Kevin Philips "Wealth and Democracy: A Conservative Perspective on America," Goldstein Program in Public Affairs
Audio/visual
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MS 0058-2003-001
2003 April 1
Kevin Phillips lecture "Wealth and Democracy: A Conservative Perspective on America" for the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs. Part of a lecture tour for his book Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich which looks at America since his book The Emerging Republican Majority. Prof. Daniel Premo gives the introduction, mentions that Phillip's wife Martha Henderson Phillips also spoke at the college about the budget deficit. Phillips talks about the three booms to large accumulation of wealth: the 1890s, 1920s and the 1980s and 1990s and how each was spurred on by advancement in technology. He talks about the massive increase in CEO compensation and wealth disparity. He also brings up how financial corruption leads to political corruption and these "money hungry periods" are when wealth has negative impacts. Phillips says that the economic upheavals of the Gilded Age and 1930 crash had clear political parties at fault but in the 1980s and 1990s it has been less clear. This, coupled with the Iraq War, has lead to more unpredictability, especially as Philips recognized the cyclical nature of politics. He also compares America to the Dutch in the early 1700s, the rise of global supremacy hollowing out industry and economic leading to large debt and often disastrous wars. He then brings up Americas large about of debt, including corporate debt, equity depreciation, and a collapse in consumer confidence. A question and answer period begins at 00:52:21. Topics include special interest groups, the idea of American Empire, political reform, campaign financing, the Bush/Chaney legacy with the military industrial complex, Iraqi oil, and the rise of Evangelical Conservatives.
VHS
1h 33m 53s
[item identification], Washington College audiovisual collection, MS 0058, Archives and Special Collections, Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland.