Pulitzer Prize–winning author and presidential adviser Arthur Schlesinger:
The assault on the national government is represented as a disinterested movement to “return” power to the people. But the withdrawal of the national government does not transfer power to the people. It transfers power to the historical rival of the national government and the prime cause of its enlargement—the great corporate interests.
a. Using 19th- and 20th- century American economic history, explain Schlesinger’s claim that corporate interests are the primary cause of big government.
b. Do you agree with Schlesinger that we continue to need big government to counteract corporate interests and achieve fairness for all in American life? Explain.