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World War II may have ended in 1945, but according to historian Tony Judt, the conflict's epilogue lasted for nearly the rest of the century. Calling 1945-1989 "an interim age," Judt examines what happened on each side of the Iron Curtain, with the West nervously inching forward while the East endured the "peace of the prison yard" until the fall of Communism in 1989 signaled their chance to progress. Though he proposes no grand, overarching theory of the postwar period, Judt's massive work covers the broad strokes as well as the fine details of the years 1945 to 2005. No one book (even at nearly a thousand pages) could fully encompass this complex period, but Postwar comes close, and is impressive for its scope, synthesis, clarity, and narrative cohesion.
Judt treats the entire continent as a whole, providing equal coverage of social changes, economic forces, and cultural shifts in western and eastern Europe. He offers a county-by-county analysis of how each Eastern nation shed Communism and traces the rise of the European Union, looking at what it represents both economically and ideologically. Along with the dealings between European nations, he also covers Europe's conflicted relationship with the United States, which learned much different lessons from World War II than did Europe. In particular, he studies the success of the Marshall Plan and the way the West both appreciated and resented the help, for acceptance of it reminded them of their diminished place in the world. No impartial observer, Judt offers his judgments and opinions throughout the book in an attempt to instruct as well as inform. If a moral lesson is to come from World War II, Judt writes, "then it will have to be taught afresh with each passing generation. 'European Union' may be an answer to history, but it can never be a substitute." This book would be an excellent place to start that lesson. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
Named one of the Ten Best Books of the Year by the New York Times Book Review
Almost a decade in the making , this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the worldÂ's most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep readers through thirty-four nations and sixty years of political and cultural change—all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. Both intellectually ambitious and compelling to read, thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy.
* A Time and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
* Maps, photos, and cartoons throughout
Customer Reviews:
Good start, expectedly mediocre ending.......2007-09-30
Having grown up in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, I appreciate the author's attempt at reviewing a chapter of European history that even to Europeans is often set aside. If the immediate years after the war are not looked at carefully in Europe, so much less are they taught in the US where most people may now be familiar with the Marshall plan and little else.
As such the beginning is very interesting. There are a few annoyances such as the consistent use of a particular transitional phrase. Briefly, the author discusses an issue in a country during a set period (such as labor movement in France in the sixties) and then looks at the same issue in another country. The problem is that the author consistently uses the same transitional phrase. It looks something like:
In (country A) (restate thesis of the above few pages). The same could (or could not) be said of (country B). It takes a few moments to find an example of this - see Page 429 - ...Kadar's Hungary-'the best barracks int he laager'-was much envied, though only fitfully emulated. The second model, Tito's Yougoslavia had managed to avoid the problems of its neighbors...
This approach is repeated endlessly throughout the book. While analyzing each issue country by country is easy for the author from an organizational standpoint, it prevents the author from going deeper into cross national patterns. While not a weakness per se, this literary device gets distracting especially when one reads the book as I did - in just a handful of sittings.
The book really goes downhill when the author gets to recent history - i.e. the transition from communism to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Like most left-leaning liberal historians, the author gives too much credit to their hero, Misha Gorbachev. In doing so, the author makes some (almost) laughable statements. For example, he claims that Gorbachev's attempts at finding a "third way" between communism and capitalism were doomed and upon realizing this and he allowed the transition from communism to democracy as the sole alternative. This is boulderdash as the "third way" exists in many places throughout the world. One obvious example is China which has implemented a working capitalist market while retaining communist authoritarian control over the populace. Garbo wanted exactly this - to stay in power while introducing elements of capitalism. In order for this to succeed in Europe as it has in Asia all that needed to happen was cooperation from the world's capitalist markets. It is this support and cooperation that allowed China to adapt itself. What prevented Eastern and Central Europe from becoming a totalitarian state is not Gorbachev but rather national opposition movements. In Poland especially this meant the Catholic Church. In places that had no pro-democracy movements, the "third way" of authoritarian capitalism established itself just fine. It's not even necessary to look to Asia to find examples of this, Belarus and for a while Ukraine both settled into "the third way" of capitalist reforms coupled with repression almost as a reflex. In whatever way local communists cooperated in the dismantling of communism they did so not because of their inner greatness but because they saw the transition period as the best way to enrich themselves through shady deals in public property.
