Individualism, dynamism, and liberalization have come at the cost of dwindling solidarity, cohesion, and social order. Both parties are blind to how America has changed over the past half century–as the large, consolidated institutions that once dominated our economy, politics, and culture have fragmented and become smaller, more diverse, and personalized. In The Fractured Republic, Yuval Levin argues that this politics of nostalgia is failing twenty-first-century Americans. Each side thinks returning to its golden age could solve America’s problems. The Right looks back to the Reagan Era, when deregulation and lower taxes spurred the economy, cultural traditionalism seemed resurgent, and America was confident and optimistic. The Left looks back to the middle of the twentieth century, when unions were strong, large public programs promised to solve pressing social problems, and the movements for racial integration and sexual equality were advancing. No wonder, then, that Americans–and the politicians who represent them–are overwhelmingly nostalgic for a better time. And our politics has failed to rise to these challenges. Our governing institutions often seem paralyzed. Income inequality, cultural divisions, and political polarization increasingly pull us apart. Our economy is sluggish, and leaves workers insecure. The Fractured Republic: Renewing America’s Social Contract in the Age of IndividualismĬlick here to purchase The Fractured Republic: Renewing America’s Social Contract in the Age of Individualism on Amazon.Īmericans today are frustrated and anxious.

The Fractured Republic by Yuval Levin