THE FORCES THAT SHAPE OUR FUTURE

by Clyde Eagleton ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

Clyde Eagleton is now in the Dept. of State which lends added authority to his lectures given under the James Stokes Lectureship on Politics. Each one of the lectures contributes to a balanced whole and reenforces his central thesis, that an international organisation is a necessity, not a matter of choice. He shows the forces at work in our national history that have brought about this necessity, as we grew from rugged individualism to interdependence and international government. He shows how many factors are already operating; how the pressure of modern war reaches every person, thing and place; how liberty and security have become mutually incompatible unless our thinking can alter itself to inevitable changes in the American idea of capitalism and private enterprise. He indicates the dangers we face -- economically, politically. He discusses the problems of an international police force, granted that law must be backed by force. He outlines the essential steps to international organization, arguing that they must be taken gradually, and that actually many steps are already achieved through functional units (communications, finance, health regulations, etc.) and through technical organization, but that they must be related to a central organization. In his final section he analyses the American character, and stresses the need of the education of the individual to greater understanding and tolerance... Good stuff here -- clearly organized and presented -- and not pedagogical for the average reader. But it's the sort of book that will not catch the imagination of that reader.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: N.Y. University Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1945

Categories: NONFICTION