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Drift and Mastery: An Attempt to Diagnose the Current Unrest Paperback – May 13, 2015

by Walter Lippmann (Author), William E. Leuchtenburg (Introduction), Ganesh Sitaraman (Foreword)
4.3 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
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In 1914, a brilliant young political journalist published a book arguing that the United States had entered a period of “drift”—a lack of control over rapidly changing forces in society. He highlighted the tensions between expansion and consolidation, traditionalism and progressivism, and emotion and rationality. He wrote to convince readers that they could balance these tensions: they could be organized, efficient, and functional without sacrificing impulse, choice, or liberty. Mastery over drift is attainable, Walter Lippmann argued, through diligent attention to facts and making active choices. Democracy, Lippman wrote, is “a use of freedom, an embrace of opportunity.”
            Lippman’s Drift and Mastery became one of the most important and influential documents of the Progressive Movement. It remains a valuable text for understanding the political thought of early twentieth-century America and a lucid exploration of timeless themes in American government and politics. Distinguished historian Walter Leuchtenberg’s 1986 introduction and notes are retained in this edition.
            Ganesh Sitaraman, who has provided a foreword for this centennial edition, suggests that Lippmann’s classic still has much to say to twenty-first-century progressives. The underlying solutions for our time, he believes, are similar to those of Lippman’s era. Sitaraman contends that American society can regain mastery over drift by reforming finance and reducing inequality, by rethinking the relationship between corporations and workers, and by embracing changes in social life.
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  1. Print length
    206 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Wisconsin Press
  4. Publication date
    May 13, 2015
  5. Dimensions
    8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0299304841
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0299304843
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“For readers who are interested in the history of ideas and in twentieth-century politics, Drift and Mastery will make fascinating reading. It is brief and easy to read, and yet it has depth of thought. Lippmann’s masterful writing style and the pungent statements he uses to define the issues of his time are remarkable for a young man in his early twenties.”―The Social Science Journal


“Devilishly well-written . . . altogether a delightful fresh piece of writing and thinking.”―Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.


“Impressively well written . . . this new Centennial Edition of a timeless classic 20th-century political science treatise is now available to a whole new generation of appreciative readers. . . . Very strongly recommended for community and academic library collections in political science, American history, and journalism.”—Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) was an American public intellectual, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, and widely read columnist on American politics and foreign policy. He cofounded the New Republic magazine, advised several presidents, and notably was the first to popularize the term “cold war,” in his 1947 book The Cold War. William E. Leuchtenburg is the William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ganesh Sitaraman is an assistant professor at Vanderbilt Law School and former policy director and senior counsel to candidate and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Wisconsin Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 13, 2015
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 206 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0299304841
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0299304843
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • K. Ketel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Are we still drifting?
    Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2007
    Lippman's erudite and insightful observations about the world around him are still very pertinent today. Lippman goes on throughout the book to make keen observations about the society around him hoping the reader will take note. The main idea is that the culture has approached a crossroads and will need to make a decision about where to go next: Should the changes and cultural norms be mastered? Or will we just drift along letting them control us. This is one of the first and monumental Lippman works, differing from his post WW1 analysis of the world. Keep in mind this work is the last where Lippman contends that we can still take hold of our destiny and master the changes. With the publication of "Public Opinion" and the new idea of the Phantom public, Lippman has no faith in the public or their observations to take charge and master the world around them. Overall great introduction to Lippman and culture in the progressive era.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Nate
    3.0 out of 5 stars The Tripe That Got Us Here
    Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    As far as Lippmann's beliefs are concerned - it's 100% neoliberal wants, masquerading as 'progress'.
    I'm giving it 3 stars strictly because of its historical relevance.
    Written in a time before globalists had 100% control of America (you still had the 'William Jennings Bryan types' vying for political position) it shows clearly that what we now consider '2 opposing sides' are actually one belief system that has been split in two - giving an illusion of choice, where there is none.
    All of his 'hopeful predictions' about his beliefs being thoroughly destroyed by contemporary empirical realities - in particular his anti family rhetoric.
    You can tell he thought one could bring egalitarianism via secular law - while still saving the finer aspects of humanity with pearls of wisdom directed at the individual. Highly naive, to say the least.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Lawrence Kwong
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of his time
    Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2002
    Walter Lippmann's vision of a cooperative America in 1914 has withstood the test of time as a paradigm for retaining our humanity during industrialization. His emphasis on science, communication, labor organization, and the women's movement has uncannily mirrored the intervening 90 years. Although a few of his sentiments and observations are outdated, the majority of his recommendations are still applicable to today's society.
    The title is the clearest indication of the timeless pertinence of this work. In all eras of change, drift has been of the utmost importance. In today's world of exponentially progressing technology and corporate mechanization, we often feel helpless against the tides of nation-wide change. Mastery, then, is the ability to band together and set those changes on the course of prosperity without sacrificing our individuality.
    Lippmann outlines the problems, solutions, and repercussions of mastery. Despite some aspects of the text being idealistic or anachronistic, much of what he predicted has come to pass. Although the average reader like myself may not be able to put Lippmann's ideas into direct action, his concepts still ought to help understand our responsibilities as citizens.
    7 people found this helpful
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