The California Republic: Institutions, Statesmanship, and Policies

by Brian P. Janiskee

Book Overview

The essays in The California Republic explore the evolution of Progressivism in California and also its contemporary policy consequences. Designed to work in tandem with other texts or as a stand-alone reader, the book examines themes ranging from founding principles to institutions, from local government to statesmanship, and from elections to policy analysis. By daring to use a variety of approaches, these essays lead to a greater understanding...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0742532518
• ISBN13: 9780742532519
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 390 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Very Valuable Collection of Essays On CA Politics

This is a very interesting collection of essays on California politics, each revolving in some way around the influence of the Teddy Roosevelt-era Progressive movement (as distinct from the modern "Progressive" movement which is simply a euphemism for socialist) on the particular subject matter. Many of the essays are not in depth enough (film, Prop 209, gun control, Nixon, etc.) and leave the reader a bit unsatisfied but the others more than make up for it, and of course the reader may pursue all of these topics on his own. My only complaint is not with the book per se but with the fact that there needs to be a new edition as so much has happened in this state since this book was published (the book ends with Gray Davis' recall still up in the air). It would be very interesting to hear what the authors would have to say about recent events and whether their positions would change at all. There is an air of optimism ('hope' may be a better word) in the book that I suspect may be diminished to some extent. A very worthwhile purchase if you are interested in California politics in any way.

The California Republic: Review by Courtney Rosenbladt

The California Republic Institutions, Statesmanship, & Policies By Brian P. Janiskee and Ken Masugi Review by Courtney Rosenbladt Karl Marx once said that "'the most important thing' to have occurred in America was 'the discovery of gold in California.'" While this may have been a bit of an exaggeration, the Gold Rush was certainly the impetus behind the creation of one of the most interesting, and at times the strangest, states in the Union.California undoubtedly has bizarre politics. In a year's time, it has re-elected Gray Davis, only to recall him and replace him with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. It has offered a haven for homosexual marriage on the steps of San Francisco's city hall. It is still attempting to offer drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants. While some look at California with admiration, others view the state with revulsion and are relieved that they have avoided or escaped the borders of the "Left Coast." In The California Republic: Instiutions, Statesmanship, and Policies, Brian P. Janiskee of CSU-San Bernardino and Ken Masugi of the Claremont Institute explore how California has become what it is. Specifically, the aim of the book is to "explore the evolution of Progressivism in California and its contemporary policy consequences." The book also explores how "the role of government became transformed-from the earlier one of protecting equal rights...to one guaranteeing minimum levels of security and comforts for all," as a result of Progressivism.The California Republic is a collection of essays written mostly by university professors and historians, but it also includes journalists and notables such as Dan Walters, Ward Connerly, and Victor Davis Hanson. The book is arranged topically and is in relatively chronological order. It begins with the founding of the state and its first constitutional convention in 1849, and ends with modern policy issues such as affirmative action, gun rights, and the "water problem." But the continuous theme throughout the book is Progressivism - its birth and the effects that are still felt today in California.The Progressivism discussed in this book is not the radical liberalism the term now denotes; in fact, the first Progressives were radical Republicans. California Progressivism would be impossible to understand without a discussion of Hiram Johnson, "the father of the modern state of California," who was elected governor in 1910 and remained a California statesman until 1945.Johnson became a household name during the recall election since he was responsible for instituting the recall process in California, along with the initiative and referendum, which have become increasingly popular ways for the people to bypass the inept state legislature. While Johnson and other Progressives supported "dramatically increased government power," they also believed in individualism. They essentially mixed the individualism of Thomas Jefferson and the statism of Alexander Hamilton to create Progressivi

Calif Political ethos explored

The California Republic: Institutions, Statesmanship, and Policies by Brian P. Janiskee, Ken Masugi (Rowman & Littlefield) This collection has its origins in a scholarly conference and has been enhanced with more recent contributions. The Claremont Institute celebrated California's one hundred fiftieth anniversary of its birth by hosting "Democracy in California: Sesquicentennial Reflections on Equality and Liberty in the Golden State," October 27-28, 2000. The editors of Nexus, the law and policy journal of the Chapman University School of Law, graciously offered an issue of their journal for the revised papers from the conference. Many of the articles in this volume first appeared in Nexus. We thank them for their generosity, especially editor-in-chief professor Hugh Hewitt, professor John Eastman, and managing editor Jeanette Lee.The essays presented a political and legal history of the development of a Progressive regime and its conditions of freedom. To this end, the conference sought to emphasize the themes of political philosophers such as Aristotle and Alexis de Tocqueville and the statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln and thus help foster a new generation of scholarship on California. We later obtained the participation of not only established scholars of California but also others whose expertise would profitably be directed to California issues. Obviously, the essays could not cover every important element of its culture or politics, yet we hope nonetheless this collection might guide serious students in the way they study this vital state.Often lauded as having the fifth (or sixth or seventh, depending on what measure one uses) largest economy in the world, California seems to lead the nation in other measures as well-particularly cultural and political trends. But were it an independent state, it would be one of the world's strangest democracies. Understanding this strangeness, this exoticism, was our task. Even before its national preeminence, and well before the staggering budget crisis, the need to understand California as a necessary part of understanding America was abundantly clear. In order to understand, to quote Abraham Lincoln, "where we are and whither we are tending," we were forced to reexamine the political principles of the Compromise of 1850, of the early state constitutions, and of the American founding, just as we must keep in mind the mores and practices of American citizenship. The essays strive to make these connections and thus lead us to self-knowledge. They had been organized into four themes: the conditions of democratic statehood; Progressivism and its statesmen; mores, multiculturalism, and citizenship; and the future of Progressive democracy.

I'll purchase this on recommendation of Claremont Institute!

Professor Ken Masugi says it's good and that's sufficient for me!