The Strength of Government

About this book

In The Strength of Government, adapted from his Godkin Lectures at Harvard University in March 1968, the then-president of the Ford Foundation contends that the explosive social and technological change of recent decades has greatly increased the need for stronger and more effective national government. To illustrate his thesis, Mr. Bundy discusses the growing need for effective governmental action in the struggle against racism and poverty, the revolution in communications, and the field of nuclear weapons. Each of these problems challenged the common assumption that a strong government is inconsistent with personal freedom. The Jacksonian bias against authority remains the national mode even in a time when the vast majority of Americans rely on federal programs. Mr. Bundy argues from his examples that strong government is an absolute necessity if freedom is to be maintained.