Church and State in the City

William Issel is Professor of History Emeritus at San Francisco State University and Visiting Professor of History at Mills College. He is the author of For Both Cross and Flag: Catholic Action, Anti-Catholicism, and National Security Politics in World War II San Francisco (Temple) and Social Change in the United States 1945–1983. He is the coauthor of San Francisco, 1865–1932: Politics, Power, and Urban Development, and co-editor and contributor to American Labor and the Cold War: Grassroots Politics and Postwar Political Culture.

"[The book] restores the Catholic role in San Francisco's development through the 1960's to its rightful place in the city's history... Issel convincingly shows that Catholic institutions shaped San Francisco's history far more than is understood. And from its backing of unions, civil rights, and the needs of the very poor, the Catholic Church fulfilled its mission of working for San Francisco's greater good."--BeyondChron, March 21st 2013 "William Issel's latest book, Church and State in the City, provides an important missing chapter in the telling of the history of San Francisco... [It] is a 'must'--both for its content and its wealth of references--for any historians whose research is focused on San Francisco. It will make many readers rethink what they thought they knew about the evolution of the city politic and what place religion has played in San Francisco's social, economic, and cultural evolution."--The Institute for Historical Study Newsletter, Spring 2013 "Issel is concerned with highlighting the importance of Catholic Christianity in the political culture of 20th-century San Francisco. He accomplishes this through a critical, contextualized narrative of various issues in the city's history (1890s-1970s) in which Catholic faith-based politics contributed to defining the city's 'common good.'... Even though Issel's coverage of San Francisco's political history is not comprehensive, his narrative is densely detailed... this solid book is worth adding to California, religious, and urban collections. Summing Up: Recommended. "--Choice, May 2013

• Acknowledgments Introduction: City of Contests 1 "The True Interests of a City": The Public Interest in a Divided City 2 "The Need for Cooperation": The Origins of the Liberal Growth Regime 3 "No Quarter Can Be Given": Catholics, Communists, and the Construction of the Public Interest 4 "A Great Tragedy": Catholics, Communists, and the Specter of Fascism 5 "With Malice toward None": Catholic Liberalism in San Francisco 6 A "Different Era": San Francisco Women and the Pursuit of the Public Interest 7 "Humanity Is One Great Family": Jews, Catholics, and the Achievements of Racial Reform 8 "Not for ... Real Estate Values Alone": Urban Redevelopment and the Limits of Racial Reform 9 To "Alleviate Racial Concentrations": The Public Interest in Education and Employment 10 "Land Values, Human Values, and the City's Treasured Appearance": The Freeway Revolt 11 "I Came Out of the New Deal": Redefining the Public Interest, 1967-1980 Conclusion: Beyond the New Deal Notes Index