The New Class War: Saving Democracy from the Metropolitan Elite

An Evening Standard's Book of the Year 'A tour de force.' David Goodhart All over the West, party systems have shattered and governments have been thrown into turmoil. The embattled establishment claims that these populist insurgencies seek to overthrow liberal democracy. The truth is no less alarming but is more complex: Western democracies are being torn apart by a new class war. In this controversial and groundbreaking analysis, Michael Lind, one of America's leading thinkers, debunks the idea that the insurgencies are primarily the result of bigotry and reveals the real battle lines. He traces how the breakdown of class compromises has left large populations in Western democracies politically adrift. We live in a globalized world that benefits elites in high income 'hubs' while suppressing the economic and social interests of those in more traditional lower-wage 'heartlands'. A bold framework for understanding the world, The New Class War argues that only a fresh class settlement can avert a never-ending cycle of clashes between oligarchs and populists - and save democracy.

Table of Contents:
0: Introduction 1: The New Class War 2: Hubs and Heartlands 3: World Wars and New Deals 4: The Neoliberal Revolution from Above 5: The Populist Counterrevolution from Below 6: Russian Puppets and Nazis 7: The Workerless Paradise 8: Countervailing Power 9: Making the World Safe for Democratic Pluralism 10: Epilogue

About the Author :
Michael Lind is the author of more than a dozen books of nonfiction, fiction and poetry. He is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, Politico, The Financial Times, The National Interest, Foreign Policy and The International Economy. He has taught at Harvard and Johns Hopkins and has been an editor or staff writer for The New Yorker, Harper's, and The New Republic.

Review :
Sharply argued... Lind's book offers a bracing, and at times brilliant, polemic. Lind's diagnosis is sharp and insightful... an invaluable contribution to understanding the political currents of our times and placing them in a historical context. Long after we have stopped talking about Trump and Brexit, the challenges Lind identifies will define our debate. [Lind's] primary thesis is correct, and his tome contains a myriad of powerful insights and brilliant vignettes. Lind's argument is compelling and clear. The best analysis of populism I have yet read, including a brilliant put-down of the absurd idea that the Russians are destabilising our politics. A tour de force. In a pithy, but subtle, analysis of western politics Lind argues that populism is a reaction against a technocratic neoliberalism that has stripped non-college-educated workers of economic bargaining power, political influence and cultural dignity. Hard-hitting, compelling and ultimately convincing. A lot has been written about the current era of political turbulence, but a lot of this work misses the mark. If you want to beat the populists, start here. Does it seem to you that Western society is coming apart, in ways that you don't understand? If so, then you must read this book. Lind's insights are so profound that I found myself highlighting almost every paragraph. Vital reading. Michael Lind is one of America's great iconoclasts. A brave and timely book. Michael Lind has written an indispensable guide to our present political backdrop. By linking geography and class through the concepts of 'hubs and heartlands', he develops a generous understanding of the appeal of sovereignty and democratic politics to working class people who have been excluded from not only power, but participation in their national politics. Excellent... If you want to understand the political defeat of liberalism and the coming realignment in capitalist democracies read this book.