Description
Product Description Argues the challenge that modern democracies face is the conflict between the disenfranchised and society's need for economic growth From Publishers Weekly Hammering out a liberal policy of basic economic entitlements for all citizens should be number one on any modern democracy's political agenda, argues Dahrendorf, a political theorist at St. Antony's College, Oxford. But labeling the author a liberal would oversimplify his unorthodox thinking. For example, he suggests community service and redistribution of work as possible options for achieving greater equality. He criticizes World Bank foreign-aid projects that benefit the haves while leaving the have-nots in the lurch. The German-born Dahrendorf repeats his often-criticized thesis that Hitler's National Socialism cleared the way for Germany's modernization. The least convincing sections of his book argue that class conflict is a dead issue. The most original parts develop provocative views, such as his assertion that the Soviet Union and China are closer to autocracy than to totalitarianism. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
