The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution

Publisher's Summary

In this original, provocative contribution to the debate over economic inequality, Ganesh Sitaraman argues that a strong and sizable middle class is a prerequisite for America's constitutional system.

For most of Western history, Sitaraman argues, constitutional thinkers assumed economic inequality was inevitable and inescapable - and they designed governments to prevent class divisions from spilling over into class warfare. The American Constitution is different. Compared to Europe and the ancient world, America was a society of almost unprecedented economic equality, and the founding generation saw this equality as essential for the preservation of America's republic. Over the next two centuries, generations of Americans fought to sustain the economic preconditions for our constitutional system. But today, with economic and political inequality on the rise, Sitaraman says Americans face a choice: Will we accept rising economic inequality and risk oligarchy, or will we rebuild the middle class and reclaim our republic?

The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution is a tour de force of history, philosophy, law, and politics. It makes a compelling case that inequality is more than just a moral or economic problem; it threatens the very core of our constitutional system.

©2017 Ganesh Sitaraman (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Ganesh Sitaraman is a bold and visionary thinker whose new book, The Crisis of the Middle Class Constitution, shows that the disappearing American dream is more than a policy problem - it is a constitutional crisis. In our age of growing inequality, the stakes couldn't be higher. Every American needs to read this book." (Senator Elizabeth Warren)

"What Piketty was to economics, this book is to our constitutional tradition. Sitaraman uncovers the lost essence to our constitutional past, and renders it as important today as it ever was. His beautifully written and powerfully argued book will change the discourse of constitutionalism - for the better." (Lawrence Lessig, author of Republic, Lost, and Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School)

"A pathbreaking effort to rethink the past, present, and future of American constitutional development." (Bruce Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale University)

Very well done

For an Adam Smith, free-market conservative, this book challenged some deeply held views. It helped to reinforce some ideas and reshape others. Rarely do you find a book that is so well researched and comprehensive. I sensed a bit of a political agenda, but the research outweighed the politics.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Accessible and important. Everyone should read it.

Clearly and cogently lays out the evidence for and history behind our failing democracy. It shows how prophetic the thinkers of the past were, how avoidable the current crisis was, and how insidious the problem has become. It's so obvious when it's all laid out for you, and it's a real wake-up call for anyone unfamiliar with the issue--clearly the most important issue America faces today.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Genius

Simply the best analysis and telling of American history as it relates to the middle class and it repercussions. From our founding to now.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Important but dry

A significant book and thesis that is well worth having read, but the actual reading listening is a bit tedious and will remind you of that college economics course that convinced you to major in art history!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful