William Strauss
William Strauss
#### Full Name and Common Aliases
William Robert Strauss was a renowned American economic historian and popular author, best known for his work on the concept of the Fourth Turning.
Birth and Death Dates
Born: May 18, 1947, in New York City, USA
Died: December 16, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Nationality and Profession(s)
Strauss was an American historian by profession. He worked as a senior editor at the social science book publisher Perseus Books Group.
Early Life and Background
William Strauss grew up on Long Island, New York, with his parents and older brother. His father was a successful businessman who instilled in him a strong interest in history from an early age. This curiosity would eventually shape Strauss's career as a historian.
Strauss studied at Dartmouth College before moving to Princeton University for his graduate studies in economics and history. He earned his Ph.D. in 1977, with a dissertation on the economic development of New England during the Colonial period.
Major Accomplishments
Strauss is best known for co-authoring The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy (1997) with Neil Howe. This book introduced the concept of the Fourth Turning, which posits that societies go through cycles of change and growth every 80 to 100 years. The authors argue that these cycles are characterized by a series of crises, each of which marks a turning point in history.
The book became a bestseller and received critical acclaim for its insightful analysis of American history and culture. Strauss's work on the Fourth Turning has been widely praised for its ability to explain complex historical trends and patterns.
Notable Works or Actions
Strauss was also the author of Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 (1991), a book that explored the concept of generational identity in American history. He wrote several other books on economic history and culture, including The Fifth Turning: Out of Crisis (2008) and On Borrowed Time: How Good Intentions Have Led History Astray from Woodrow Wilson to the Deep State.
Strauss was a prolific writer who contributed articles to numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Forbes. He was also a frequent speaker on economic history and culture at conferences and seminars around the world.
Impact and Legacy
William Strauss's work had a significant impact on our understanding of American history and culture. His concept of the Fourth Turning has been widely applied in fields such as economics, sociology, and politics to analyze trends and patterns in human behavior.
Strauss's writing style was characterized by its clarity, accessibility, and ability to make complex ideas engaging for a broad audience. He was known for his insightful analysis of historical events and cultural trends, which continues to inspire new generations of historians and scholars.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
William Strauss is widely quoted and remembered for his pioneering work on the concept of the Fourth Turning, as well as his ability to explain complex economic and social trends in a clear and engaging manner. His writing has been praised for its insight into American history and culture, making him one of the most influential historians of our time.
Strauss's legacy continues to inspire new generations of scholars and writers who seek to understand the complexities of human behavior and cultural trends. His work remains relevant today, offering valuable insights into the patterns and cycles that shape our world.
Quotes by William Strauss
Sometime before the year 2025, America will pass through a great gate in history, commensurate with the American Revolution, Civil War, and twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II.
In war, people yearn for relief from strife, leading to peace. In peace, people yearn to champion what they love, leading to war.
World War II had marked “the supreme triumph of man in his long battle with the scarcities in nature.” By.
To fix crime we have to fix the family, but before we do that we have to fix welfare, and that means fixing our budget, and that means fixing our civic spirit, but we can’t do that without fixing moral standards, and that means fixing schools and churches, and that means fixing the inner cities, and that’s impossible unless we fix crime.
Yet the great weakness of linear time is that it obliterates time’s recurrence and thus cuts people off from the eternal – whether in nature, in each other, or in ourselves. When we deem our social destiny entirely self-directed and our personal lives self-made, we lose any sense of participating in a collective myth larger than ourselves. We cannot ritually join with those who come before or after us.
The (old type) jobs are hard to get. What do you do if they fail to get a proper education?
You have these periods when there's a major civic crisis that redefines civic life,
My number one concern is how are we going to take care of people who can't get these jobs.