"Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945 is a sweeping narrative about the political, environmental, and economic realities of the second half of the twentieth century. Author Ronald D. Eller argues that Appalachia's struggle with modernity reflects a deeper American failure to define progress in the first place. Eller contends that the notion or "development" as a solution to poverty fails to envision the essential qualities that create and sustain a healthy society. Eller examines a half century of local, state, and federal antipoverty policies, and he explains their shortcomings, showing how they are manipulated in an arena of corporate greed and political corruption, leading to environmental degradation. He describes development as a value-laden political act, and he illuminates the mixed legacy of growth programs in Appalachia."--BOOK JACKET.