''The Middle Way: A Study of the Problems of Economic and Social Progress in a Free and Democratic Society'' is a 1938 book on

political philosophy Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and Political legitimacy, legitimacy of political institutions, such as State (polity), states. This field investigates different ...

written by

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Nickn ...

, a British Conservative Party politician and later

prime minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

. It was originally published in 1938 (by Macmillan & Co, Ltd, London). It advocated a broadly

centrist Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...

approach to the domestic and international problems of that time, and was written when Macmillan was Member of Parliament for

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

but before he entered the Cabinet. He called for a programme of

nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with priv ...

at least as ambitious as then advocated by the Labour Party.

Content

It is subtitled 'A Study of the Problems of Economic and Social Progress in a Free and Democratic Society' and is divided into 3 main sections * Part 1 The Needs :Ch I The Emergence of a New Doctrine :Ch II Life and Liberty :Ch III The End of Radical Reformism :Ch IV Minimum Needs and Present Incomes :Ch V Present Methods of Distribution :Ch VI What Has to be Done *Part 2 The Methods :Ch VII Past Theories and Present Needs :Ch VIII Public Enterprise & Private Combination :Ch IX The Aims of Economic Policy in the Future :Ch X Industrial Reconstruction :Ch XI Finance :Ch XII Foreign Trade :Ch XIII Co-ordination *Part 3 The Benefits :Ch XIV The Minimum Wage :Ch XV A Minimum for the Unemployed :Ch XVI Public Utility Distribution :Ch XVII Economic Security :Ch XVII Freedom & Progress

References

*Macmillan H (1978) ''The Middle Way'', EP Publishing Ltd. 1938 non-fiction books Books in political philosophy Books written by prime ministers of the United Kingdom Centrism in the United Kingdom Harold Macmillan Progressive conservatism Random House books {{poli-philo-book-stub

Content

See also

References