CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Arts & Letters

Citizen Power

book by Mike Gravel

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJan 31, 2026
Entity authorityQ5122577
Source-derived summary

Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change is a 2008 book on American politics by 2008 United States presidential candidate Mike Gravel, published by Authorhouse. It describes the numerous efforts that Gravel has experienced throughout his political career as an Alaska state legislator and United States Senator from the 1960s, 1970s, and into the 1980s. His blueprint for a ballot initiative within the Federal government of the United States, known as the National Initiative, is also detailed greatly. Ralph Nader introduces the former senator in a foreword.

The book is a reissue and revision of Citizen Power: A People's Platform, which was authored by Gravel and published in 1972 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston (284 pages, ISBN 0-03-091465-5). The original edition was published at the height of Gravel's national visibility following his actions against the Nixon administration regarding the Pentagon Papers and the Vietnam War. It discussed not just Nixon and Vietnam, but also issues such as the environment, energy policy, taxation policy, governmental reform, and health care and other socio-economic matters, and Gravel's proposed solutions to them. The book's focus was on the benefits that would come with greater citizen participation in government, and its proposal for a constitutional amendment to permit enactment of federal laws by public referendum would presage much of Gravel's future political efforting.

The 2008 edition also expands on ideas that he has been able to realize when he was off the scene of American politics for more than two decades. Gravel also points out that some of his views on issues from the 1970s are still relevant in the 21st century, and still play a part in modern society.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Citizen Power” as book by Mike Gravel. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Citizen, Power and book.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2008, 1972—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2008-01-23. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Citizen, Power and book providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Citizen Power”, the useful work is to connect “book by Mike Gravel” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5122577. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008 and 1972.

Critical limits

Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Citizen Power”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Citizen Power primary sources, Citizen Power archive and Citizen research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Citizen Power”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Citizen Power” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.