Book review of Tony Judt (2010). Ill Fares the Land. New York: The Penguin Press, $25.95 (hardcover), $15 (paperback)

Rosenthal, Marguerite G.

English

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The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare 
Volume 38 
Issue 4 December Article 13 
2011 
Ill Fares the Land. Tony Judt. Reviewed by Marguerite G. 
Rosenthal. 
Marguerite G. Rosenthal 
Salem State University 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw 
 Part of the Social Work Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Rosenthal, Marguerite G. (2011) "Ill Fares the Land. Tony Judt. Reviewed by Marguerite G. Rosenthal.," The 
Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 38 : Iss. 4 , Article 13. 
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol38/iss4/13 
This Article is brought to you by the Western Michigan 
University School of Social Work. For more information, 
please contact wmu-scholarworks@wmich.edu. 
Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
how those systems reflect a society's history and cultural
thinking, and how systems address the world-wide problem
of child abuse and neglect.
Dorinda N. Noble, School of Social Work
Texas State University-San Marco
Tony Judt (2010). Ill Fares the Land. New York: The Penguin
Press, $25.95 (hardcover), $15 (paperback).
Written as a critique of contemporary Western politics and
economies as well as a call to revisit the social welfare commit-
ments of the post World War II period in Europe and the United
States, Tony Judt wrote the essays in this book as he was para-
lyzed and dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); he died
in August, 2010 at the age of 61. Widely acknowledged as the
leading historian of 20th century European history, Judt was
also a social and political critic whose essays were frequently
published in The New York Review of Books and other journals
both in the U.S. and Britain, where he was born, studied and
taught before assuming an endowed position at NYU.
The title of the book is taken from a 1770 poem by Oliver
Goldsmith: "Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,/Where
wealth accumulates, and men decay." Judt details the several
ways in which contemporary Western societies have experi-
enced a decline in economic and social well-being as a conse-
quence of having abandoned the vigorous economic and polit-
ical commitments to the welfare state at mid-20th century. The
erosion of good jobs, beginning in the 1970s, combined with
changes in tax policies that favor the wealthy, has had dire con-
sequences for sustaining welfare state programs that, among
other things, reduced inequality and strengthened the social
contract among the citizenry. Growing inequality is singled
out as the most serious contemporary problem (p. 184). These
developments are most acute in the U.S. and Britain and esca-
lated under and following the Reagan and Thatcher regimes,
but the populace in continental Europe, he suggested (clair-
voyantly, considering the current economic difficulties there),
was not well served by the advent of the European Union.
Judt begins each essay with a quote, many taken from
178
economists, principally Keynes, who supported a capital-
ist economy with a strong public sector and public spending
when the private market faltered. Indeed, the book is a strong
endorsement for social democracy, European-style. Judt ac-
knowledges that socialism, too often conflated with the failed
communist regimes of the last century, has acquired a bad name,
especially in the U.S. And in a fascinating bit of intellectual
history in a section entitled "The Revenge of the Austrians,"
Judt traces the influence on American laissez-faire economists,
principally those at the University of Chicago, by 6migr6s who
conflated any governmental interference with the economy as
a precursor to authoritarianism, whether fascist or communist.
At the same time, he offers a pungent criticism of the new left
of the 1960s that, he states, was too concerned with individual-
ism (a distortion of "liberty") and identity politics, resulting in
a consequent denigration of the state and its capacity to repre-
sent society as a whole and improve the lot of most.
In one of the longer chapters, "The Unbearable Lightness
of Politics," Judt harshly criticizes the trend toward privatiza-
tion and the erosion of taxes sufficient to support welfare pro-
grams, public goods such as the railroads, healthcare and so
forth. In fact, he states that we are returning to the pre-demo-
cratic state with privilege dominant and the expense of the tax-
payer who, lacking the benefits of the welfare state, becomes
politically disengaged and mistrustful of government (see the
Tea Party). And he has this to say about political leadership:
"During the long century of constitutional liberalism, from
Gladstone to LBJ, Western democracies were led by a distinctly
superior class of statesmen. ...Politically speaking, ours is an
age of the pygmies" (pp. 164-165) [n.b., a friend comments that
the statement insults Pygmies].
Inspired by a question addressed to him by a twelve-year-
old, Judt wrote these essays for "young people" as a history
of where we've come from and a guide for what is possible.
Ill Fares the Land, however, would make an excellent resource
for both undergraduate and graduate students. Brief, free of
jargon but passionate about all the important questions of our
time, this is an important book.
Marguerite G. Rosenthal, Professor Emerita
Salem State University
Book Reviews 179


\u3cem\u3eIll Fares the Land.\u3c/em\u3e Tony Judt. Reviewed by Marguerite G. Rosenthal.

