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This seminar examines the transformation of American political and economic institutions in the 75 years ending in 1945 and the ideological revolution that occurred along side this transformation and helped bring it about. We first consider the growth of large corporations after 1870, the techniques of management they called forth, and the antitrust movement that arose in response to them. We then turn to the attempts of progressive reformers before World War I to analogize the state to the corporation and bring the techniques of management science to politics, an effort whose impact on American life was far-reaching and profound. Finally, the role played by war in these changes, the creation of the modern American economy in the 1920s, and the New Deal's attempt to adapt the nation's political and legal institutions to the realities of the twentieth century are considered. Along the way, we will address a range of theoretical issues, among them the contrast between markets and central planning as w ays of organizing economic activity, the tension between the individual and the collective in complex societies, technocracy and social engineering, and the impact of war on economic and political institutions.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ECON Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: (ECON111 AND ECON112) OR ECON105
Last Updated on MAR-24-2000
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459