Beyond the Liberal Consensus : Political History of the United States Since 1965

Beyond the Liberal Consensus is a broad survey of the recent political history of the United States for students and others interested in contemporary America.

In looking at the Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush administrations, it focuses on three principal themes: changes in party politics and domestic policy; political debate over foreign affairs; and the country's shifting economic fortunes. lwan Morgan argues that the 'liberal consensus' which shaped US politics after the World War II - based on the country's undisputed political and economic predominance and the politics of New Deal liberalism promoted by the Democratic Party collapsed in the mid-1960s.

Since then, political dispute and conflict rather than consensus have characterised the role of government in social and economic matters and in foreign policy.

The author argues in conclusion that, despite the electoral success of Ronald Reagan, nothing resembling a conservative consensus came into being in the 1980s, and there are signs that President Clinton intends bringing back certain elements of classic Democratic liberalism.