Lastly, in the Epilogue, the author writes about Europe's collective forgetting of the atrocities of the Holocaust. Of course, every conquered nation cooperated to some degree with the Nazis in their pursuit of Jews and other Nazi-chosen "undesirables." Extremely annoyingly (page 808) the author equates Poland's guilt over the Holocaust with that of Austria (of all places!) In support of this he provides one example of religiously motivated violence in Poland - the pogrom in Jedwabne as told by Gross's "Neighbors". Of course he fails to mention that many of the claims of Gross's work were subsequently debunked (such as the number of victims or the presence and active role of German security forces). This is particularly strange as the author praises the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, but then proceeds to ignore its findings.
Lastly, even though the author spends a significant portion of the book on the transition from communism to democracy he discusses Pope John Paul II only a handful of times. At the very least he could have discussed the Papal visits to Poland (all of which had an enormous impact on the anti-communist movement) or the attempt at the Pope's life. Again, the Pope's contribution, along with that of the US, was at least as important as Gorbachev's.
All and all, a worthwhile read, but don't expect a literary masterpiece. Nor is this without obvious bias.
A brilliant work of European history........2007-08-10
This book was a Christmas present to my husband, a history major in college and he has written this review.
A brilliant work of European History since 1945. It should be mandatory reading for all members or candidates for the U.S. Congress. It might change U.S. foreign relations. Mr. Judt has done an incredible job of treating state affairs of each European country during the decades. He does superior work of tracing themes of the various eras from East and West Europe. He makes readers realize that U.S. foreign policy did not dominate Europe from 1945 to 2005. This is not a fast read. It stimulates so many refletions.
Where we come from.......2007-07-31
This book is a very good read, not least for providing rich context on much of this American's life experience. I was born in 1952 and now feel as though I understand film noir, existentialism, the academic enamorment with French critical theory, and the very common tendency among intellectuals to feel as though they should admire Communism in the face of the evidence, as well as the reaction to most of these from the right, in much more contextual depth than I have heretofore. The book's implicit theory of politics balances personalities and ideologies, and allows for a view that zooms in on local events in sharp detail and back out to Cold War strategies, without jarring.
And all of that is introduction to the later chapters on post-Communist Europe. Here there is less sense of focused history and more of unfolding the present, but bringing out more of the reasons than newspaper and journal articles can provide.
An impressive tome.......2007-07-28
Caution: this book is not for the faint of heart or the faint of butt. It looks long, and is actually even longer: the text is packed in very densely, with very small margins and thin paper. However, it is fascinating enough to overcome the initial "it'll take me years to finish this!" gut reaction. Very informative, very meaty.
Postwar History of Europe, T. Judt.......2007-07-05
The subject of the book is Europe since the end of WWII. Such large scale histories are interesting because, although they can't possibly describe all important events, they can provide a better understanding of a certain period from the perspective emphasized by the author, e.g. economic, social, military etc.
My concern is that the range of perspectives this book focuses on is unusually broad and, at the same time, the author's opinions, even on very controversial issues, are not sufficiently elaborated upon. This has the effect of giving the impression of one-sidedness and subjectivity.
To give an example that is quite prominent in the book: concerning the conflict(s) in Yugoslavia during the 90's, the book gives a solid account of the Serbian crimes as they became widely known by the media, but it does not attempt to illuminate the motives and concerns behind the policies leading up to these crimes. This does not mean that, if some of these underlying concerns had a real basis, the crimes would be in the least bit excused, but such a analysis would have offered the reader a better insight into this important part of post-WWII European history.
