Overview

In contrast to much of the current literature that treats Trump’s authoritarianism as new and singular, this book shows that authoritarianism in the United States instead has a long history that explains the extent to which authoritarianism has been embraced by large sections of US voters. Wired for Authoritarianism combines historical analysis with an innovative conceptual analysis of the “wiring” of power, drawing on the study of the power elite developed by the sociologist C. Wright Mills and neo‑Marxist literature. Connecting the social and political culture of the elite to the ideas of state and societal capture, as well as novel concepts of covert and overt wiring of power, this book argues that the Trump era has moved America from a long‑standing, mainly covert authoritarian structure toward a more dominant and overt authoritarianism—from a position in which oligarchs exercise power from outside of official government positions to one in which corporate oligarchs are directly in top government positions. This book offers original insights and sober hope for all those seeking deep and sustainable democracy in America, summarizing strategies drawn from history and current anti‑authoritarian movements to defeat this new turn and create a new democratic wiring of America for the people. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and activists with an interest in political sociology, political economy and social movements in the US, as well as to the general public in the US and around the world.

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9781041267560

Table of Contents

Reviews

“The book takes the unswerving line that the US has been ‘wired’, ever since its founding, for authoritarian rule, despite its formal guise as a Republic. So strong a thesis cannot help but generate useful if heated debate among readers. This book is an alarm as well as an analysis, in the best Tom Paine tradition.” Kurt Jacobsen, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago “All other political topics are fading in significance as democracy erodes. This book explains why our constitutional order was ‘wired for authoritarianism’ by early elites, with the authoritarian features of the American system exploited by capitalist elites for more than two centuries. This book places the current rise of American oligarchy into this historical perspective, chronicling the changes underway and giving modest suggestions for re-wiring the system to promote effective address of popular needs.” Daniel A. Krier, Professor of Sociology, Iowa State University “This book, especially with its framing of covert and overt authoritarianism, makes an important contribution to social and political theory as well as critical analysis of the current political climate in the U.S.” Stanislav Vysotsky, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of the Fraser Valley “Charles Derber has written a brilliantly clear and persuasive analysis of how the American polity, from the Founding Fathers onwards, was built on authoritarianism and has been ruled ever since by land-owning and corporate elites despite a veneer of democracy. At various periods these oligarchs capture of the state was covert. Under Trump it has become overt. On the plus side, the United States has produced regular surges of populism of the left in which people have mounted resistance to the country's grotesque social inequality and political authoritarianism. These bursts of progressive solidarity include the expansion of trade union power and the successful demands for the liberalisation of labor laws in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as the civil rights movement of the 1960s coupled with protests against US imperialism in South East Asia and Latin America. Now we see a new wave of popular resistance with massive protest rallies in cities across the United States against Trump’s neo-fascist decrees and legislation. More than any other text which has yet been published on the issue, Derber provides the intellectual underpinning and the historical analysis which today’s activists need if they are to see through the Trump-led fog of culture wars. I cannot praise it too highly.” Jonathan Steele, former chief foreign correspondent for The Guardian “Derber’s book is required reading to understand our present-day slide toward authoritarian rule. The U.S. constitutional and founding frameworks are often simplistically exalted as protecting liberty, freedom, and balancing powers. As this highly readable book reveals, the rise of oligarchy is by design, the result of deeply ingrained biases against popular power and direct democracy. Our elite founders sowed seeds of anti-popular democracy, so it is no surprise that we are harvesting the bitter crop of oligarchic domination. If you want to understand the untold story of American authoritarianism and what you can do to deepen democracy, this is the book for you.” Chuck Collins, Institute for Policy Studies, co-editor, Inequality.org and author of Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet

