Abstract

Donald Clark Hodges' newest book testifies to his confused reaction to the dizzying development of the managerial state since mid-century. Though he claims to be a disciple of James Burnham and dedicates his work to his “teacher and mentor … before he became a cold warrior,” Hodges is clearly more of a nostalgic Marxist than a Burnhamite. Indeed, Hodges' description of Burnham's post-WWII descent into anti-Communist perdition is full of errors. Contrary to Hodges' assertions, Burnham did not become an “intellectual precursor of neoconservatism,” — a view discredited in Samuel T. Francis' biography of Burnham, which Hodges cites in his bibliography.