Fourth Revolution

The USA has been going through a new kind of revolution, which though it did not literally overthrow the government, transformed racial, gender, and other social relationships, and bequeathed the deep divisions now felt in the nation's politics and culture.

The Fourth Revolution examines the momentous social changes that have taken place in the United States in recent decades, placing protests such as the civil rights movement, feminism, and student demonstrations against the Vietnam War in the context of other cultural "revolutions" in American history. By comparing the unique events of the 1960s with the religious revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries (the first revolution), the democratic political revolution of the 18th century (the second revolution), and the economic revolution of the New Deal during the first half of the 20th century (the third revolution), The Fourth Revolution shows how the cyclical nature of social movements has come to define not only American history but also the nation's ideal of progress. Extending to controversies during the past quarter-century over everything from gay rights to the culture wars, this absorbing book also looks ahead to potential targets of the next (fifth) revolution, including militant environmentalism, a repudiation of science and technology, and an ethic of anti-success.

Robert V. Daniels is professor emeritus of History at the University of Vermont. He is the author of Russia's Transformation and The End of the Communist Revolution (Routledge).