The Breakdown of the Cross-Class Coalition

This chapter reviews the implications of the spread of globalism and neoliberalism on citizens. It analyzes how globalism created a democratic deficit, eroding the influence of citizens over decisions that shape their lives. The erosion of national citizenship influenced not only the political standing of individuals but also their economic status. The chapter also examines the national public education as the main victim of globalization. The inability of national education to play its designated mobilizing and integrative role is one of the main reasons that the state lost the respect of its citizens. Unable to fulfill its most basic traditional goals — namely, preparing children to cope with future social and economic tasks, supporting social mobility, and nurturing social cohesion — national education became one more divisive force. The chapter explains how higher education promoted social polarization, cultural differences, and political schisms.