A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead [Paperback]

Zachary Karabell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 2002

In this penetrating volume, Zachary Karabell examines the continuous thread that runs through the tapestry of the American experience -- the belief that we can create a perfect society -- and envisions what the next great era will be. Just as the Puritan vision of a city on a hill was supplanted by the Founding Fathers' vision of individuality, just as the expansive vision of a government-led Great Society was eclipsed by the New Economy of the 1990s, so too is the New Economy being replaced by what Karabell contends will be a period when community and spirituality occupy center stage.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

By writing A Visionary Nation, Zachary Karabell has moved from the modestly narrow to the breathtakingly broad. His previous book, The Last Campaign, focused on the 1948 presidential election; this new one offers a grand, unified theory of all American history. Karabell proposes that the United States has experienced five complete historical cycles, all of them linked by varying forms of utopian dreaming. "Running through the currents of our history is a presumption that it is possible to have it all. And not just that a few people can have it all, but that all of us can have it all." The current manifestation of this pattern--the sixth cycle--is the New Economy of technological transformation, and it won't last forever. It will pass away like all the other cycles before it, from the Puritan vision for a City on a Hill (the first cycle) to the New Deal and Great Society eras of government activism in the 20th century (the fifth cycle). "Heady images of a perfect future quickly turn to dark pictures of a society going down the drain," writes Karabell. "A new stage forms, and the pattern begins again."

This is, to say the least, an ambitious thesis--and yet Karabell is a good enough writer to make it worthwhile for history buffs intrigued by his notion, even if they are not ready to endorse it. (In many ways, A Visionary Nation is a competent history of what America thinks of itself.) The book takes an interesting turn toward speculation when Karabell proposes his own vision for what the inevitably forthcoming seventh cycle will hold: "The utopian vision of connectedness will dream of a society in which people focus on their own emotional growth with the same fervor, sophistication, and intensity that they now focus on enhancing the New Economy." In fundamental ways, the spirituality and communitarianism Karabell foresees in the seventh stage will be a direct response to the materialism he sees in the sixth one. If this all sounds zany, don't bother with A Visionary Nation. But readers attracted to this idea--plus fans of Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.'s The Cycles of American History and William Strauss and Neil Howe's Generations--ought to find it fascinating. --John Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

"The magical fusion of the Web, the computer, and the stock market is a unique product of our cultural moment; the presence of visionaries who believe that they are fundamentally transforming culture is not," writes Zachary Karabell (The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election) in A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead. He traces the visionary drive behind U.S. evolution from the Puritans' city on a hill to, to westward expansion and Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth"; governmental growth precipitated by Teddy Roosevelt and realized under the New Deal; and the 1990s New Economy. Lastly, Karabell predicts three possible global scenarios: more people will make more money until "the rewards will be diffused throughout society"; the stock market will collapse, with all the attendant losses; or "the New Economy doesn't collapse but also doesn't fulfill its incredible promise." Perceptive, edgy and articulate, Karabell embodies the voice and perspective (tempered by considerable historical research) of millions of 20- and 30-something intellectuals and professionals.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1st edition (June 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060084421
• ISBN-13: 978-0060084424
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,718,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, thought-provoking book, December 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead (Hardcover)

Karabell is one of those rare birds who's obviously supersmart and broadly knowledgeable, but who writes cleanly and accessibly about important subjects for a general reader. In the past he's done everything from diplomatic history to a study of the American higher educational system to a book about the 1948 election, and all were excellent, although not particularly widely read. I hope this one finds a larger audience, because it really deserves it. He goes over the entire sweep of American history, capturing the essence of different ages, and tells us where we've been and where we're going. A must-read for people interested in the general course of national views on politics, the market, and society.

5.0 out of 5 stars An examination of our great expectations, October 14, 2009

By 

G. Andrews (Dayton, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead (Paperback)

I bought A VISIONARY NATION after hearing Mr. Karabell express investment opinions on tv. His was a world view, not a narrow Wall Street trader's view and when I googled him I found that he had written several books on history & political science.

From the preface:
"The United States is a visionary nation. Americans believe in the promise of a better world. Unlike other societies, the United States has no shared ethnicity, no common religion, no sense of historical heritage. Instead, there is an idea. Running through the currents of our history is a presumption that it is possible to have it all...."

The book summarizes Karabell's interpretation of the succession of utopian visions we have followed and then abandoned when they failed to provide us with all the contradictory things we desired, e.g. money AND happiness, independence AND community, etc. The Religion of the early Puritans gave way to Individualism and freedom in the Revolutionary period. After separation from England a vision of national Unity took hold, solidified by the Civil War. But that didn't provide everyone with everything and so the idea of economic and geographical Expansion evolved to provide opportunity for all. This was the era of the robber barons and opportunity went mainly to the few. It was also a messy period and led to the vision of Government as regulator of industry and protector of the people.

We have entered the stage of disenchantment with the ability of government to solve all problems and are presently looking to the Market and the Internet to bring us wealth and happiness. This also is unlikely to bring us spiritual fulfillment or to improve the lot of the majority, so another idea will eventually evolve. Karabell theorizes that this will be Connectedness. (The book was published in 2001 and a lot has happened since then, but recent trends seem to confirm that idea.) In a final section he discusses possible alternatives to chasing one idealistic conception after another.

I recommend this book on every level. Karabell's writing style is clear, concise and straightforward and his ideas strike me as original, well-reasoned and extensively researched. In my humble opinion the subject is important and helps to explain our collective schizophrenia.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What about. . ., September 19, 2001

By 

jimc (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead (Hardcover)

A fun and informative book. What about. . . I believe that Eisenhower's leadership on the development of the interstate system has had as great an impact on the culture and vision of America as some of the other references made by the author.
CORRECTION: We of Kentucky roots want the author and the editors of the book to know that the reference to Cane Ridge on page 56 is incorrect. Cane Ridge is in Kentucky, not Tennessee.