David H. Kamens is Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Northern Illinois University.

1. Introduction
2. The United States in Comparative Perspective
3. The Embedded State
4. The Collectivist Moment
5. The Liberal Activist Society
6. The Intensification of Individualism and the Displacement of Citizenship
7. The Growth of Big Government and the Conservative Counterattack
8. The Breakup of the Postwar Order
9. The Intensification of Populism and the Declining Legitimacy of Elites
10. From Consensus to Culture Wars
11. Conclusion