Lincoln Steffens was an integral part of the journalistic movement of his time. On the cusp of the twentieth century he was part of a generation, trying to decipher the implications of huge social and economic change. In a changing world, the gentleman?s agreement that existed between journalists and politicians had started melting away. As the United States grew and began obsessively examining itself, this style of ?muckraking? journalism was a way to propel a desire for reform into the mainstream debate.
Whilst Steffens may not have cared for the word, he and the Muckrakers used their column inches to demand change. He questioned economic policy, conventional attitudes to race relations and social policies which led to deprivation.
In this compendium of articles, Steffens focused on city governments. He toured the nation?s largest cities, questioning great men and guttersnipes alike. Into his writing he poured the fervour of a social reformer and the empathy of a human interest story but most of all he decried the corruption he saw all around him.
In ?The Shame of Cities?, Lincoln Steffens demonstrated his virtuoso talent for storytelling and grabbed the hearts of the public by showing them events in a new way, that highlighted the personal stake of every man and woman in being governed fairly. His appeal to the idealism hidden in the populous was answered with huge success and helped to usher in a new age of critical journalism. In any uncertain world, full of human error, this book has more than earned its place. It delights with style but lacks nothing in substance.
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"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Excerpt from The Shame of the Cities This is not a book. It is a collection of articles reprinted from McClure's Magazine. Done as journalism, they are journalism still, and no further pretensions are set up for them in their new dress. This classification may seem pretentious enough; certainly it would if I should confess what claims I make for my profession. But no matter about that; I insist upon the journalism. And there is my justification for separating from the bound volumes of the magazine and republishing, practically without re-editing, my accounts as a reporter of the shame of American critics. They were written with a purpose, they were published serially with a purpose, and they are reprinted now together to further that same purpose, which was and is - to sound for the civic pride of an apparently shameless citizenship. There must be such a thing, we reasoned. All our big boasting could not be empty vanity, nor our pious pretensions hollow sham. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Paperback. Condition: New. Print on Demand. This non-fiction book examines the effects of political and commercial corruption in American cities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author, through detailed accounts of investigations and prosecutions that took place in St. Louis, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, demonstrates the far-reaching effects of corruption as it permeated the social fabric of these municipalities. The author contends that widespread graft and lawlessness were not merely political phenomena, but were reflective of a larger societal malaise. This cynicism and amorality was present not only within the corrupt political machines that ran these cities, but was also present in the business community and wider society. The author concludes by drawing parallels between these historical examples and the modern day, suggesting that the themes and issues raised by the book continue to resonate with readers today. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work, digitally reconstructed using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the original format. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in the book. print-on-demand item. Seller Inventory # 9781331920663_0
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PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # LW-9781331920663
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PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # LW-9781331920663
Quantity: 15 available