“Sweeping and ambitious . . . Fraser weaves together a rich tapestry of history, statistics and barely suppressed outrage.”—Washington Post

From the Revolution through the Civil Rights Movement, Americans mobilized against political, social, and economic privilege. But over the last half-century that political will has vanished. In The Age of Acquiescence, Steve Fraser explains why. His account of national transformation brilliantly examines the rise of American capitalism, the visionary attempts to protect the democratic commonwealth, and the great surrender to today’s delusional fables of freedom and the politics of fear. Effervescent and razorsharp, The Age of Acquiescence is indispensable for understanding why we no longer fight for a more just society, and how we can revive the great American tradition of resistance in our own time.

Praise for The Age of Acquiescence

“Fascinating.”

—Naomi Klein, New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice)

“Fraser longs for the passion and force with which Americans of earlier generations attacked aggregated power.”

—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker

“Provocative.... A perceptive reading of the current zeitgeist.”

—Michael Kazin, Slate

“Fraser offers a sweeping, forcefully argued comparison between, on the one hand, the economy, ideology, and politics of the first Gilded Age and, on the other, the contemporary political scene.”

—Kim Phillips-Fein, Atlantic

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