Book Reviews : The Rise and Fall of the People's Century: Henry A. Wallace and American Liber alism, 1941-1948. By NORMAN D. MARKOWITZ. (New York: Free Press, 1973. Pp. xii, 369. $8.95.)

• Author: Karl A. Lamb
• Published date: 01 March 1974
• Date: 01 March 1974
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/106591297402700112
• Subject Matter: Articles

184
that it is just not polite to sound like a bigot or fascist in public. In point of fact
one’s values are more likely to be reflected in specific choice situations such as that
involving the rights of Communists to speak than in the totally ambiguous situa-
tions of the glittering generality. It is precisely at the concrete operational level that
Devine’s own evidence on consensus collapses.
Difficulties in believing his conclusions are compounded when the author
ignores or arbitrarily dismisses contradictory evidence. Devine dismisses in a foot-
note Michael Mann’s widely cited article critically commenting on the consensus
interpretation with the unelaborated comment that he does not believe the data
supports Mann’s conclusions. Given the fact that Mann’s article directly chal-
lenges with evidence and argument several major points of his book, the response
is inadequate. When it comes to historical studies, Devine cites those of the con-
sensus school but totally ignores well-known historical critics of that view such as
Gabriel Kolko, James Weinstein, William Appleman Williams, and Staughton
Lynn.
Other problems arise from the author’s use of different definitions of consensus
level. While aware that subgroup analysis involves more sampling error, he uses
the weaker definition for his subgroup analysis. His definitions for consensus require
only majority support plus a 10 or 20 percentage point difference for minority
views. Given the weakness of these definitions, the question of opinion intensity is
crucial for the democratic regime problem of an apathetic majority versus an intense
minority. Since his data do not measure intensity, Devine rules discussion of the
problem as outside the scope of his study. Unfortunately, the fact that his evidence
is inadequate does not make the problem of intensity any less real.
While this book purports to be a scientific study of American political culture,
at times it comes dangerously close to being a one-sided...