Talk:Cyclical theory (United States history)

message: I don't see the connection between this entry on Schlesinger's cyclic theory of American history and the 
"see also" of "Crab mentality". Is the reference a subtle criticism of the Schlesinger theory?
If I'm not "getting it" then there is a probability that others aren't as well. Suggest an explanation of the reference or its deletion.   LAWinans (talk) 07:42, 22 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Reference to entry "Crab mentality" 

message: I added something big that I think was missing: which eras of American history are liberal (public purpose) and which are conservative (private interest). It is important to do that, so as to give readers something to relate to, if nothing else. For instance, the American Civil War and its effects are much better-known than this theory of cycles, I'm sure. Ending slavery and deposing the slaveowner aristocracy were major reforms that that war brought about, and it's easy to see what that period is a liberal / public-purpose period. Likewise, the Gilded Age is also likely better-known. It was a time of rapid industrialization, something with the side effect that a few industrialists ended up commanding major parts of the US economy. This is obviously conservative / private-interest.
I also added a table that gives a summary of each kind of phase, and Arthur Schlesinger Jr's speculations on what makes each kind of phase generate the other kind. I think that the rest of the article should be merged with my descriptions, but I would like each bit of discussion referenced. Here is an outline of what we could do:
* The types of phases
** Liberal phases
** Conservative phases
* The types of transitions between phases
** Transitions in general
** Liberal to conservative
** Conservative to liberal
Lpetrich (talk) 18:27, 7 January 2019 (UTC)
thread_title: Major revisions and additions

message: I have left them unnamed because of lack of clear support for the names in the sources that I worked from. However, these seem like plausible names:
* Eisenhower Era
* Sixties Era
* Reagan Revolution / Gilded Age II
"Eisenhower Era" usually refers to Dwight Eisenhower's Presidency and not necessarily to the years immediately around it, years that are also in this period. History of the United States (1945–1964) calls it the Postwar Era, and I've found "Truman-Eisenhower Era".
"Sixties Era" is a common term for the cultural upheaval that took place from the early 1960's to the mid 1970's. History of the United States (1964–1980) calls it the Civil Rights Era, though it refers to the "Cultural Sixties" (term in the article). Counterculture of the 1960s is another reference to "Sixties".
The third period spans three Wikipedia articles: History of the United States (1980–1991) "Reagan Era", History of the United States (1991–2008) "Post-Cold War Era", History of the United States (2008–present) "Modern day". However, Reagan era may be a good candidate, since that era is interpreted as covering essentially all of the most recent Schlesinger period.
Wikipedia does not have much reference to a "Gilded Age II", though it has an article on the original one: Gilded Age
Lpetrich (talk) 20:58, 27 July 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Names of the Three Most Recent Schlesinger Periods 

message: There are a lot of possible additions to this article that I did not add because they likely violate Wikipedia:No original research They may go in there if one can find published sources that state them, and I'm listing them here to give an idea of what to look for.
A collection of the various cycles in a unified timeline. I doubt that that violates NOR, and I have done something similar for the Schlesinger liberal and conservative periods, linking to articles that describe the time periods. Aside from that, the main problem may be actually implementing the timeline, whether with some Wikipedia timeline widget or in some other way.
Listing the reforms in the liberal phases.
This could be done as a table:
* Huntington Creedal Passion: Revolution, Jackson, Progressive, Sixties
* Welfare State: New Deal, Sixties
* Consumer-Products Regulation: Progressive, Sixties
* Labor Unions: New Deal
* Race Relations: Civil War, Sixties
* Feminism: Progressive, Sixties
Additions to the Klingberg-cycle table. There are two major events that could be added to it, events of omission of action that could have been taken.
* Canada's Rebellions of 1837–1838 The US passed up on helping the Canadian rebels even though such an action would have made possible an objective of some previous wars:
** Continental Army in 1775, it tried to invade Canada.
** War of 1812 the US tried to invade Canada.
* The Scramble for Africa Some European nations divided up Africa among them, and the US was notably absent.
Both of these omissions happened during periods of introversion, the early 19th cy. and the late 19th cy. ones.
What makes the Klingberg cycle run? I have some speculations on that, speculations parallel to what makes the Schlesinger cycle run. But I have not put them into the article to avoid violating NOR. Extroverted phases always end in some big war, and usually an unsatisfying big war. Introverted phases often end as a result of real or perceived challenges from abroad.
--Lpetrich (talk) 03:53, 25 November 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Possible additions