Best of
Political-Science

1974

Anatomy of the State


Murray N. Rothbard - 1974
    Following Franz Oppenheimer and Albert Jay Nock, Rothbard regards the state as a predatory entity. It does not produce anything but rather steals resources from those engaged in production. In applying this view to American history, Rothbard makes use of the work of John C. Calhoun.How can an organization of this type sustain itself? It must engage in propaganda to induce popular support for its policies. Court intellectuals play a key role here, and Rothbard cites as an example of ideological mystification the work of the influential legal theorist Charles Black, Jr., on the way the Supreme Court has become a revered institution.

Democracy for the Few


Michael Parenti - 1974
    DEMOCRACY FOR THE FEW is a provocative interpretation of American Government that you have likely not been exposed to in elementary school, high school, or other college courses, and certainly not in the mass media. This textbook shows how democracy is repeatedly violated by corporate oligopolies, but how popular forces have fought back and occasionally made gains in spite of the system. By focusing on the relationship between economic power and political power, discussing actual government practices and policies, conspiracies, propaganda, fraud, secrecy and other ploys of government and politics, this book stands apart in its analysis of how US Government works.

Ceremonial Chemistry: The Ritual Persecution of Drugs, Addicts and Pushers


Thomas Szasz - 1974
    Szasz asserts that such policies scapegoat illegal drugs and the persons who use and sell them, and discourage the breaking of drug habits by pathologizing drug use as "addiction." Reaers will find in Szasz's arguments a cogent and committed response to a worldwide debate.

The Occult Technology of Power


Alpine Enterprises - 1974
    pamphlet

Should Trees Have Standing?: Law, Morality, and the Environment


Christopher D. Stone - 1974
    Supreme Court. Now, in the 35th anniversary edition of this remarkably influential book, Christopher D. Stone updates his original thesis and explores the impact his ideas have had on the courts, the academy, and society as a whole. At the heart of the book is an eminently sensible, legally sound, and compelling argument that the environment should be granted legal rights. For the new edition, Stone explores a variety of recent cases and current events--and related topics such as climate change and protecting the oceans--providing a thoughtful survey of the past and an insightful glimpse at the future of the environmental movement. This enduring work continues to serve as the definitive statement as to why trees, oceans, animals, and the environment as a whole should be bestowed with legal rights, so that the voiceless elements in nature are protected for future generations.

Economics of Colonialism (Yale series in economic history)


Richard D. Wolff - 1974
    

Race and Authority in Urban Politics: Community Relations and the War on Poverty


J. David Greenstone - 1974
    In a series of lively chapters, Greenstone and Peterson show how the coalitions that formed around the community action question developed not out of electoral or organizational interests alone but were strongly influenced by prevailing conceptions of the nature of authority in America. The book stresses the way in which both machine and reform structures affected the ability of minority groups to organize effectively and to form alliances in urban politics. It considers the wide-ranging critiques made of the Community Action Program by conservative, liberal, and radical analysts and finds that all of them fail to appreciate the significance and intensity of the racial cleavage in American politics.

For the Liberation of Brazil


Carlos Marighella - 1974
    In 1968 he and Mario Alves set up their own pro-Cuban Revolutionary Communist Party of Brazil. In the same year he launched Action fat National Liberation (ALN), a series of armed uprisings against the forces of fascist repression in Brazil. In his letters and pamphlets Marighela emphasized the importance of adapting the strategy of the foco, pioneered by Guevara and Debray in the countryside, for use in the towns. By 1969 revolutionary bandits had taken £400,000 from the banks of Rio and São Paulo alone, and had gained widespread support from many sections of the population. After the kidnapping of the United States ambassador had succeeded in securing the release of fifteen rebel prisoners, the military junta resorted to terror and torture in double measure. On 4 November 1969 Marighela was shot dead by police.

Facing Reality


C.L.R. James - 1974