In particular, the analysis of the Yugoslav conflict fails to account for atrocities against Serbians and which would seem to confirm that some of the Serbian concerns (as opposed to the way by which they addressed them) were justified: e.g. the deportation of the entire Serbian population from Krajina in Croatia or the terrorist activities of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Some of that is mentioned in the book, but only in passing and with an emotional detachment which is very different from the appropriately passionate denunciations of the Serbian crimes.
Such problems would probably not have arisen if the events discussed had been analyzed from a narrower perspective or a more extended argumentation had been provided in support of the author's interpretation.
In the same vein, the reference to the facts underlying some of the author's conclusions is too minimal and even the statement of the conclusions themselves is too telegraphic to be clear. Complex issues Europe has been trying to address for years, including things as disparate as the reform of the financial structures of EU, or Turkey's difficulty to genuinely adopt Western values about human rights and dealing with its History, are often brushed upon without any special explanation leaving the reader with only a vaguest idea of the nature of the problem and of the author's view.
In summary, the breadth of the material covered made it hard for the book to live up to the expectations for a careful and enlightening analysis of post-war European history.
Book Description
This challenging and motivating text presents the experience of the U.S. in World War II as a backdrop for understanding recent developments and events in American history. Four principal interwoven themes trace 1) the pervasive impact of the Cold War, 2) the effects of social-protest movements among African-Americans, women, and other groups, 3) the sources and impact of economic, demographic, and cultural changes, and 4) a thorough examination of politics.
Customer Reviews:
Over-Priced, Publisher Needs Spanking.......2007-04-10
I spend $5000 a year at Amazon. I also publish books and know that it costs a penny a page to publish a book with a hard copy jacket.
This is an important book, disgracefully priced beyond the reach of virtually everyone who actually needs to read it.
If and when the price drops to $35 or so, I will consider buying. If you agree, please join me in protest.
Revisionist?.......2003-12-30
I'm an older student, so old that the word "revisionist" was never applied to history. History was simply facts, dates, names, etc. Dull? Yes, but it was up to our professors to make those facts interesting - not the textbook.
I was struck by a line in Paul Boyer's Preface: "This, then is not an authoritive, predigested, take-it-or-leave-it version of recent U. S. history but one PERSPECTIVE on that history presented in a way that I hope will stimulate discussion and reflection."
We already must purchase a book that gives differing slants on modern problems that is to be used to supplement Boyer and provide PERSPECTIVE. Which book do I believe to be stating the truth? If I want PERSPECTIVE I'll ask my professor. I simply want a presentation of facts not an editorial wrapped up like facts.
I can see it'll be a long semester.
A non-history major undergraduate's thoughts.......2000-05-22
This is an excellent textbook for courses on US history 1945-present. It covered all topics, from the civil rights movement to Iran-Contra, thoroughly and provided many supporting details. While concentrating on the high profile movements such as civil rights, the women's movement, and later the New Right, the author also traces Hispanic and American Indian movements and briefly touches on the Gay Rights Movement. His political commentary is somewhat liberal, especially in discussions on the most recent presidents, but his views do not significantly interfere with the facts he presents. Overall, it is an extremely well-written, in-depth analysis of political and social trends, and is a great resource for students.
Book Description
Is the United States a force for democracy? In this classic and unique volume that answers this question, William Blum serves up a forensic overview of U.S. foreign policy spanning sixty years. Remarks from the previous edition: "Far and away the best book on the topic."-Noam Chomsky "A valuable reference for anyone interested in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy."- Choice "I enjoyed it immensely."-Gore Vidal "The single most useful summary of CIA history."-John Stockwell "Each chapter I read makes me more and more angry."-Helen Caldicott "A very useful piece of work, daunting in scope, important."-Thomas Powers, author and Pulitzer Prize--winning journalist "A very valuable book. The research and organization are extremely impressive."-A.J. Langguth, author and former New York Times bureau chief For those who want the details on our most famous -actions (Chile, Cuba, Vietnam, to name a few), and for those who want to learn about our lesser-known efforts (France, China, Bolivia, Brazil, for example), this book provides a window on what our foreign policy goals really are. William Blum is the author of Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower .
