This course examines some of the key developments in U.S. economic, political and social history since 1945. We will read from the disciplines of history, political science, economics, policy studies, sociology, business history, urban planning and criminology. The focus is on the rise and fall of the ‘New Deal Order,’ changes in the rate of social mobility, changes in family and class structures, the impact of technological change on labor markets, de-industrialization, globalization, racial divisions, gender, education, tax policies, the rise of the New Right, the fall of the Old Left, the decline of labor unions, economic policy, housing, health, Social Security and the welfare state broadly conceived. The key themes or concerns tying all of this together are trends in inequality and opportunity. For whom has the economy worked? How has this changed over time? Who got what from welfare state in 1945? And who gets what in 2016?
