The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution:
Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic
by Ganesh Sitaraman (Author)
In this original, provocative contribution to the
debate over economic inequality, Ganesh Sitaraman argues that a strong and sizable middle class is a
prerequisite for America's constitutional system.
For most of Western history, Sitaraman argues,
constitutional thinkers assumed economic inequality was inevitable and
inescapable--and they designed governments to prevent class divisions from
spilling over into class warfare. The American Constitution is different.
Compared to Europe and the ancient world, America was a society of almost
unprecedented economic equality, and the founding generation saw this equality
as essential for the preservation of America's republic. Over the next two
centuries, generations of Americans fought to sustain the economic
preconditions for our constitutional system. But today, with economic and
political inequality on the rise, Sitaraman says Americans face a choice: Will
we accept rising economic inequality and risk oligarchy or will we rebuild the
middle class and reclaim our republic?
The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution is a tour
de force of history, philosophy, law, and politics. It makes a compelling case
that inequality is more than just a moral or economic problem; it threatens the
very core of our constitutional system.
