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Acton Line podcast: Breaking down Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society with Amity Shlaes
Acton Line podcast: Breaking down Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society with Amity Shlaes
Mar 28, 2026 10:18 AM

On May 22nd, 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson launched his program for a “Great Society” in a speech at the University of Michigan. “The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all,” Johnson began. “It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are mitted in our time. But that is just the beginning.” 84 bills later, Johnson’s war on poverty was in full effect, expanding to sectors in education, medicine, housing, and many more. Did the Great Society program fail or succeed? Amity Shlaes, New York Times bestselling writer and author of the new book Great Society: A New History, gives us a full picture.

Check out additional resources for this episode:

Buy Great Society: A New History, by Amity Shlaes

Read: “Great Society review: A ‘mystical belief’ in the State”

Listen: Planning the great society

Read: “LBJ’s great folly,” by Kyle Sammin

New to the Acton Line podcast? Subscribe here! We also mend starting with these episodes:

Do you have feedback for the Acton Line podcast team? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]. If you like Acton Line, don’t forget to leave a rating and review on the Apple podcast app!

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