Customer Reviews:
The Best Reference Out.......2007-08-13
The book does a great job showing the irony in the double-standards the US has used in its foreign policy since WWII, as State department officials confessed to (shown in the last chapter). This also makes for a more entertaining read than most other books on the topic. All together though, the book's use of these contradictions are just used to propel a central idea the author has, as stated in his introduction - that the communist threat was largely imagined, either intenionally at times or unintentionally, and that the US media failed to rationalize the discrepancies of state doctrines. So, if you believe this, you'll enjoy the book, otherwise, you'll find it a "worthless left-wing propanganda."
The book does take for granted a large degree of knowledge by the reader. That is, the author only explains US activities (as the book's title plainly states) in particular regions, but general history between time periods and other nations' influences are usually omitted. So if your history isn't up to par it may be a little confusing keeping track of changing foreign attitudes and policies.
Worthless Left-Wing Propaganda.......2007-04-09
I'm sorry to say that I actually spent money on this! I had thought of returning it but I didn't want to allow these misconstrued fantasies to be further spread so I destroyed it. It's sad that the author used biased references and half truths to support his position. As a retired USAF military member I'm ashamed to think that I protected his rights for over twenty years. If he's so against the U.S why doesn't he leave this country and go peddle his stories somewhere else.
Essential Reference, Some Warts.......2007-02-18
Over-all, this is a very precious book, and an essential reference on the history of US intervention, both military and clandestine or covert.
As a former Marine Corps infantry office and former clandestine services case officer, and as an avid reader of non-fiction, I will gladly state on the record that this author has it largely right.
I took off one star because the book has NOT been properly updated. The list of U.S. military interventions still ends in 1945, only the the CIA assassination plot list has been updated.
There are other books that complement this one--everything by Noam Chomspky, Derek Leebaert's "The Fifty-Year Wound," Chalmers Johnson on "Sorrows of Empire," Robert McNamara et al, "Wilson's Ghost," the DVD "Why We Fight," Ambassador Palmer's "The Real Axis of Evil" (on the 45 dictators we SUPPORT), and--with respect to the ignorance of America about reality, the two books, "Fog Facts," and "Lost History." See also Marine General Smedley Butler's short but hard-hitting work, "War is a Racket."
While I take the author with a grain of salt and do not appreciate his collaboration with Phil Agee, who betrayed his oaths to the US, whatever his reasons, on balance this book is an essential reference for anyone who wishes to understand why the rest of the world is beginning to conclude that we are the worst of all evils in our foreign policy behavior and misbehavior.
Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
The Fifty-Year Wound: How America's Cold War Victory Has Shaped Our World
The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)
Wilson's Ghost: Reducing the Risk of Conflict, Killing, and Catastrophe in the 21st Century
Why We Fight
Breaking the Real Axis of Evil: How to Oust the World's Last Dictators by 2025
War Is a Racket: The Anti-War Classic by America's Most Decorated General, Two Other Anti=Interventionist Tracts, and Photographs from the Horror of It
Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth'
Fog Facts : Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin (Nation Books)
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
What every American should know about reality.......2006-11-13
"The greatest purveyor of violence on Earth is my own government." Martin Luther King Jr.
This is still true in 2006.
Killing Hope has nothing to do with wacko conspiracy theories. It's history. Untold, untaught history--but fact, not fiction.
"Read the history of the place where you're living/and stop letting corporate news teach lies to your children." Immortal Technique
This book is an encyclopedia of the terrorism, assassinations, and covert wars the US government has committed around the world since WWII. Other reviewers will undoubtedly deny this books factuality. In fact, Mr. Blum. a former CIA station chief, fought an extensive legal battle with the CIA over his right to publish it. The court's decision was to allow publishing, but that the proceeds of all sales would be given to the CIA! So, as Mr. Blum says, don't buy this book, borrow it from a friend or a library.
