Inequality and American Capitalism in the Twentieth Century

"Inequality in America rose, fell, and rose sharply again over the 20th century. Why were the early decades of the century so unequal? How did working and middle-class Americans gain a greater share of wealth and why did it these gains later slip away? How truly egalitarian were the mid-century decades? We will examine the rise of corporations, the New Deal, deindustrialization, labor, housing, and the economics of race and gender that weave through them all. Students will come away from the class able to link global economic trends with the intimate everyday experiences of inequality in America.