Jacob Soboroff and Sarah McBride: Democracy at the Ground Level

In *City of Quartz*, Mike Davis delves into the complex history of Los Angeles, exploring how the city has been influenced by various powerful groups, including real estate boosters, the Protestant elite, Jewish Westside elites, homeowner groups, and the Los Angeles Police Department. The book critiques the city's development, highlighting issues of racial tension, economic inequality, and the transformation of Los Angeles into a 'fortress city' characterized by fear and surveillance. Davis also examines the impact of market forces on urban design and the lives of different classes, concluding with a study of the de-industrialized town of Fontana, which he terms a 'junkyard of dreams'.

In 'The Deluge', Adam Tooze provides a panoramic view of the struggle for global mastery from the battles of the Western Front in 1916 to the Great Depression of the 1930s. The book explores how the Great War reshaped the global order, leading to the collapse of empires, the emergence of new nations, and the rise of the United States as a dominant global force. Tooze argues that the war marked the beginning of an American-centered world order, which would be challenged by leaders like Hitler, Mussolini, and those of Imperial Japan in the subsequent decades. The book also delves into the economic and political implications of this new order, including the role of Woodrow Wilson's 'peace without victory' and the global economic instability that followed.