Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Timelines Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: THE WORLD WAR AND AMERICAN POWER American Politics from Roosevelt to Truman 1940s: The Cultural Legacy of World War Two PART II: THE COLD WAR AND AMERICAN CULTURE American Politics from Truman to Eisenhower Alienation and Affluence in the 1950s PART III: WAR IN VIETNAM AND REVOLUTION IN THE STREETS Kennedy, Johnson and the Crisis of American Liberalism The Imaginative Crisis of the 1960s PART IV: THE AMBIGUOUS LEGACY OF THE SIXTIES American Politics from Nixon to Carter The Clash of Two Countercultures PART V: FROM THE COLD WAR TO GLOBALIZATION American Politics from Reagan to Clinton From the Global Village to Bowling Alone PART VI: AMERICA AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 George W. Bush and the Trials of the American Conservatism Hard Facts and Millennial Fictions Index.

Promotional Information

Reviews for the 1st first edition: 'A very appealing and useful text for introductory courses in all the American fields: literature, history, art and social science. The co-ordination of chapters offers an effective way of introducing students to the benefits of viewing a historical era from the perspectives of several related disciplines.'- Alan Trachtenberg, Yale University, USA 'A most interesting, even extraordinary book. Juxtaposing historical and political chapters with chapters detailing cultural events it attempts nothing less than that old goal of American Studies: to see American culture whole. As a teaching aid the essays are a valuable tool.' - Jules Chametzky, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA 'This is a wonderful, searching discussion of the post-WWII period in the United States. It provides a strong narrative without losing sight of the enormous complexity of the period, and the global perspective makes it stand out from many of the textbooks I've read.' - Katherine Ellinghaus, University of Melbourne, Australia 'A very good textbook that fulfills the requirement sine qua non for classroom adoption; that is, it is interesting, informative and innovative.' - Russell Duncan, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 'Students of any subject that contains a component of post-1945 US content will find this book useful in situating their own interests within the broader context of the 'American moment', and general readers curious about the world's last remaining superpower will find it a provocative and stimulating introduction.' - Times Higher Education Supplement

About the Author

HARRY PAPASOTIRIOU is Associate Professor of International Relations at Panteion University, Athens, Greece. His previous publications include books and articles on international relations and American studies. PAUL LEVINE is Emeritus Professor of American Literature at Copenhagen University, Denmark. He has published books and articles on American literature, film and contemporary culture.

Reviews

Praise for the first edition: 'A very appealing and useful text for introductory courses in all the American fields: literature, history, art and social science. The co-ordination of chapters offers an effective way of introducing students to the benefits of viewing a historical era from the perspectives of several related disciplines.'- Alan Trachtenberg, Yale University, USA 'A most interesting, even extraordinary book. Juxtaposing historical and political chapters with chapters detailing cultural events it attempts nothing less than that old goal of American Studies: to see American culture whole. As a teaching aid the essays are a valuable tool.' - Jules Chametzky, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA 'This is a wonderful, searching discussion of the post-WWII period in the United States. It provides a strong narrative without losing sight of the enormous complexity of the period, and the global perspective makes it stand out from many of the textbooks I've read.' - Katherine Ellinghaus, University of Melbourne, Australia 'A very good textbook that fulfills the requirement sine qua non for classroom adoption; that is, it is interesting, informative and innovative.' - Russell Duncan, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 'Students of any subject that contains a component of post-1945 US content will find this book useful in situating their own interests within the broader context of the 'American moment', and general readers curious about the world's last remaining superpower will find it a provocative and stimulating introduction.' - Times Higher Education Supplement