Barrington Moore Jr. Books
Barrington Moore Jr. (1913–2005) was an American political sociologist and historian, best known for his work on the social origins of political regimes and the comparative study of revolutions.
Known for: The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World
Books by Barrington Moore Jr.
The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World
This landmark work of comparative historical sociology examines how different social structures and class relations shaped the political outcomes of modernization in England, France, the United States, China, Japan, and India. Moore argues that the paths to modernity—democracy, fascism, and communism—were determined by the relationships between landlords and peasants, and by the timing and nature of agrarian transformations. His famous dictum, 'no bourgeois, no democracy,' encapsulates the book’s central thesis about the social foundations of political systems.
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Theoretical Framework: The Agrarian Foundations of Modern Politics
At the core of my argument lies a conviction that politics cannot be understood apart from its social base. Every political outcome—be it democratic, fascist, or communist—originates in the configuration of landholding, peasant dependency, and the balance between land and commerce. I use the concept...
From The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World
England: The Birth of Parliamentary Democracy
England’s transformation rested on the enclosure movement—the gradual privatization and commercialization of land that displaced peasants yet created a dynamic agricultural economy. The nobility, rather than resisting capitalism, embraced it. They became entrepreneurial landlords, investing in agric...
From The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World
About Barrington Moore Jr.
Barrington Moore Jr. (1913–2005) was an American political sociologist and historian, best known for his work on the social origins of political regimes and the comparative study of revolutions. He taught at Harvard University and was a major figure in the development of historical sociology.
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Barrington Moore Jr. (1913–2005) was an American political sociologist and historian, best known for his work on the social origins of political regimes and the comparative study of revolutions.
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