"American values are quite complex," writes Seymour Martin Lipset, "particularly because of paradoxes within our culture that permit pernicious and beneficial social phenomena to arise simultaneously from the same basic beliefs."

Born out of revolution, the United States has always considered itself an exceptional country of citizens unified by an allegiance to a common set of ideals, individualism, anti-statism, populism, and egalitarianism. This ideology, Professor Lipset observes, defines the limits of political debate in the United States and shapes our society.

American Exceptionalism explains why socialism has never taken hold in the United States, why Americans are resistant to absolute quotas as a way to integrate blacks and other minorities, and why American religion and foreign policy have a moralistic, crusading streak.

About the Author
Seymour Martin Lipset is the Hazel Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University and a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Reviews
"[A] magisterial attempt to distill a lifetime of learning about America into a persuasive brief . . . [by] the dean of American political sociologists." -- Carlin Romano - Boston Globe
"Invariably perceptive and revealing." -- The Economist
"An illuminating new book." -- David Gergen - U.S. News & World Report



Book Information
ISBN 9780393037258
Author Seymour Martin Lipset
Format Hardback
Page Count 356
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 679g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 165mm * 33mm