Learning Empire

Abstract

easy task, and results were mixed. Barton’s account of the challenges Wilson faced as he tried to build, maintain, and pay for infrastructure in early twentieth-century Berkeley will be informative—and familiar—for anyone who follows California politics. Confronted with the challenges posed by rapid growth and industrialization, early twentieth-century reformers, including Christian socialists such as Wilson, proposed a range of solutions. In California as inmuch of the country, new political alliances formed, dissolved, and reconstituted themselves. Though riven by arcane debates and infighting, these reformers, and the voters they attracted, left a lasting imprint on the development of California and onAmerican politicsmore broadly. Barton’s detailed account shows us the rich creative environment within American reformmovements and reveals how activists such as Wilson developed and disseminated and attempted implementing new ideas. Confronted with the mixed results of Wilson’s administration, Barton also provides sobering lessons on the challenges of coalition-building to bring new ideas into the realm of practical policy.