Polling shows that since the 1950s Americans' trust in government has fallen dramatically to historically low levels. The political scientists Amy Fried and Douglas B. Harris reveal that this trend is no accident-it is fueled by conservative elites who benefit from it.

Polling shows that since the 1950s Americans' trust in government has fallen dramatically to historically low levels. In At War with Government, the political scientists Amy Fried and Douglas B. Harris reveal that this trend is no accident. Although distrust of authority is deeply rooted in American culture, it is fueled by conservative elites who benefit from it. Since the postwar era conservative leaders have deliberately and strategically undermined faith in the political system for partisan aims. Fried and Harris detail how conservatives have sown distrust to build organizations, win elections, shift power toward institutions that they control, and secure policy victories. They trace this strategy from the Nixon and Reagan years through Gingrich's Contract with America, the Tea Party, and Donald Trump's rise and presidency. Conservatives have promoted a political identity opposed to domestic state action, used racial messages to undermine unity, and cultivated cynicism to build and bolster coalitions. Once in power, they have defunded public services unless they help their constituencies and rolled back regulations, perversely proving the failure of government.

Americans' trust in government has been plummeting for decades, and not by accident. In this powerful and crucially important book, Amy Fried and Douglas B. Harris show how conservatives, over several decades, strategically cultivated political distrust and built a movement around it. Distrust has now taken on a life of its own, undermining the collective power required to address public problems. As politicians tap it to fuel grievances, it is proving deleterious to democratic governance itself. A must-read for those who seek to rebuild our torn political and social fabric.