The Social Cohesion of Liberal Democracy

This paper analyzes the empiricat utility of cossensual and conNictual theories in explaining the social cohesion of the liberal democracies of Britasn and the United States. After clarifying conceptual problems of value consensus tSleory and Marxist theory, it examines the forms and extent of value-commitment in these countries. The conclusion is that both theories grossly overstate the amount of both value consensus betweee individuals and value consistency within individuals that actually exists. Cohesion in liberal democracy depends rather on the lack of consistent commitment to general values of atry sort and on the pragmatic acceptance by subordinate classes of their limited roles in society. Suggestive evidence is also found for the existence of some false consciousness among sgbordanate classes.