The Amateur Democrat: Club Politics In Three Cities
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
At the intersection of idealism and political machinery, The Amateur Democrat: Club Politics in Three Cities presents a landmark study of a fascinating postwar phenomenon — the rise of the amateur politician, a new breed of civic activist who challenged the entrenched, patronage-driven Democratic Party organizations in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. James Q. Wilson meticulously chronicles the internal workings of these grassroots Democratic clubs, dissecting the motivations, tactics, and ideological commitments that set the amateur apart from the seasoned, pragmatic party professional. With the precision of a political scientist and the narrative clarity of a seasoned observer, Wilson illustrates how these citizen-activists prized principle over compromise, often clashing bitterly with the old guard machines that had long dominated urban Democratic politics. Beyond its vivid case studies, this work argues persuasively that the tension between amateur idealism and professional pragmatism is not merely a historical curiosity but a fundamental and enduring fault line within American liberal politics. Wilson's analysis anticipates the broader transformation of the Democratic Party in the decades that followed, making this text a prescient and indispensable work of political sociology. Rigorous in its methodology yet compellingly readable, it raises a question that still resonates today: can a political movement built on moral conviction survive — or must it ultimately bend to the imperatives of power?
Author: James Q. Wilson
Format: Paperback
Genre: Politics & law
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
At the intersection of idealism and political machinery, The Amateur Democrat: Club Politics in Three Cities presents a landmark study of a fascinating postwar phenomenon — the rise of the amateur politician, a new breed of civic activist who challenged the entrenched, patronage-driven Democratic Party organizations in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. James Q. Wilson meticulously chronicles the internal workings of these grassroots Democratic clubs, dissecting the motivations, tactics, and ideological commitments that set the amateur apart from the seasoned, pragmatic party professional. With the precision of a political scientist and the narrative clarity of a seasoned observer, Wilson illustrates how these citizen-activists prized principle over compromise, often clashing bitterly with the old guard machines that had long dominated urban Democratic politics. Beyond its vivid case studies, this work argues persuasively that the tension between amateur idealism and professional pragmatism is not merely a historical curiosity but a fundamental and enduring fault line within American liberal politics. Wilson's analysis anticipates the broader transformation of the Democratic Party in the decades that followed, making this text a prescient and indispensable work of political sociology. Rigorous in its methodology yet compellingly readable, it raises a question that still resonates today: can a political movement built on moral conviction survive — or must it ultimately bend to the imperatives of power?