著者

岡本 仁宏

出版者

関西学院大学

雑誌

法と政治 (ISSN:02880709)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.40, no.1, pp.81-157, 1989-03-20

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This essay is a commentary on the situation of theoretical debates about the American "Progressive" era. Of course this era, about 1900-1920,is represented by the name of the two presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. This essay has mainly two subjects. One is to review the recent interpretations of historical meaning of this era and the other is to search for clues to analyse the political thought of this era, particularly focusing on what is called the republican tradition. In the beginning of the first chapter, many historical interpretations by the end of the 1960s on the progressive era are sketched in one table, which includes some key terms of the "progressive", the "concensus", the "new left" and the "organizational" schools. And then among various interpretations after 1970,views of two historians, D. T. Rodgers and R. L. McCormick, are summarised and briefly reviewed on thier trait. In thier views, the contemporary political process and structure with pressure groups and enormous bureaucracys originate in this era. Thier views are remarkable in that thier frames of recognition are deeply influenced by theories of mordern political sciense. Their views leads to understanding the political thinking of this era as various expressions of distress and agony in the emerging process of the contemporary society. In the second chapter, among diverse arguable themes we pick up a theme of the political tradition of republicanism. The problem of republicanism in American political tradition is an important and hotly controversial issue. The dominant position of the liberal tradition in America (L. Harts) has been attacked by proponents of the republican tradition and vice versa. Referring to works of J. G. A. Pocock, J. P. Diggins, R. N. Bellah, D. Ross and so on, this essay describes what influence of republicanism can be discovered in the progressive political thought. Then some other related issues are commented, including historical conciousness in comparative point of view.