The History And Changes Of American County Government

In America, traditional county government is regarded as an arm of state. Confronted with urbanization, democratization, marketization, county government especially the metropolitan or suburban counties, transited from traditional mold to modern mold. In this process, its function is expanded, power is increased, governmental structure is renovated, and governmental relationship is adjusted. It satisfies demands of local residents.I describe the history of American county government in six phases as follows: the origin in Britain, the rudiment in colony times, the traditional mold from the revolution to the civil war, the dilemma from the civil war to world war I ,the transition from world war I to world war II, modernization since world war II. The traditional county was established by the time of the civil war. Characteristics of the traditional mold include: the performance of mainly state-mandated functions, the concept of the county as an arm of the states, the traditional commission form of county government, and the lack of extensive cooperation with other units of local governments. After civil war, the urbanization, democratization and marketization called for the reform of county government. But the genuine progress started with the extension of suburbs and the conspicuousness of the metropolitan problems after world war I. Especially after the world war II ,the progress sped up, and county government entered into modernization. County modernization is the trends away from the traditional mold ,which include: changes in county services especially in metropolitan and suburban counties, the home rule movement which is altering relationship of state and county government, the adoption of newer forms of county organization, the growth of cooperative intergovernmental linkages. However, the traditional and modern factors are interweaving with each other at present. Reform keeps on.