Liberalism in Crisis: Syllabus

Reconsidering American liberalism from the New Deal to the present

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I’m sharing a slightly condensed version of my “Liberalism in Crisis” syllabus, which we’ll be using in our Fall 2025 study group, in case anyone’s interested in checking out these books, articles, films, and videos on their own. Feel free to leave any questions, thoughts, or suggestions in the comments — I’m always updating this as I get new ideas and will be working on related issues in the future.

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I. INTRODUCTION

1. What is liberalism?:  Do you identify as a liberal? Why or why not?

   1. Readings (see linked Google doc): Short overview of definitions of liberalism, how scholars have explained its historical origins, and key critiques from both left- and right-wing perspectives.

   2. Additional resources: “Liberalism,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2022); John Locke, excerpts from The Second Treatise on Government (1690); John Gray, Liberalism (1995) 

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II. THE NEW DEAL ORDER

2. FDR, Keynes, & the Cold War (1930s-60s): What were the central characteristics of the New Deal order? What factors help explain its rise?

   1. Reading: Gary Gerstle, The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era (Oxford University Press, 2022), Intro & Chap. 1, “Rise” 

   2. Videos: Daily Dose Documentary, “Hoovervilles of the Great Depression” & “Flint Sit-Down Strike” (3 minutes each, both on “Liberalism in Crisis” YouTube playlist)

   3. Additional resources:  Foreword to Schlesinger, The Vital Center (1949) (Google doc, pages 13-14); “The Cold War in Depth” (18 minute video); Toure F. Reed, Toward Freedom: The Case Against Race Reductionism (2020)

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3. From LBJ’s “Great Society” to Carter’s “Crisis of Confidence” (1960s-70s): What pivotal political, cultural, and economic developments contributed to the incipient breakdown of the New Deal order? 

   1. Reading: Gerstle, Rise and Fall, Chap. 2, “Fall” 

   2. Film: Something on key sociocultural developments of the time (civil rights, the counterculture, the New Left, etc.) Suggestions: “Berkeley in the Sixties” (1990 documentary, 3 minute trailer here); “Eyes on the Prize” (1987 documentary series, trailer here); relevant videos from the YouTube playlist

   3. Additional resources: “Harlan County USA” (1976 documentary, trailer here); Todd Gitlin, The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage (1987); Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried (2009)

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III. THE NEOLIBERAL ORDER

4. The Reagan Revolution (1980s): What factors help explain the success of the “Reagan Revolution”? What were key elements of the neoliberal order it inaugurated? 

   1. Reading: Gerstle, Rise and Fall, pp. 73-75 & Chap. 4, “Ascent” 

   2. Videos: Explore Reagan videos on “Liberalism in Crisis” YouTube playlist

   3. Additional resources: George H. Nash, The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 (30th anniversary edition, 2006); Charles Murry, Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980 (1984); Mark Gerson, ed., The Essential Neo-Conservative Reader (1996)

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5. Clinton & the “End of History” (1990s): How did the end of the Cold War facilitate the consolidation of the neoliberal order? Why did the “cultural left” work well within this new neoliberal paradigm?

   1. Reading: Gerstle, Rise and Fall, Chap. 5, “Triumph” (skip pp. 165-178 if you don’t want to go in-depth on telecom and financial deregulation)

   2. Videos: Ross Perot, “A Giant Sucking Sound” (1992 Presidential Debate; 2½ minute video); National Women’s History Museum, “Feminism: The Third Wave” (2020); Camille Paglia on “60 Minutes” (1992)

   3. Additional resources: Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?” (1989), Intro (p. 1) & Part V (pp. 12-13); Christopher Lasch, The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy (1995); Daniel T. Rogers, Age of Fracture (2011)

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6. From the War on Terror to the Great Recession (2000s)

   1. In Gerstle’s view, neoliberalism guided a lot of the Bush Administration’s decision-making vis-a-vis the Iraq War and the subprime mortgage bubble. Do you agree with his assessment? How well did the Obama Administration respond to the 2008 financial crisis?

   2. Reading: Gerstle, Rise and Fall, Chap. 6, “Hubris” 

   3. Film: “Inside Job” (2010 documentary, free on YouTube)

   4. Additional resources: James McMurtry, “We Can't Make It Here Anymore” (2005; 7-minute music video); Matt Taibbi, “The Great American Bubble Machine,” Rolling Stone (2010); “The Big Short” (2015 film based on 2011 book)

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IV. FROM NEOLIBERALISM TO — WHAT?

7. Left & Right Populist Blowback (2008 - 2016): Do you agree with Gerstle’s characterization of Trump, Sanders, HRC, BLM, etc.? How does his failure to address the rise of “wokeism” affect his analysis? In what ways did left- and right-wing populism, as well as the responses of the Democrat and Republican parties to it, overlap or diverge?

   1. Readings: Gerstle, Rise and Fall, Chap. 7, “Coming Apart”; Shant Mesrobian, “The Left’s Culture War Rebranding,” American Affairs (2020); Publius Decius Mus (Michael Anton), “The Flight 93 Election,” Claremont Review of Books (2016); Trump’s 2017 Inaugural Address

   2. Additional resources: Patrick J. Deneen, Why Liberalism Failed (2019 edition; excerpt available here); Critical Legal Studies documentary (20 minutes); Jacob E. & Jeannie Suk Gersen, “The Sex Bureaucracy,” California Law Review (2016)

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8. A New Political Order? (2016 - Present): Do you agree with Gerstle’s take on the Biden Administration? To what extent can it counter critiques made by Cass, Siegal, and others? Best case scenario, should American liberalism be preserved, reformed, or replaced? What path (if any) offers the most promising way forward?

   1. Readings: Gerstle, Rise and Fall, Chap. 8, “The End”; Jacob Siegel, “A Guide to Understanding the Hoax of the Century: Thirteen Ways of Looking at Disinformation,” Tablet (2023); Oren Cass, “This is What Elite Failure Looks Like” (New York Times, 2024)

   2. Additional resources: Michael Anton, “Are the Kids Al(t) Right?,” Claremont Review of Books (2019); Samuel Moyn, Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times (2023, author interview available here); Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson, Abundance (2025, review available here)

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