American history than most. (Well, let's be honest, my normal line is that I know more about most than most, and that generally holds true - even when people know far more than I do about a given topic.) Anyways... :D This book did a phenomenal job of bringing forth quite a bit of American history that even I wasn't aware of, particularly in my acknowledged weak area between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. For example, despite how heated American political discourse feels at times over the last couple of years in particular, apparently there was a point in the lead-up to the Civil War where Congressmen routinely brought knives and guns onto Capitol Hill. Indeed, one line Morone quotes from a Congressman of the time is that those that didn't bring a knife and a gun brought two guns! While the ending of the narrative, with Morone's recommendations of how to fix where we find ourselves, is more “your mileage may vary” level, the lead up to that point is a solid look at American history, if hyper focused on the general premise that all conflict came from either race or immigration - which is a bit disingenuous at times, but the analysis here isn't so flawed as to claim absolute exclusivity to the premise. Absolutely a must-read for Americans and really anyone wishing to understand how America has arrived at its current place in time. Very much recommended.
