"Synthesizing the research of a new generation of scholars, Jack Beatty gives us a fresh look at the "revolution from above" of industrialization that forged modern America. In age of Betrayal, Supreme Court justices turn the Fourteenth Amendment's promise to the freed slave of "equal protection of the laws" into the shield of the corporate "person." The presidents of the Pennsylvania and Southern Pacific railroads engage in a bidding war for congressmen. A depression brought on by railroad speculation throws millions out of work, the hungry riot for bread in Buffalo, the homeless sleep on Chicago's streets, "tramps" are arrested, strikers are shot, and the nation's presidents avert their eyes."--BOOK JACKET. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Atlantic Monthly editor Beatty (The Rascal King) clearly invokes a comparison with the present in writing of how, he says, corporations, not the people, ruled America in the Gilded Age. He examines the role of the railroads as the engine of capitalism, the role of protectionist tariffs in raising prices for the common man and how "representative government gave way to bought government." But Beatty ignores the latest literature on that period by the likes of Charles R. Morris, Maury Klein, David Nasaw and David Cannadine. Instead, the post Civil War industrial boom depicted by Beatty mimics that described by the now largely discredited Matthew Josephson author in the 1930s of The Robber Barons whose works Beatty cites. Beatty also references other now-marginalized class-warrior historians, such as Gustavus Myers, in portraying capitalism as a sort of zero-sum game where a dollar pocketed by one individual is inevitably a buck stolen from someone else, overlooking the notion of visionary entrepreneurs creating a surging tide of capital upon which all boats rise. Beatty's view of history seems guided by his liberal impulses and his disillusioned view of American democracy today not the best way to approach history. B&w illus. (Apr. 16) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Indicting the Gilded Age, Beatty adopts an essayist's persona to flay iniquities of the period. Its mystery prompts the author to ask, What reverse alchemy transformed mass enthusiasm [for politics] into policies disfavoring the masses? Turning over explanations, Beatty gives extended play to the eminent historians of Reconstruction, C. Vann Woodward and Eric Foner, and delves into Civil War reforms, such as the Thirteenth through Fifteenth Amendments and the Homestead Act. However, such reforms were thwarted by atrocities against blacks and land-grant shenanigans that advantaged railroads over farmers. Also prevalent in this era was corporate buccaneering, which to Beatty is best represented by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Jay Gould, and Andrew Carnegie, and which flavors his wider account of depressions, strikes, and elections. Weaving episodes of corruption into his narrative, and culminating with the Populist Party of the 1890s, Beatty maintains an opinionated indignation throughout. The NPR pundit's lively interpretation of the era should engage those interested in social and economic history. GilbertTaylor. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner named it the "Gilded Age." Literary historian Vernon Parrington called it "The Great Barbecue." Now Beatty (Atlantic Monthly) adds his assessment with this thematic emphasis on the betrayal of democracy by monied interests. Two points separate this account from others that deal with the same period. First and most important, Beatty does an excellent job integrating the recent scholarship across political, economic, and social fields to enrich his narrative. Drawing on the implications of corporate structure and privilege advanced by the US Supreme Court, he provides insight into elected officials' complicity in the resulting legislative corruption and failure to regulate this unprecedented concentration of wealth. Second, Beatty acknowledges that his interpretation stands in the shadow of current events; for him, the pace and intensity of corporate greed, political complicity, and corruption over the past 25 years match the degradation of this earlier time. Avoiding polemic, he argues in an informed way that the stakes are enormous in the failure to hold the powerful accountable for their actions. If the original "Gilded Age" betrayed the ideals and sacrifices of the Civil War, then the current "Great Betrayal" undermines the ideals that the US embodies as a democracy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students. Reviewed by J. Kleiman. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Jack Beatty is a senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly and news analyst for On Point, a National Public Radio news and public affairs program. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Introduction	xi
1 Annihilating Space	3
2 Rome of the Railroads	27
3 "Vote Yourself a Tariff"	54
4 "Vote Yourself a Farm"	72
5 The Inverted Constitution	109
6 The Scandal of Santa Clara	148
7 Anti-Democracy	192
8 Tom Scott, Political Capitalist	232
9 Bread or Blood	269
10 The Politics of the Future	303
11 Revolution from Above	346
12 Mississippi and the American Way	377
Retrospect	390
Acknowledgments	393
Notes	395
Index	465

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