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7+ obres 241 Membres 6 Ressenyes

Sobre l'autor

James T. Kloppenberg is Charles Warren Professor of American History at Harvard University.

Inclou el nom: James T. Klopppenberg

Obres de James T. Kloppenberg

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Coneixement comú

Data de naixement
1951-06-23
Gènere
male

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Ressenyes

A masterpiece of intellectual history that examines the development of the concept of democracy from the 1500s to the American Civil War. Democracy transformed from a slur to the idealized form of government. Kloppenberg examines the thought and intellectual contributions of dozens of individuals as the core democratic concepts of popular sovereignty, reciprocity, equality, and rights emerged. Three things really stand out to me. First, the democracy was born in violence. It emerges and is defined in through war, rebellion, purges, coups, and civil strife. Second, the importance of religion in the time the Reformation and religious warfare. Third, the democracy that emerges in Europe after the French Revolution is different from that which developed in the United States though the American Revolution and Constitution. the French variant had no room for discourse or religion, which were two key concepts in the United States. In terms of American figures, for whatever its worth, I think Kloppenberg is a little harsh on John Adams and little too lenient on Thomas Jefferson.… (més)
 
Marcat
gregdehler | Hi ha 2 ressenyes més | May 27, 2019 |
Toward Democracy by James T. Kloppenberg is a comprehensive history of the thoughts and actions that have helped to form the ever-changing concept of democracy. Democracy is, in Kloppenberg's view, less a political or even a social or economic concept but rather an ethical one, so the changing "definitions" of democracy over the centuries have been influenced by far more than just political theory or political change.

This is not a difficult read, Kloppenberg does a commendable job of discussing many thinkers in terms that are readily understood by those unfamiliar with the philosophers and historians mentioned. He also readily acknowledges that not every writer who ever wrote a word about self-rule is included in this work. He does cover those who had the greatest impact and certainly didn't cover those who did not write about self-rule (Darwin, really?!?!). If one has a narrow view and wants only one definition of democracy to be presented and defended they can ignore the arguments of the book and lament their little strawmen. There are plenty of biased accounts of "what is wrong with" or "how they (depending on the bias present) ruined" democracy. This is a history and, while Kloppenberg clearly states how he views the concept of democracy (an ethical system) he also tries to demonstrate (successfully in my opinion) the various cultural, religious and political conflicts that have served to hinder the advancement of successful equitable self-rule.

This is the type of book that will warrant additional reading beyond one time through. Likely, in my case, it will be a more haphazard reread because it will be a reference book for me and I will be returning to various sections at different times in the future.

I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to know a history (not "the" history, as he also points out) of democracy and self-rule as it pertains primarily to Europe and North America. The writers go back much further but the period and region of concern is the North Atlantic and from approximately the time of the Reformation. This is both an excellent read as well as a valuable reference.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
… (més)
½
 
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pomo58 | Hi ha 2 ressenyes més | Aug 9, 2016 |
I received this book free from NetGalley and Oxford University Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an extremely well-written, academic style book. The level of researched that must of went into this book is superb and, to be enjoyed at its fullest, it must be read at a steady pace with a fair bit of concentration. Professor Kloppenberg suggests that the revolutions of Europe i.e. the French revolutions, and America's civil war have been unpredictable injurious for democracy.

I am a fan of all things History, and deeply interested in how democracy was established in the U.S. and reading this book was a fantastic look into the different events and circumstances which lead to how the U.S. got where it is today. It also has a word of caution to us in regards to the future of democracy and how wealth has become a danger to its continuance.

This book is an excellent summarizing of some incredibly momentous moments in the history of democracy and is a joy to read. It filled me with hope for the continuation of democracy, its humble beginnings as the glue to creating a nation from thirteen original colonies is awe inspiring and shows what good can be found in human kind. But it also left me a bit fearful as to democracies perpetuation, with the forces at work on it today, can it survive or have we turned down a path which will result in its demise.

This book is a must read.
… (més)
 
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Arkrayder | Hi ha 2 ressenyes més | Jul 4, 2016 |
James Kloppenberg constructed an intellectual biography of Barack Obama to explain his political philosophy. I loved this book. It is a great demonstration of how ideas substantively shape our thinking. Instead of finding Obama to be a Kenyan anti-imperialist, Marxist, socialist, or whatever else has appeared on the bookstands in the last four years, Kloppenberg finds Obama to be a pragmatic progressive in the tradition of Woodrow Wilson and a Madisonian who considers democracy a battleground of ideas requiring give and take. I accept this thesis. More interestingly, Kloppenberg finds the roots to both his progressivism and his pragmatism in the works he knows Obama has read. Reading this made me realize why Obama has given those on both the right and left political fits. He is not ideologically rigid. To be pragmatic is to look at an issue in the light of the current situation and environment. It is the art of what is possible. The president has used a phrase about not letting the perfect becoming the enemy of the possible. This allows just enough daylight for his enemies to pour in every crackpot theory and for his disappointed friends to doubt his sincerity to their cause.

From my blog: http://gregshistoryblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/recent-reads-inauguration-edition.h...
… (més)
 
Marcat
gregdehler | Aug 24, 2014 |

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Obres
7
També de
3
Membres
241
Popularitat
#94,248
Valoració
½ 4.3
Ressenyes
6
ISBN
23
Llengües
1

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