The Journal of Sociology & Social WelfareVolume 38Issue 4 December Article 132011Ill Fares the Land. Tony Judt. Reviewed byMarguerite G. Rosenthal.Marguerite G. RosenthalSalem State UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jsswPart of the Social Work CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Social Work atScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contactmaira.bundza@wmich.edu.Recommended CitationRosenthal, Marguerite G. (2011) "Ill Fares the Land. Tony Judt. Reviewed by Marguerite G. Rosenthal.," The Journal of Sociology &Social Welfare: Vol. 38 : Iss. 4 , Article 13.Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol38/iss4/13Journal of Sociology & Social Welfarehow those systems reflect a society's history and culturalthinking, and how systems address the world-wide problemof child abuse and neglect.Dorinda N. Noble, School of Social WorkTexas State University-San MarcoTony Judt (2010). Ill Fares the Land. New York: The PenguinPress, $25.95 (hardcover), $15 (paperback).Written as a critique of contemporary Western politics andeconomies as well as a call to revisit the social welfare commit-ments of the post World War II period in Europe and the UnitedStates, Tony Judt wrote the essays in this book as he was para-lyzed and dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); he diedin August, 2010 at the age of 61. Widely acknowledged as theleading historian of 20th century European history, Judt wasalso a social and political critic whose essays were frequentlypublished in The New York Review of Books and other journalsboth in the U.S. and Britain, where he was born, studied andtaught before assuming an endowed position at NYU.The title of the book is taken from a 1770 poem by OliverGoldsmith: "Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,/Wherewealth accumulates, and men decay." Judt details the severalways in which contemporary Western societies have experi-enced a decline in economic and social well-being as a conse-quence of having abandoned the vigorous economic and polit-ical commitments to the welfare state at mid-20th century. Theerosion of good jobs, beginning in the 1970s, combined withchanges in tax policies that favor the wealthy, has had dire con-sequences for sustaining welfare state programs that, amongother things, reduced inequality and strengthened the socialcontract among the citizenry. Growing inequality is singledout as the most serious contemporary problem (p. 184). Thesedevelopments are most acute in the U.S. and Britain and esca-lated under and following the Reagan and Thatcher regimes,but the populace in continental Europe, he suggested (clair-voyantly, considering the current economic difficulties there),was not well served by the advent of the European Union.Judt begins each essay with a quote, many taken from178economists, principally Keynes, who supported a capital-ist economy with a strong public sector and public spendingwhen the private market faltered. Indeed, the book is a strongendorsement for social democracy, European-style. Judt ac-knowledges that socialism, too often conflated with the failedcommunist regimes of the last century, has acquired a bad name,especially in the U.S. And in a fascinating bit of intellectualhistory in a section entitled "The Revenge of the Austrians,"Judt traces the influence on American laissez-faire economists,principally those at the University of Chicago, by 6migr6s whoconflated any governmental interference with the economy asa precursor to authoritarianism, whether fascist or communist.At the same time, he offers a pungent criticism of the new leftof the 1960s that, he states, was too concerned with individual-ism (a distortion of "liberty") and identity politics, resulting ina consequent denigration of the state and its capacity to repre-sent society as a whole and improve the lot of most.In one of the longer chapters, "The Unbearable Lightnessof Politics," Judt harshly criticizes the trend toward privatiza-tion and the erosion of taxes sufficient to support welfare pro-grams, public goods such as the railroads, healthcare and soforth. In fact, he states that we are returning to the pre-demo-cratic state with privilege dominant and the expense of the tax-payer who, lacking the benefits of the welfare state, becomespolitically disengaged and mistrustful of government (see theTea Party). And he has this to say about political leadership:"During the long century of constitutional liberalism, fromGladstone to LBJ, Western democracies were led by a distinctlysuperior class of statesmen. ...Politically speaking, ours is anage of the pygmies" (pp. 164-165) [n.b., a friend comments thatthe statement insults Pygmies].Inspired by a question addressed to him by a twelve-year-old, Judt wrote these essays for "young people" as a historyof where we've come from and a guide for what is possible.Ill Fares the Land, however, would make an excellent resourcefor both undergraduate and graduate students. Brief, free ofjargon but passionate about all the important questions of ourtime, this is an important book.Marguerite G. Rosenthal, Professor EmeritaSalem State UniversityBook Reviews 179

https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3640&amp;context=jssw

\u3cem\u3eIll Fares the Land.\u3c/em\u3e Tony Judt. Reviewed by Marguerite G. Rosenthal.

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