The rise and fall of the New Deal Order 1930-1980 Steve Fraser and Gary Gerstle

The book is an academic work that presents a detailed historical “autopsy” of the New Deal Order, a term coined by the editors themselves. It argues that the New Deal was not merely a set of programs initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s, but a comprehensive political and economic framework that fundamentally reshaped American society. This framework was characterized by:

• A new political alignment: It forged the New Deal Coalition, a powerful, albeit often contradictory, alliance within the Democratic Party. This coalition brought together diverse groups, including Southern whites, urban ethnic voters, organized labor, and African Americans, under a shared commitment to an expansive federal government.
• A new relationship between the state and the economy: The New Deal Order established a strong, interventionist state that regulated capitalism, provided a social safety net, and promoted collective bargaining for labor. This was a significant departure from the laissez-faire policies of the past and was heavily influenced by Keynesian economic theory.
• A dominant political culture: The New Deal Order created a political consensus where even Republicans, like President Dwight D. Eisenhower, accepted the legitimacy of the welfare state and the expanded role of the federal government.

The book is divided into two main sections: the rise and crystallization of the order from the 1930s to the 1960s, and its decline and fall from the 1960s to 1980. The contributors argue that the New Deal Order’s disintegration was not solely due to the rise of conservatism but was also caused by its own internal contradictions and limitations.

Short Description

The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, 1930-1980 by Steve Fraser and Gary Gerstle is an influential book that analyzes the political and economic system that dominated America from the Great Depression to the rise of Ronald Reagan. It defines the “New Deal Order” as a period of strong state intervention in the economy, a robust welfare state, and the political dominance of the Democratic Party’s diverse coalition. The book argues that this order, while successful for decades, ultimately collapsed due to its own internal contradictions, particularly on issues of race, and the changing social and economic landscape of the 1960s and 70s. It contends that the order’s decline was an internal decay as much as it was a conservative assault, paving the way for a new era of American politics