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Class and Religion in American Politics

Arthur J. Vidich ; School for Social Research, New York

Abstract

Author at first analyzes earlier Protestant values, which in XIX century America were originally carried by the older middle classes. He follows the changes which in the value-system were brought by Keynesianism: instead of forced savings and steady immiseration of the worker, it has-been demonstrated that the society couid be organized around an abundance of both production and consumption. In the crisis of Keynesianism different social groups turned once more to the older social values. Neo-conservatism stresses the importance of the nuclear family, free enterprise and hard work, and encourages forthrightness, honesty, integrity and old-fashioned moral standards. Yet this romantic affirmation of a past is presented in a society whose major organizing principles are centralized state bureaucracies, mass communications and electronic systems of information and control that penetrate the lives of everyone. The enormous federal budget, the central fact and symbol of Keynesianism, is still in place and even has been vastly expanded by Reaganism.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

155762

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/155762

Publication date:

31.12.1986.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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