Synopses & Reviews
Taking political economy as its organizing theme, Making A Nation offers an intellectual focus to history that is sensitive to the recent innovations in women's history and environmental history. The book focuses on the relationships that shape and define human identitycultural, diplomatic, race, gender, class and sectional relations and recognizes the importance of such traditional fields as politics and diplomacy. The reference synthesizes the literature in such as way as to allow readers to see the links between the particular and the general, between large and seemingly abstract forces such as globalization and political struggle and the daily struggles of ordinary men and women. Volume II covers U.S. history, including the second World War, the Cold War, the consumer society, the rise and fall of the new liberalism, living with less, the triumph of a new conservatism, and a new America. For historians and others interested in a comprehensive overview of the relationships that shape and define U.S. history.
Table of Contents
(NOTE:
All chapters include a Web Connection box, a History on the Internet section, and a Special Feature box. All chapters conclude with a Conclusion, Chronology, Review Questions, and Suggestions for Further Readings.)
16. Reconstruction, 1865-1877.
Vignette: John Dennett Visits a Freedman's Bureau Court. Wartime Reconstruction. Presidential Reconstruction, 1865-1867. Congressional Reconstruction. The Retreat from Republican Radicalism. Reconstruction in the North. The End of Reconstruction.
17. The Triumph of Industrial Capitalism, 1850-1890.
Vignette: Rosa Cassettari. The Political Economy of Global Capitalism. The Rise of Big Business. Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business. A New Social Order. The Industrial Working Class Comes of Age. Clearing the West for Capitalism. The Economic Transformation of the West.
18. Cultural Struggles of Industrial America: 1850-1895.
Vignette: Anthony Comstock's Crusade Against Violence. The Varieties of Urban Culture. The Elusive Boundaries of Male and Female. Immigration as a Cultural Problem. The Creation of High Culture. Artistic Realism Embraces Urban and Industrial America.
19. The Politics of Industrial Society, 1870-1892.
Vignette: Crusade Against Alcohol. Two Political Styles. Economic Issues Dominate National Politics. Government Activism and Its Limits. Middle Class Radicalism. Discontent Among Workers.
20. Industry and Empire, 1890-1900.
Vignette: The Crisis of the 1890s. A Modern Political Economy. The Retreat from Politics. American Diplomacy Enters the Modern World.
21. A United Body of Action, 1900-1916.
Vignette: Alice Hamilton. Toward a New Politics. The Progressives. Progressives in State and Local Politics. The Presidency Becomes “The Administration.” Rival Visions of the Industrial Future.
22. A Global Power, 1914-1919.
Vignette: Walter Lippmann. The Challenges of Revolution and Neutrality. The Drift to War. Mobilizing the Nation and the Economy. Over There. The Black Cloud in the East.
23. The 1920's.
Vignette: “The Queen of Swimmers.” A Dynamic Economy. A Modern Culture. The Limits of Modern Culture. A “New Era” in Politics. The Modern Political System.
24. A Great Depression and a New Deal, 1930-1940.
Vignette: Sidney Hillman and the Search for Security. The Great Depression. The First New Deal. The Second New Deal. Crisis of the New Deal.
25. The Second World War, 1941-1945.
Vignette: A. Phillip Randolph. Island in a Totalitarian Sea. Turning the Tide. Organizing for Production. Between Idealism and Fear. Closing with the Enemy.
26. The Cold War, 1945-1952.
Vignette: The Fall of Esther and Stephen Brunauer. The Origins of the Cold War. Fighting the Cold War Abroad. The Reconversion of American Society. The Frustrations of Liberalism. Fighting the Cold War at Home.
27. The Consumer Society, 1950-1960.
Vignette: E.J. Korvettes. Living the Good Life. A Homogenous Society? The Eisenhower Era. Challenges to the Consumer Society. The Beat Movement.
28. The Rise and Fall of the New Liberalism, 1960-1968.
Vignette: “We Would Never Be Beaten” : Vietnam. The Liberal Opportunity. Implementing the Liberal Agenda. Winning Civil Rights. Fighting the Cold War. The American War in Vietnam. The Great Society Comes Apart.
29. Living with Less, 1968-1980.
Vignette: “Panic at the Pump,” 1973-1974. A New Crisis: Economic Decline. Confronting Decline: Nixon's Strategy. Refusing to Settle for Less: Struggles for Rights. Backlash: From Radical Action to Conservative Reaction. Political Crisis: Three Troubled Presidencies.
30. The Triumph of a New Conservatism, 1980-1988.
Vignette: The Trumps' American Dream. A New Conservative Majority. The Rise of the Religious Right. The Reagan Revolution at Home. The Reagan Style. The Reagan Revolution Abroad. The Middle East and Terrorism. The Battle Over Conservative Social Values. The Limits of the New Conservatism.
31. A New America?, 1989.
Vignette: Felix Andreev and “The Blessing of America.” After the Cold War. A New Economy. Political Uncertainty. Struggles Over Diversity and Rights.