WHY DOES THE REST OF THE WORLD HATE US (except for the world's wealthy elite)? This book helps dispell the myths of "islamic fascism," "anti-americanism," and other lies that perport to explain those that oppose the US government and the corporations it serves. Unlike what you hear on FOX News, those who oppose US global dominance DO have good reasons. Usually it's because our government tortures and murders their families.
What HOPE is the US Govt. and the world's wealthy elite trying to KILL? The threat of a good example alternative to unbridled capitalism (iow nothing in life has value unless a dollar amount can be attached to it). Ever wondered what Washington has against poor, unthreatening Cuba? Or why the US supports brutal dictatorships around the world (Columbia, Saudia Arabia, Pakistan etc.), and opposes genuine democracies (Venezuela, France). Or how about why Americans have been taught to oppose universal health care, or free university education (hint, these ideas make people more important than profit).
For those who claim to be history buffs, I challenge you to read this. You don't know squat about modern history unless you understand the episodes described in this book.
Read this to understand why the population of the US must learn to think for themselves, before "our" government destroys the world for profit. Make no mistake, the survival of humanity, and certainly our prospects for peace and happiness depend upon the American public not continuing down the road first trod by the "good Germans."
The giant should remain strong no matter what........2006-09-26
I read this book and it confirmed my feelings that USA, as the only super power, should ALWAYS remain STRONG.
The book is composed of some 400 pages full of critiques as if the author wanted America to be the haven of saints when the world has been full of crocodiles, for instance the introduction brings about a fair resume of the author's intentions
How!
In the Introduction I came across a passage which I hereby quote `''It was in the early days of the Vietnam War that a Vietcong officer said to his American prisoner _' You were our heroes after the war, and a common phrase in those days was `'to be as rich and as wise as an American'' - What happened `''.
The title `Killing Hope' - updated edition 2004 - by William Blum, and many of the contents are indeed offensive to the USA because it speaks about U.S military and C.I.A 'interventions' since World War II and endeavours to portray them as the bad guys.
C.I.A (USA) intervensions?
Didn't such 'intervension' save many countries that now live under the 'shades' of democracies, in Europe and the Far East (Japan) enjoying unprecedented richness and prosperity, with a high standard of living for their nationals.
As one individual out of six billion living on this planet, do I blame the USA for protecting the interest of its citizens.
USA is The World Giant and one has to learn how to convince them of one's view points , rather than garrulously defy them with boring speeches and empty written words.
Book Description
International Relations Since 1945 is a one-volume authoritative historical analysis of international relations during the Cold War and its aftermath. It both describes and interprets events since 1945 for an undergraduate audience. It explores how the Cold War impacted upon world politics as a whole, but also deals with such important regional problems as the Middle East, the development of European integration and the end of the European empires in Africa and Asia. While focusing on political change, careful attention is paid to the evolution of the global economy and the interplay between international and domestic developments, as well as to the growth of 'interdependence'. Particular attention is paid to the role of the United States, especially in the 1990s when it became the world's only Superpower. The text covers the nature of the Cold War, the development of the Western and Eastern blocs, North-South, decolonization and Third World issues, international economic relations, armaments and nuclear strategy and globalization.
Book Description
This highly acclaimed book offers a complete political history of East Central Europe from World War II to the present. Return to Diversity, now in its third edition, introduces a new co-author, Nancy M. Wingfield, and has been fully updated to cover events up through the 1990s. It includes an account and analysis of the developments in post-communist regimes throughout the region, addressing the transformation of each country during the first post-communist decade. It discusses coalition politics, ethnic discord, and issues of democratic development. This new edition features additional maps and extensively revised reading lists to reflect the most current scholarship in the field. Unsurpassed in scope, in depth of analysis, and in fairness and objectivity, Return to Diversity is an invaluable resource for students of this regions history and politics.
