The Imperative of Reconsolidation - First Things

The Imperative of Reconsolidation - First Things

We often fail to recognize how deeply the traumas of the early twentieth century shaped American political culture. During the Great Depression, capitalism seemed to have failed. The system sputtered and broke down. After his election in 1932, Franklin Roosevelt embarked on measures to take charge of the economy. When global war came in the 1940s, government control and coordination were supercharged. An upsurge in solidarity ran in parallel wit…