American Empire
The Rise of a Global Power, the Democratic Revolution at Home, 1945-2000
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
A compelling look at the movements and developments that propelled America to world dominance
In this landmark work, acclaimed historian Joshua Freeman has created an epic portrait of a nation both galvanized by change and driven by conflict. Beginning in 1945, the economic juggernaut awakened by World War II transformed a country once defined by its regional character into a uniform and cohesive power and set the stage for the United States’ rise to global dominance. Meanwhile, Freeman locates the profound tragedy that has shaped the path of American civic life, unfolding how the civil rights and labor movements worked for decades to enlarge the rights of millions of Americans, only to watch power ultimately slip from individual citizens to private corporations. Moving through McCarthyism and Vietnam, from the Great Society to Morning in America, Joshua Freeman’s sweeping story of a nation’s rise reveals forces at play that will continue to affect the future role of American influence and might in the greater world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Queens College and CUNY Graduate Center history professor Freeman examines a postwar dominant America, and it couldn't come at a better moment, when its citizens are rethinking its global influence. Covering the glory years of 1945 2000, Freeman is at his best when he turns his critical eye on America's turbulent internal affairs, delving into Truman's contested Fair Deal reforms, the McCarthy communist witch-hunts, Eisenhower's cautious civil rights record, LBJ's ambitious Great Society programs, Nixon's Watergate disgrace, the return of "corporate capitalism" and Reagan conservatism. Freeman deals with the Clinton administration's economic policies, which, he says, gave many Americans a higher standard of living, and global conflicts, followed by the Republican victory in 2000. Though at its peak, America's power exceeded that of the Roman and British empires in cultural, economic, military, and political terms, the nation's postwar dreams were never completely fulfilled, says Freeman. "And the 21st century's "prolonged warfare, fearfulness, and economic troubles... owe more than a little to decisions made in the earlier epoch." Freeman's epic survey provides a fuller understanding of America's postwar achievements and challenges, without the bias, drama, or despair of other books on these important issues.