Customer Reviews:
tangled history.......2007-02-23
The tangled and often bloody history of eastern Europe is updated to include events after the end of the Cold War. Rothschild writes of the conflicting influences that drove events. Like the myriad nationalisms (Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Serb, Croat...) that were often suppressed under the Warsaw Pact. During the Cold War, these could often be neglected by analysts. Yet later, some would erupt into open tension or outright conflict. The latter being the Yugoslav Wars.
The book's title alludes to this suppressed diversity of heritages and ethnicities. It also contains material about the Cold War that only became available after its end.
Still the best survey of communist Eastern Europe out there.......2001-06-14
Rothschild's _Return To Diversity_ really is an outstanding classic (easily withstanding the cliched abuse of that label!). I have yet to see a better one-volume treatment of the postwar political history of Eastern Europe. Not that Geoffrey Swain and Nigel Swain's book is bad, just that Rothschild is richer and treats each country in more detail.
Rothschild does not deal with the Baltics or other republics of the former Soviet Union. He treats Poland, Hungary, the former Czechoslovakia, the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania in their respective sections in each chapter.
His introductory background chapters, one on the interwar period and an even longer one on WW II are excellent summaries, considering Rothschild has already written the classic on _East Central Europe between the Two World Wars_.
I used _Return to Diversity_ both as a student ten years ago, and recently to teach a course on the politics of Eastern Europe; I was very happy to find it still being published. Going back through it, I was amazed how consistently Rothschild treats each country on the topics of leadership politics, economic development, social relationships vis-a-vis each regime, the extent of opposition and civil society, and foreign relations. He did it so well that I was able to construct a one-page "grille" of essential, quick and dirty information to help students compare countries (after having them concentrate on two countries each).
Not only is this book perfect to catch students up on communist history in the most efficient way, I personally find it invaluable to verify basic facts and details quickly. Country specialists will, of course, need to look elsewhere for details for which surveys simply don't have the space.
The updated chapter on post-communist politics (presumably where most of Dr. Wingfield's contribution comes in) is good as far as it goes, but frankly, you'll find more thorough treatments of post-communist Eastern Europe elsewhere in more space than this volume has available.
Overall, this book is well worth the money and easily merits five stars. The style of writing may put some laypeople and students off, but the fact is that Rothschild writes very eloquently as an "old school" historian, and if it sometimes seems dry, it's because of all the information he managed to cram into it. I repeat, this book is the best survey of communist Eastern Europe out there, and will no doubt remain so for some time to come.
Average customer rating:
- Another great book
- A compelling novel
- He draws us on . . .
|
Since You Went Away (Hughes, Dean, Children of the Promise, Vol. 2.)
Dean Hughes
Manufacturer: Deseret Book Co
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Far from Home (Children of the Promise/Dean Hughes, Vol 3)
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Rumors of War (Children of the Promise, Vol 1)
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When We Meet Again (Children of the Promise, Vol. 4)
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As Long As I Have You (Children of the Promise, Vol. 5)
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Take Me Home (Hughes, Dean, Hearts of the Children, V. 4.)
ASIN: 1573452858 |
Customer Reviews:
Another great book.......2006-02-04
I consumed this book as fast as I did the first one. I loved it.
A compelling novel .......2005-04-20
Since You Went Away by Dean Hughes is an amazing story that observes the outlook of many different people all striving to survive World War Two. Never once was I bored while reading this book, however due to the many story lines at times it was sometimes hard to keep up. But in the end all characters had a gripping story to tell- well worth the time!
He draws us on . . ........2005-02-14
Hughes is brilliant at drawing the reader into the lives, loves and dangers the Thomas family faces as each of the children go off to war. Alex, in the European theater, facing those he taught and loved on his mission as the enemy. Wally, serving in the South Pacific, is gathered up in the fateful surrender of American soldiers and forced to endure the infamous Bataan March. Bobbi struggles with her own challenges in Hawaii. As each page turns and the tension builds, I can scarcely wait for the next. This is a must buy and a valuable edition to your home library.
