The Populist Persuasion: An American History - Softcover

Kazin, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801485584 ISBN 13: 9780801485589

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 1998

Synopsis

"Kazin has written a thoughtful and important book on one of the more consequential movements in American politics-populism. Tracing the emergence of populist campaigns from the 19th century to the present day, he looks at such movements as the labor movement, the prohibitionist crusade, Catholic radio populist Father Coughlin, the New Left, and the recent advance of conservative populism, as identified with such figures as George Wallace and Ronald Reagan. Kazin opens by saying, 'I began to write this book as a way of making sense of a painful experience: the decline of the American Left, including its liberal component, and the rise of the Right.' Anyone interested in either political tendency will find this book both informative and engaging. It is a powerful, elegantly written, and observant study that never fails to retain the reader's interest."―Library Journal

For the revised Cornell edition, Michael Kazin has rewritten the final chapter, bringing his coverage of populism up to the 1996 presidential election and added a new conclusion.

About this title

Review:

"Michael Kazin enables us to begin to understand the way in which populism has changed from a politics of the left to a politics of the right. The important questions raised by the success of the populist right in the United States are illuminated in Kazin's splendid and timely book."―The Nation

"Kazin shows populism's canny ability to mix homespun rhetoric and political savvy. . . . The book explains something very important in American life with scrupulous fairness and a keen eye for the humanizing detail. It is as good a road map as we have to the politics of the people who work hard and play by the rules."―Wall Street Journal

"A perceptive and passionately liberal book. . . . Beginning with the antislavery crusade of the 1840s, Kazin skillfully surveys more than a century of mass protests, using imagery and symbolism as his guides."―New York Times

Synopsis:

The author explores how populism has changed from a politics of the left to a politics of the right, examinig the questions raised by populism's success. He shows populism's canny ability to mix homespun rhetoric and political savvy, beginning with the anti-slavery crusade of the 1840s, and surveys over a century of mass protests, using imagery and symbolism as his guides. This revised edition has an additional chapter, bringing coverage of populism up to date, including a discussion of the 1996 presidential election.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0801485584
• ISBN 13: 9780801485589
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 387