Synopses & Reviews
America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s is the definitive interpretive survey of the political, social, and cultural history of 1960s America. Written by two top experts on the eraMaurice Isserman, a scholar of the Left, and Michael Kazin, a specialist in Right-wing politics and culturethis book provides a compelling tale of this tumultuous era filled with fresh and persuasive insights. Arguing that the period marked the end of the country's two-century-long ascent toward widespread affluence, domestic consensus, and international hegemony, the authors take students on a tour of the turbulent decade, exploring what did and did not change in the 1960s and why American culture and politics have never been the same since. America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s explains what made the 1960s a decade in which people felt they could make history and why, in the following decades, the history felt so troubling to Americans. They cover such events as the Cuban Missile Crisis and Operation Rolling Thunder, the rise of Motown, Bob Dylan and the Beatles, and the important role played by organizations ranging from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to the Campus Crusade for Christ. They also shed some much-needed light on the eras often overlooked rise of the New Right and its far reaching implications which not only offer a critical dimension to the understanding of this period but to the future of America as well. Isserman and Kazin offer the most sophisticated understanding of the key developments of the decade and break new ground with their careful attention to every aspect of the political and cultural spectrum making America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s an exciting and essential narrative for both students and general readers alike.
Review
"An impressive achievement. The most comprehensive, comprehensible history of the American 1960s that I know."--Todd Gitlin,
New York University"When two accomplished historians of the caliber of Isserman and Kazin turn their talents to a survey of the Sixties, the result is an engrossing narrative and a highly intelligent analysis of the era's cultural, political, and social events. I found myself eagerly turning pages to see how they would handle the decade's key actors, moments, and trends, and was always rewarded with judicious and insightful treatments."--Lizabeth Cohen, Harvard University
"America Divided is an indispensable history of the 1960s. Isserman and Kazin grapple with the abundant paradoxes of an era of youthful activism and resurgent conservatism, of sexual revolution and religious revival, of naive political optimism and growing distrust in government. Their compelling narrative helps make sense of the most contentious political and cultural debates of our time."-- Thomas J. Sugrue, University of Pennsylvania
"America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s is a riveting read, brimming with lively anecdotes, original insights, sharp analysis, and scrupulous scholarship. It is, far and away, the most compelling single volume history of the 1960s currently available. A superb book."--Douglas Brinkley, University of New Orleans
"This is the finest and most comprehensive history of The Sixties ever written. Professors Isserman and Kazin skillfully combine insightful analysis and captivating narrative to demonstrate how and why that political and cultural civil war haunts us yet. Their book is therefore more than another history: it is an act of engaged citizenship."--Nelson Lichtenstein, University of Virginia
Synopsis
A definitive account of the turbulent 1960s, "America Divided" presents the most sophisticated understanding to date of all sides of the decade's many political, social, and cultural conflicts. 45 photos.
Synopsis
In
America Divided, Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin provide the definitive history of the 1960s, in a book that tells a compelling tale filled with fresh and persuasive insights.
Ranging from the 1950s right up to the debacle of Watergate, Isserman (a noted historian of the Left) and Kazin (a leading specialist in populist movements) not only recount the public and private actions of the era's many powerful political figures, but also shed light on the social, cultural, and grassroots political movements of the decade. Indeed, readers will find a seamless narrative that integrates such events as the Cuban Missile Crisis and Operation Rolling Thunder with the rise of Motown and Bob Dylan, and that blends the impact of Betty Friedan, Martin Luther King, and George Wallace with the role played by organizations ranging from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to the Campus Crusade for Christ. The authors' broad ranging approach offers us the most sophisticated understanding to date of the interaction between key developments of the decade, such as the Vietnam War, the rise and fall of the Great Society, and the conservative revival. And they break new ground in their careful attention to every aspect of the political and cultural spectrum, depicting the 1960s as a decade of right-wing resurgence as much as radical triumph, of Protestant apocalyptic revivalism as much as Roman Catholic liberalism and rising alternative religions.
Never before have all sides of the many political, social, and cultural conflicts been so well defined, discussed, and analyzed--all in a swiftly moving narrative. With America Divided, the struggles of the Sixties--and their legacy--are finally clear.
About the Author
Maurice Isserman is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History at Hamilton College, and is the author of
If I Had a Hammer: The Death of the Old Left and the Birth of the New Left. He lives in upstate New York.
Michael Kazin is Professor of History at Georgetown University, and is the author of
The Populist Persuasion: An American History and
Barons of Labor. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Gathering of the Forces
2. Black Ordeal, Black Freedom
3. The Heyday of Liberalism
4. Why the U.S. Was in Vietnam
5. 1963
6. Rise of the Great Society
7. 1965
8. The Making of a Youth Culture
9. The New Left
10. Fall of the Great Society
11. The Conservative Revival
12. 1968
13. Many Faiths: The 60s Reformation
14. No Cease Fire: 1969-1975
Conclusion: Winners and Losers
Timeline of Critical Events During the Long 1960s
Bibliographical Essay
Index