Book Description
Despite its status as the world's lone superpower, the United States confronts a variety of serious challenges in the world today: ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear tensions involving Iran and North Korea, and strained American relations with allies in the European Union and the United Nations. In updating their book, authors Hook and Spanier find that these new developments are in keeping with the overarching theme of their classic text--that there is an American "style" of foreign policy imbued with a distinct sense of national exceptionalism. Through a thorough understanding of the United States' past actions, students can then fully grasp the functions and frequent dysfunctions of the nation's foreign-policy process.
Providing a lively and concise review of the conduct of American foreign policy since World War II, early chapters are strengthened by new historical findings, while recent developments since 9/11 receive thorough treatment and analysis. A stand-alone chapter on the Iraq War provides essential historical context as well as a detailed assessment of recent events across the Middle East. The book's presentation and usefulness are enhanced by new tables and figures, updated photos and maps, and annotated web resources.
Customer Reviews:
The Ultimate Guide to US Foreign Policy.......2005-07-07
Now in its 16th edition, American Foreign Policy Since World War II has become one of the most respected guides on the ins and outs US foreign engagement in the 20th century. Combining theory and insight to this historical perspective, Hook and Spanier have created a very thorough book that takes a balanced look at both the domestic and international issues that have shaped US foreign policy. This book is comprehensive and comprehensible, making it perfect as leisure reading for those interested in international politics or a text for an international relations course. The fourteen chapters:
1. The American Approach to Foreign Policy
2. From World War to Cold War
3. Containment: From Theory to Practice
4. Developing Countries in the Crossfire
5. Vietnam and the Cost of Containment
6. The Era of Superpower Detente
7. Jimmy Carter and World-Order Politics
8. The Revival of Superpower Confrontation
9. The End of the Cold War
10. America's "Unipolar Moment"
11. Old Tensions in a New Order
12. The Shifting European Landscape
13. America under Fire
14. A World of Trouble
are useful individually to address a specific issue, region, or time period, and as a set to provide a broad overview.
Building Blocks.......2005-01-11
Steven W. Hook and John Spanier's book on American foreign policy since WWII is a great introduction for those seeking a detailed yet concise elucidation. The authors exploit all levels of analysis (unit, state, and system), and posit a "peculiar national style" and a degree of continuity as underlying the nature of US foreign policy since 1945. Despite the lucanae bound to be found in a wide-ranging account, Hook and Spanier's book is still an excellent building block for understanding post-WWII US foreign policy as well as basic international relations' theory.
Book Description
This popular and classic text chronicles America's roller-coaster journey through the decades since World War II. Considering both the paradoxes and the possibilities of postwar America, William H. Chafe portrays the significant cultural and political themes that have colored our country's past and present, including issues of race, class, gender, foreign policy, and economic and social reform. He examines such subjects as the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, the origins and the end of the Cold War, the culture of the 1970s, the rise of the New Right, the Clinton presidency, the events of September 11th and their aftermath, the war in Iraq, the 2004 election, and the beginning of George W. Bush's second term. In this new edition, Chafe provides a nuanced yet unabashed assessment of George W. Bush's presidency, covering his reelection, the saga of the Iraq War, and the administration's response to the widespread devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Chafe also provides a detailed account of the state of the nation under the Bush administration, including the economic situation, the cultural polarization over such issues as stem cell research and gay marriage, the shifting public opinion of the Iraq War, and the widening gap between the poorest and the wealthiest citizens. Brilliantly written by a prize-winning historian, The Unfinished Journey, Sixth Edition, is an essential text for all students of recent American history.
