From Cotton Belt to Sunbelt: Federal Policy, Economic Development, and the Transformation of the South, 1938-1980

by Bruce J. Schulman

Overview

This is a carefully executed study of the effects of federal economic policy in transforming the American South from the time of the New Deal to the present. Decrying the South's economic backwardness and political conservatism, the Roosevelt Administration launched a series of aggressive programs to reorder the Southern economy. A generation of young liberal Southerners entered the national government to preside over these policies. After 1950, however, Keynesianism replaced New Deal reform as the mainstay of national economic policy, and the national security state supplanted the social welfare state as the South's principal benefactor. Schulman here contrasts the diminished role of national welfare programs in the postwar South with the expansion of military and growth-oriented programs, analyzing their contributions to the South's remarkable economic growth, and the excruciating limits of that prosperity. Schulman ultimately relates these developments to Southern politics and race relations. A forcefully argued work, From Cotton Belt to Sun Belt will be an invaluable addition to the literature, and an essential guide to students and scholars of federal policy and modern Southern history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195057034
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/17/1991
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	9.61(w) x 6.46(h) x 1.16(d)

About the Author

University of California at Los Angeles

Editorial Reviews

"This book brings together a wealth of material about southern economic development. It is an important contribution to southern economic history."—Journal of American History

"The first [study] to analyze and document the impact of federal policy....An important work....Cannot be ignored by serious students of modern southern history."—Journal of Southern History

"Well researched and well argued....Schulman has made an important contribution to the historiography on the modern South."—American Historical Review

"Warrants the attention of both Southern devotees and the general audience of historians."—Journal of Economic History

"As synthesis...[the book] is superb....A valuable guide to the workings of the modern southern economy."—Journal of Regional Science

"A very interesting and useful book....A valuable contribution."—Georgia Historical Quarterly

"A well-written and very useful overview of the modern South. The work has extensive documentation and will make an excellent addition to the reading list of advanced undergraduate as well as graduate courses."—History: Reviews of New Books

"A thoughtful volume that provides insight into the history of the region and the nation."—The Historian

"All scholars, no matter the discipline, will finish Schulman's book with a deeper understanding of the complex social, political, and economic forces that have produced the modern South."—Labor History

"Provide[s] a grand and satisfying synthesis of many strands and sources. Highly recommended, especially for collections strong in southern history or in US economic development."—CHOICE

"[A]n important book in anew but developing literature about the recent South. Drawing on an impressive balance of published and archival sources, Schulman assembles his evidence with intelligence, conceptual vigor, and frequently, flashes of insight."—North Carolina Historical Review

"[A] well written, carefully researched monograph on a central topic in American history. Economic historians will appreciate Schulman's understanding (and balanced treatment) of the relevant economics literature. All scholars, no matter the discipline, will finish Schulman's book with a deeper understanding of the complex social, political and economic forces that have produced the modern South."—Labor History

"Bruce Schulman provides a good deal of new information and insight into the shift of regional fortunes."—American Studies International

From the Publisher