The Paranoid Style in American Politics

The classic and very funny account of the dark side of American politics ‘Calm, clear, dispassionate and devastating – and a joy to read’ Harper's ‘Brilliant and influential … his evisceration of populism has found a new generation of readers’ Guardian ‘American political life … has served again and again as an arena for uncommonly angry minds’ How can a country be captured by rumours, surreal conspiracy theories and the most brazen of conmen? The historian Richard Hofstadter asked these questions in the 1960s, amid fears of rising extremism in America. Yet his dazzling dissection of the paranoid worldview – a brew of overheated exaggeration, suspicion and perceived victimhood that can derail entire nations – is a lesson for the ages in the seductive politics of the irrational. In an era where we ourselves feel assailed by endless paranoid public statements it is comforting to read Hofstadter’s incisive refusal to see these as something new . In his discussion of famous and obscure untruths, some of which have profoundly impacted American domestic and foreign policy, he provides the antidote for the present day. ‘The Paranoid Style in American Politics’ was first published as an essay in Harper’s Magazine in late 1964 and has been argued over ever since.

The classic and very funny account of the dark side of American politics ‘Calm, clear, dispassionate and devastating – and a joy to read’ Harper's ‘Brilliant and influential … his evisceration of populism has found a new generation of readers’ Guardian ‘American political life … has served again and again as an arena for uncommonly angry minds’ How can a country be captured by rumours, surreal conspiracy theories and the most brazen of conmen? The historian Richard Hofstadter asked these questions in the 1960s, amid fears of rising extremism in America. Yet his dazzling dissection of the paranoid worldview – a brew of overheated exaggeration, suspicion and perceived victimhood that can derail entire nations – is a lesson for the ages in the seductive politics of the irrational. In an era where we ourselves feel assailed by endless paranoid public statements it is comforting to read Hofstadter’s incisive refusal to see these as something new . In his discussion of famous and obscure untruths, some of which have profoundly impacted American domestic and foreign policy, he provides the antidote for the present day. ‘The Paranoid Style in American Politics’ was first published as an essay in Harper’s Magazine in late 1964 and has been argued over ever since.

This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.In The Paranoid Style in American Politics , acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence -- and derail -- the larger agendas of a political party. He investigates the politics of the irrational, shedding light on how the behavior of individuals can seem out of proportion with actual political issues, and how such behavior impacts larger groups. With such other classic essays as "Free Silver and the Mind of 'Coin' Harvey" and "What Happened to the Antitrust Movement?, " The Paranoid Style in American Politics remains both a seminal text of political history and a vital analysis of the ways in which political groups function in the United States.

This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.In The Paranoid Style in American Politics , acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence -- and derail -- the larger agendas of a political party. He investigates the politics of the irrational, shedding light on how the behavior of individuals can seem out of proportion with actual political issues, and how such behavior impacts larger groups. With such other classic essays as "Free Silver and the Mind of 'Coin' Harvey" and "What Happened to the Antitrust Movement?, " The Paranoid Style in American Politics remains both a seminal text of political history and a vital analysis of the ways in which political groups function in the United States.