part I. The remaking of the US working class: The roots of change ; Precarious work : growth but less than you thought ; Growing diversity in the midst of change -- part II. The changing terrain of class struggle: Competition and the concentration and centralization of capital in the United States -- Logistics : capital's supply chain gang ; The coming upsurge? -- part III. The changing political terrain: Capital and the return to the states ; Prisoners of the American scheme ; The Democratic Party cul-de-sac ; Electoral politics from a socialist perspective ; Pulling the analysis together ; Who put Trump in the White House? -- Appendices: Manufacturing, productivity, value added, and output ; Imports and manufacturing jobs ; Contingent and alternative work ; Auto parts industry ; Real net stock of private fixed assets ; Strikes and worker-hours on strike ; The rank and file's paper of record.
Summary
"In his latest book, Kim Moody analyzes how recent changes in capitalism have altered both the composition of the working class and the economic and political ground on which it struggles. On New Terrain challenges conventional wisdom about a disappearing working class and the inevitability of a two-party political structure as the only framework for struggle. Through in-depth study of the economic and political shifts at the top of society, Moody shows how recent developments in capitalist production impact the working class and its power to resist the status quo. He argues that this transformed industrial terrain offers new possibilities for organization in the workplace and opens doors for grassroots, independent political action strengthened by reemerging labor and social movements. From the logistics revolution to the unprecedented concentration of business and wealth in the hands of the one percent, On New Terrain examines the impact of the current economic terrain on the working class in the United States. Looking beyond the clichés of precarity and the gig economy, Moody shows that the working class and its own self-activity are essential in the global battle against austerity"--Publisher's website.
