John Kenneth Galbraith was one of the leading progressive intellectuals of the post-World War II period. He is principally associated with writing a series of intellectually demanding yet rewarding books, aimed at a general readership. His purpose was to alert the public to the social consequences of the major transformations in the economic structure that were occurring, notably the rise of the modern corporation. His disdain and sarcastic wit targeted abuses of business power and the sometimes unjust accumulation of private wealth, in the context of poor and under-funded public services.

Galbraith's analysis was hugely shaped by the events, circumstance, and political philosophy that influenced him. But Galbraith was more than just an academic. He was a man of practical affairs who enjoyed and benefited from a wide and varied set of roles, ranging from speechwriter, journalist, political advisor, bureaucrat and administrator, government analyst and ambassador.