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This forcefully argued book offers a provocative picture of the political, intellectual, and economic forces that have shaped the history of the United States, offering an extensive and in-depth critique of laissez-faire doctrine and a novel reformulation of the work of American System writers, Gibson traces America´s rise to global supremacy.

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Serving Property or Promoting the General Welfare American System vs. Smith Emerging Oligarchy: Absentee Owners Take Control Imperialism and the Rise of an American Oligarchy FDR and JFK Revive the American System Oligarchs Take Over Foreign Policy Oil, the IMF, and the Free Trade Imperialism Offensive Bush, Laissez Faire, and Free Trade Imperialism Laissez Faire at Home An Oligarchy That Must Change and Can´t Change

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"This is a masterful book. Gibson deftly outlines the current debate over whether government should play a role in promoting economic growth and advancing the general welfare, and traces it to fundamental ideological divides among America s founding statesmen. His critique of the laissez-faire model that now dominates U.S. political thought is both passionate and persuasive." - Kitty Calavita, Chancellor s Professor Emerita, University of California Irvine, and author of Big Money Crime: Fraud and Politics in the Savings and Loan Crisis

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DONALD GIBSON is Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg, USA.

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