The founding of new societies : studies in the history of the united states, latin america, south africa, canada, and australia

350 Pages·1969·66.264 MB·English

by  Hartz, Louis

LOUIS HARTZ
THE FOUNDING OF
NEW SOCIETIES
Studies in the History of
the United States, Latin America,
South Africa, Canada, and Australia
With Contributions by
KENNETH D. MCRAE
RICHARD M. MORSE
*
RICHARD N. ROSECRANCE
LEONARD M. THOMPSON
An important intellectual exploration of the history
of cultures spawned by Europe throughout the world
The hounding of New Societies is an exami­
nation of the patterning of five cultures, all of
which descend in unique fixity from European
origins.
Louis Hartz, extending his method of analysis
in The Liberal Tradition in America (1955),
sees the United States, Latin America, South
Africa, Canada, and Australia as fragments of
Europe. These fragments have a special charac­
ter in that enshrined at the center of their na­
tional lives they retain the ideological complex
that impelled their founding cadres overseas to
establish states. Without the dynamic of their
original European contexts, the ideologies in
question fossilize. The process is a complex one,
but with variations implicit in the different sit­
uations, locations, and natures of men, all the_
cultures discussed are governed by the nature
of the ultimate experience of the peculiarly con­
servative American liberal tradition. Like that
tradition, moreover, they face today a world
challenge which threatens their oldest habits of
thought. Following Mr. Hartz's general synthesis
there are a series of essays by a group of dis­
tinguished experts on the various cultures ex­
amined in the book. These essays roam over
many facets of the cultural experience arising
out of Western colonization and cast significant
light on some of the most critical areas on the
world scene today.
The hounding of Neir Societies is a signal
contribution to the field of comparative history.
By bringing together patterns of national de­
velopment scattered throughout the globe, it
puts those patterns in a truly new perspective.
'File issues it raises are bound to have a pro­
found influence on the way in which historians
work and the generality of men conceive the
means by which the past furnishes the elements
of the future.
HARCOURT, BRACE & WORLD, INC
D"7 Third Avtniu, Netr
V o r / /7 . .
The Founding o f New Societies
Books by Louis Hartz
Economic Policy and Democratic Thought:
Pennsylvania, 1776-1860
The Liberal Tradition in America
The Founding of New Societies
T h e Founding o f
Studies in the History of the United States,
With contributions by
'
Kenneth D. McRae, Richard M. Morse,
Richard N. Rosecrance, Leonard M. Thompson
New Societies
Latin America, South Africa, Canada, and Australia
by LOUIS HARTZ
Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
New York
(c) 1964 by Louis Hartz
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or
by any mechanical means, including mimeograph and tape recorder, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
first edition
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 64-11535
Printed in the United States of America
Preface
I attempt in this study, on the basis of an earlier analysis of
American history from the angle of Europe, to present a general
theory of five societies created by European migration in modern
times. In the course of developing the larger view I arranged a
conference among the contributors to the volume in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, in January, 1961. Since that time, however, the
essays have evolved independently, and no effort has been made
to organize them in a single pattern, save in one or two instances,
mainly for purposes of terminology. They include diverse points
of view and represent the individual responsibility of the au­
thors. I should add that the materials in Chapter Four were origi­
nally delivered as the Commonwealth Lectures in American His­
tory at the University of London in 1962. I am happy to express
here my thanks for the fine hospitality accorded to me at that
time.
Louis Hartz
August, 1964

Contents
Preface vii
Part One
A Theory of the Development of the New Societies 1
by Louis Hartz
Chapter One
The Fragmentation of European Culture and Ideology 3
1 The Fragment 3
2 The Making of the Fragment Tradition 6
3 New Nations Out of Old 11
4 The Racial Question 16
5 The Return to Revolution 20
Chapter Two
Fragmentation Patterns: Feudal, Liberal, and Radical 24
1 Extrication, Atrophy, and Unfolding 24
2 Feudal Traditions 26
3 The Behavior of the Liberal Fragments 33
4 Radicalism 40
5 The Twentieth Century 44
Chapter Three
The European Fragment, Africa, and the Indian Tribes 49
1 Race and Ideology 49
2 The Feudalization of the Race Relationship 53
3 The Enlightenment Polarity 58
4 The New Era 63
IX