The politics of inequality : a political history of the idea of economic inequality in America / Michael J. Thompson.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [221]-236) and index.

Introduction: The Political Dimensions of Economic Inequality -- 1. The Critique of Economic Inequality in Western Political Thought: The Continuity of an Idea -- 2. The Liberal Republic and the Emergence of Capitalism: The Political Theories of Optimism and Radicalism -- 3. The Transformation of American Capitalism: From Class Antagonism to Reconciliation -- 4. Embracing Inequality: The Reorientation of American Democracy -- Conclusion: Restating the Case for Economic Equality.

"In this impassioned book, Michael J. Thompson reaches back into America's rich intellectual history to reclaim the politics of inequality from the distortion of recent American conservatism. He begins by tracing the development of the idea of economic inequality as it has been conceived by political thinkers throughout American history. Then he considers the change in ideas and values that have led to the acceptance and occasional legitimization of economic divisions. Thompson argues that American liberalism has made a profound departure from its original practice of egalitarian critique. It has all but abandoned its antihierarchical and antiaristocratic discourse. Only by resuscitating this tradition can democracy again become meaningful to Americans."--BOOK JACKET.