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White Flight

Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism

Kevin M. Kruse

$54.99

Paperback

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English
Princeton University Press
09 October 2007
"During the civil rights era, Atlanta thought of itself as ""The City Too Busy to Hate,"" a rare place in the South where the races lived and thrived together. Over the course of the 1960s and 1970s, however, so many whites fled the city for the suburbs that Atlanta earned a new nickname: ""The City Too Busy Moving to Hate."" In this reappraisal of racial politics in modern America, Kevin Kruse explains the causes and consequences of ""white flight"" in Atlanta and elsewhere. Seeking to understand segregationists on their own terms, White Flight moves past simple stereotypes to explore the meaning of white resistance. In the end, Kruse finds that segregationist resistance, which failed to stop the civil rights movement, nevertheless managed to preserve the world of segregation and even perfect it in subtler and stronger forms. Challenging the conventional wisdom that white flight meant nothing more than a literal movement of whites to the suburbs, this book argues that it represented a more important transformation in the political ideology of those involved.

In a provocative revision of postwar American history, Kruse demonstrates that traditional elements of modern conservatism, such as hostility to the federal government and faith in free enterprise, underwent important transformations during the postwar struggle over segregation.

Likewise, white resistance gave birth to several new conservative causes, like the tax revolt, tuition vouchers, and privatization of public services. Tracing the journey of southern conservatives from white supremacy to white suburbia, Kruse locates the origins of modern American politics."
By:  
Imprint:   Princeton University Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Volume:   50
Dimensions:   Height: 235mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 21mm
Weight:   482g
ISBN:   9780691133867
ISBN 10:   0691133867
Series:   Politics and Society in Modern America
Pages:   352
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Undergraduate ,  Primary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
"List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 3 CHAPTER ONE: ""The City oo Busy to Hate"": Atlanta and the Politics of Progress 19 CHAPTER TWO: From Radicalism to ""Respectability"": Race, Residence, and Segregationist Strategy 42 C HAPTER THREE: From Community to Individuality: Race, Residence, and Segregationist Ideology 78 CHAPTER FOUR: The Abandonment of Public Space: Desegregation, Privatization, and the ax Revolt 105 CHAPTER FIVE: The ""Second Battle of Atlanta"": Massive Resistance and the Divided Middle Class 131 CHAPTER SIX: The Fight for ""Freedom of Association"": School Desegregation and White Withdrawal 161 CHAPTER SEVEN: Collapse of the Coalition: Sit-Ins and the Business Rebellion 180 CHAPTER EIGHT: ""The Law of the Land"": Federal Intervention and the Civil Rights Act 205 CHAPTER NINE: City Limits: Urban Separatism and Suburban Secession 234 EPILOGUE: The Legacies of White Flight 259 List of Abbreviations 267 Notes 269 Index 313"

Kevin M. Kruse is professor of history at Princeton University. He is the author of One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America and the coauthor of Fault Lines: A History of America since 1974.

Reviews for White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism

"Co-Winner of the 2007 Best Book Award, Urban Politics Section of the American Political Science Association Winner of the 2007 Francis B. Simkins Award, Southern Historical Association Winner of the 2007 Malcolm Bell, Jr., and Muriel Barrow Bell Award for the Best Book in Georgia History, Georgia Historical Society ""In White Flight, a study of white resistance to desegregation in Atlanta, Kruse produces a panoramic and engaging portrayal of the struggle over desegregation.""--Ronald Brownstein, American Prospect ""An ambitious, well-researched, and interesting study, White Flight offers a provocative examination of the connections between race and conservative politics.""--Jeff Roche, Journal of American History ""Kruse presents a nuanced portrayal of the trends that fostered the growth of the suburbs and the casting aside of racist demagoguery.""--Jonathan Tilove, Times-Picayune ""White Flight provides a detailed yet fascinating history of right-wing backlash against the civil rights movement that has relevance not only for historians but also for political scientists. Kevin Kruse's study deserves a wide reading.""--R. Claire Snyder, New Political Science ""In his book, Kevin Kruse analyzes the ideology accompanying white flight and its ongoing impact on American politics... In a beautifully written, clearly structured, and deeply researched narrative, Kruse lays out the historical processes that led to the development of modern conservatism.""--Kristen O'Hare, Urban History Review ""Kruse's ultimate success lies in using history to answer contemporary political questions, and without compromising his professional standards.""--Clay Risen, Nashville Scene ""In Kruse's skillful hands, Atlanta's struggle over integration takes on many of the characteristics of low-level urban warfare... Kruse illuminates a key phase in American political development.""--Kimberley S. Johnson, Perspectives on Politics ""Kruse provides a useful resource in the debate over the significance of race in politics. His book is thoroughly researched and well written. Students interested in modern politics and Civil Rights histories alike would greatly benefit from this work.""--Jensen E. Branscombe, Southern Historian"


  • Joint winner for American Political Science Association Urban Politics Section: Best Book Award 2007.
  • Joint winner of American Political Science Association Urban Politics Section: Best Book Award 2007
  • Joint winner of Best Book Award, Urban Politics Section, American Political Science Association 2007 (United States)
  • Winner of American Political Science Association Urban Politics Section: Best Book Award 2007.
  • Winner of American Political Science Association: Urban Politics Section - Best Book Award 2007.
  • Winner of Francis B. Simkins Award 2007

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