Henry Adams : the historian as political theorist / James P. Young.

In this volume James P. Young seeks to revive interest in the thought ofHenry Adams by extracting core ideas from his writings concerning both Americanpolitical development and the course of world history and then showing their relevance to the contemporary longing for a democratic revival. In this revisionist study, Young denies that Adams was a reactionary critic of democracy and instead contends that he was an idealistic advocate of representative government. Young focuses on Adams's belief that capitalist industrial development during the Gilded Age had debased American ideals and then turns to a careful study of Adams's famous contrast of the unity of medieval society with the fragmentation of modern technological society. Though fully aware of Adams's concerns about technology, Young rejects the idea that Adams was bitterly opposed to twentieth centurydevelopments in that field. He shows that though a liberal democrat with inclinations toward reform, Adams is much too sophisticated to be captured bya