“The book takes the unswerving line that the US has been ‘wired’, ever since its founding, for authoritarian rule, despite its formal guise as a Republic. So strong a thesis cannot help but generate useful if heated debate among readers. This book is an alarm as well as an analysis, in the best Tom Paine tradition.” Kurt Jacobsen, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago “All other political topics are fading in significance as democracy erodes. This book explains why our constitutional order was ‘wired for authoritarianism’ by early elites, with the authoritarian features of the American system exploited by capitalist elites for more than two centuries. This book places the current rise of American oligarchy into this historical perspective, chronicling the changes underway and giving modest suggestions for re-wiring the system to promote effective address of popular needs.” Daniel A. Krier, Professor of Sociology, Iowa State University “This book, especially with its framing of covert and overt authoritarianism, makes an important contribution to social and political theory as well as critical analysis of the current political climate in the U.S.” Stanislav Vysotsky, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of the Fraser Valley “Charles Derber has written a brilliantly clear and persuasive analysis of how the American polity, from the Founding Fathers onwards, was built on authoritarianism and has been ruled ever since by land-owning and corporate elites despite a veneer of democracy. At various periods these oligarchs capture of the state was covert. Under Trump it has become overt. On the plus side, the United States has produced regular surges of populism of the left in which people have mounted resistance to the country's grotesque social inequality and political authoritarianism. These bursts of progressive solidarity include the expansion of trade union power and the successful demands for the liberalisation of labor laws in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as the civil rights movement of the 1960s coupled with protests against US imperialism in South East Asia and Latin America. Now we see a new wave of popular resistance with massive protest rallies in cities across the United States against Trump’s neo-fascist decrees and legislation. More than any other text which has yet been published on the issue, Derber provides the intellectual underpinning and the historical analysis which today’s activists need if they are to see through the Trump-led fog of culture wars. I cannot praise it too highly.” Jonathan Steele, former chief foreign correspondent for The Guardian “Derber’s book is required reading to understand our present-day slide toward authoritarian rule. The U.S. constitutional and founding frameworks are often simplistically exalted as protecting liberty, freedom, and balancing powers. As this highly readable book reveals, the rise of oligarchy is by design, the result of deeply ingrained biases against popular power and direct democracy. Our elite founders sowed seeds of anti-popular democracy, so it is no surprise that we are harvesting the bitter crop of oligarchic domination. If you want to understand the untold story of American authoritarianism and what you can do to deepen democracy, this is the book for you.” Chuck Collins, Institute for Policy Studies, co-editor, Inequality.org and author of Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet “This book is joyfully jammed with wisdom, experience, tools and motivation to overcome the ravages of the corporate state. So gripping is Welcome to the Revolution that you can scarcely put this book down without putting yourself down.” Ralph Nader, From Welcome to the Revolution “Charles Derber is one of our most astute and eloquent social critics … His political analysis is persuasive and is enlivened by graceful prose.” Howard Zinn, From Greed to Green “In this lucid and informed study, Charles Derber breaks through the necessary illusions and shows how the United States is being turned into a ‘sociopathic society’.” Noam Chomsky, From Sociopathic Society “What would Karl Marx think about Lady Gaga, Facebook and the Wall Street-driven economic meltdown? Derber’s gift is to bring Marx alive and engage the worldly philosopher about the great issues of our day.” Chuck Collins, From Marx’s Ghost “A superb—and superbly readable—analysis of the way our ruling elites manufacture their own legitimacy and protect wealth and power … a much needed and optimistic antidote to Trump-inspired gloom.” Jonathan Steele, From Moving Beyond Fear“An engaging and provocative book … to encourage ongoing thoughtful discussions among students, scholars and the general public … presenting panoramic views on democracy, race and corporate power.” G. William Domhoff, From Who Owns Democracy “Charles Derber’s new book … is the right message for the Trump era, and it is presented in powerful, moral and practical terms. A must read.” Gar Alperovitz, From Welcome to the Revolution “Fascinating, provocative and very timely. I found it very hard to stop reading … On every page, there’s something startling to be learned about the past that is crucial to understanding our vertigo-inducing present.” Daniel Ellsberg, From Glorious Causes

“The book takes the unswerving line that the US has been ‘wired’, ever since its founding, for authoritarian rule, despite its formal guise as a Republic. So strong a thesis cannot help but generate useful if heated debate among readers. This book is an alarm as well as an analysis, in the best Tom Paine tradition.” Kurt Jacobsen, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago “All other political topics are fading in significance as democracy erodes. This book explains why our constitutional order was ‘wired for authoritarianism’ by early elites, with the authoritarian features of the American system exploited by capitalist elites for more than two centuries. This book places the current rise of American oligarchy into this historical perspective, chronicling the changes underway and giving modest suggestions for re-wiring the system to promote effective address of popular needs.” Daniel A. Krier, Professor of Sociology, Iowa State University “This book, especially with its framing of covert and overt authoritarianism, makes an important contribution to social and political theory as well as critical analysis of the current political climate in the U.S.” Stanislav Vysotsky, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of the Fraser Valley “Charles Derber has written a brilliantly clear and persuasive analysis of how the American polity, from the Founding Fathers onwards, was built on authoritarianism and has been ruled ever since by land-owning and corporate elites despite a veneer of democracy. At various periods these oligarchs capture of the state was covert. Under Trump it has become overt. “On the plus side, the United States has produced regular surges of populism of the left in which people have mounted resistance to the country's grotesque social inequality and political authoritarianism. These bursts of progressive solidarity include the expansion of trade union power and the successful demands for the liberalisation of labor laws in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as the civil rights movement of the 1960s coupled with protests against US imperialism in South East Asia and Latin America. “Now we see a new wave of popular resistance with massive protest rallies in cities across the United States against Trump’s neo-fascist decrees and legislation. More than any other text which has yet been published on the issue, Derber provides the intellectual underpinning and the historical analysis which today’s activists need if they are to see through the Trump-led fog of culture wars. I cannot praise it too highly.” Jonathan Steele, former chief foreign correspondent for The Guardian “Derber’s book is required reading to understand our present-day slide toward authoritarian rule. The U.S. constitutional and founding frameworks are often simplistically exalted as protecting liberty, freedom, and balancing powers. As this highly readable book reveals, the rise of oligarchy is by design, the result of deeply ingrained biases against popular power and direct democracy. Our elite founders sowed seeds of anti-popular democracy, so it is no surprise that we are harvesting the bitter crop of oligarchic domination. If you want to understand the untold story of American authoritarianism and what you can do to deepen democracy, this is the book for you.” Chuck Collins, Institute for Policy Studies, co-editor, Inequality.org and author of Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet

Author Information

Charles Derber is Professor of Sociology at Boston College, USA. He is the author of 30 books, most recently Dying for Capitalism (Routledge, 2023), Who Owns Democracy (Routledge, 2024), Bonfire (Routledge, 2025) and Fighting Oligarchy (Routledge, 2026).

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