Liberty and Coercion: The Paradox of American Government from the Founding to the Present Hardcover - 2015

"Brilliant."--Michael Kazin, Politico

"A landmark work of political history that will make liberals, conservatives, and radicals rethink their assumptions about the weak or strong American state. With great authority and muscular prose, Gerstle explains the development of the United States as a narrative of continuities and discontinuities, growing centralization, and enduring limits on federal power."--Michael Kazin, author of American Dreamers

"A beautifully intricate history of the twin impulses of American political life: the movement toward a more powerful state, and away from one. Gary Gerstle tracks this contradiction across its many different dimensions--from the states to the federal government, and from private morality to public policy--to shed much-needed light on the deep-seated conflicts of the present."--David Runciman, author of The Confidence Trap

"Gary Gerstle is one of the country's best and most thoughtful historians. He specializes in shedding light on important parts of our national story that we have overlooked. After reading Liberty and Coercion you will never be able to think about our founding or our present in quite the same way. Gerstle shows persuasively how both impulses were present at the creation of our republic and how the states retained an enormous reservoir of coercive power long after the Bill of Rights was adopted. This is a genuinely pathbreaking work."--E. J. Dionne Jr., author of Souled Out and Our Divided Political Heart

"This impressive analytical history of the liberal state--liberal in its quest for freedom, statist in its forcible claims and behavior--offers a compelling, original framework within which to consider some of the most vexing issues in American life, from the founding to the present. Written with verve and based on a depth of understanding, Liberty and Coercion is sweeping, reflective, and significant."--Ira Katznelson, author of Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time

"This outstanding, bold, and provocative book offers a sophisticated but very accessible exploration into the relationship between the state and governance throughout U.S. history. Gerstle writes with authority, economy, and clarity, and I can't think of another work like this one. It will become an important part of the conversation about the character of American politics."--Steven Hahn, author of A Nation under Our Feet

"As The Federalist Papers pointed out, an enduring constitution must create not only a government strong enough to accomplish intensely difficult tasks but also controls over the government that preserve liberty and autonomy. Tracing, explaining, and evaluating these delicate balances over three centuries require an extraordinary historian. That person is Gary Gerstle and his book Liberty and Coercion will shape how we understand American governance for years to come."--Jennifer Hochschild, coauthor of Creating a New Racial Order

"Liberty and Coercion is a much-needed, cogent, and deftly executed exploration of the American state. Gerstle's lucid and widely informed argument provides insights never advanced before and will attract a wide readership. This book is a home run."--Daniel Carpenter, Harvard University