The Managerial Revolution
by James Burnham
Mentioned once across 1 show · first heard Jun 2026 on The Ezra Klein Show.
The general take
Christopher Rufo recommends starting with The Managerial Revolution because the 1940s book remarkably describes the world we live in today, and he found it striking that the author saw emerging problems from a place of American optimism rather than pessimism.
About
'Burnham has real intellectual courage, and writes about real issues.' - George Orwell Burnham's claim was that capitalism was dead, but that it was being replaced not by socialism, but a new economic system he called "managerialism"; rule by managers. Written in 1941, this is the book that theorised how the world was moving into the hands of the 'managers'. Burnham explains how Capitalism had virtually lost its control, and would be displaced not by labour, nor by socialism, but by the rule of administartors in business and in government. This revolution, he posited, is as broad as the world and as comprehensive as human society, asking "Why is 'totalitarianism' not the issue?" "Can civilization be destroyed?" And "Why is the New Deal something bigger than Roosevelt can handle?"
Who said what
Christopher Rufo👍 Recommends
…book recommendation on political and managerial structures in modern society
“I would start with Managerial Revolution. Again, because it just it kind of describes it's in the 1940s. It's unbelievable. You read it now and he's describing the world we live in, but he's describing it from from a point of kind of optimism, American optimism. But he already saw some of the problems that were starting to emerge.”
The Ezra Klein Show — Chris Rufo Thinks the Right Can Control This. I Don’t.at 6:08:40
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