Customer Reviews:
Updating Our Recent History.......2007-03-17
This text is a fine piece of historical work. It provides new historical perspectives on events that many of us have lived through. As our recent past recedes further into history, and as new original historical sources, such as presidential papers, become available, the view of history of any time period is subject to new and revised interpretations by scholars.
Reinterpratation of historical events are evidenced in this book. The book covers that period of U.S. History from the beginning of the Cold War through 9/11 and the Iraq War. This book does a very nice job as well in providing the history enthusiast or an amateur the present schloarly consensus on such major events as the Cuban Missile Crisis, race relations, the Vietnam War, and the women's movement.
It is well written, well documente and highly readable. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good overview of recent U.S. history.
The book presents interesting motives.......2004-08-19
Joe Anguilano
WWII, a Lesson in Realpolitik?
Two powerful nations, the United States and the USSR, were pitted against each other in a power-struggle during and after World War Two. This dangerous power struggle, referred to as the Cold War, at its very core, originated due to the economic needs of the United States and foreign policy rhetoric. Due to an alliance held together by little more than a common enemy, two very different nations were brought together as allies and became entangled in a post-war diplomatic nightmare.
"In December 1940 America had begun its Lend-Lease plan for sending arms to Britain" (J, 3). The motives behind the Lend-Lease program for England are very important in determining the motives for US interests in Europe. In hindsight, the Soviets accused the US of an "economically aggressive...effort to dominate the globe," (Time 1). Similar to World War I, the US had a vested interest in an English victory because "trade lines with England and France, economic and political control over Latin America and South America-all would be best preserved if Germany were defeated" (J, 33). The US Lend-Lease program for England was meant to alleviate Nazi aggression threatening these interests as well as others. Chafe writes "posing the issue [of war] as strictly one of self-interest offered little chance of success given the depth of America's revulsion toward internationalism. [The] Roosevelt [administration] relied [on] rhetoric of American values as a means of justifying the international involvement that knew must inevitably lead to war" (J, 34). Yet, "in June 1941, Germany invaded Russia and Stalin became `Uncle Joe" (J, 32).
Why would the US ally itself with a government that oversaw prison camps and purge trials that killed up to 6 million (J, 32)? "From a Western perspective, there seemed little basis for distinguishing between Soviet tyranny and Nazi totalitarianism" (F, 32). By allying itself with the USSR, the United States decided to put its notion of a "city on a hill" aside to try to retain its economic and political interests abroad. But the rhetoric arguing for the war continued its "city on the hill" ideals. Roosevelt tried to reason with this compromise when writing to General MacArthur saying, "The Russian armies are killing more Axis personnel and destroying more Axis materiel than all the other twenty-five United Nations put together" (J, 36). The incentive for the USSR to take up arms with the US is due simply to the fact that Nazi forces were making advances in Russia and it was taking a heavy toll.
Economic motives and foreign policy rhetoric had a two-fold effect as origins for the Cold War. Motivations that did not stand up to "pure or altruistic" were primary reasons for entering the war and the Roosevelt administration's lack of acknowledgement of these motivations " severely limited the flexibility necessary to a multifaceted and effective diplomacy" (J, 33). Once the power struggle between the two super-powers of the war emerged the US could give little ground or concession because "action...might fall well short of the expectations generated by moralistic visions" (J, 33). After Hitler was defeated the US continued its "city on the hill" rhetoric but realized that the power struggle for Europe would be much more complicated than previously anticipated.
***This is something that I put together based on this book. I found the reading material interesting and wish I had not sold the book back at the end of the semester. I may buy it again for reference purposes although I also hear that "The People's History of the United States" is good as well.
4th edition is a ripoff.......2001-02-22
Only a few pages of the 4th edition are new so if you have the 3rd don't bother with the 4th. The publisher should be ashamed.
An excellent brief political history of the post WWII period.......1999-03-09
Chafe does a good job on selected topics;i.e., politics, civil rights and foreign policy. Weak on economics, technology, farm policy. Heavily dependent on some secondary sources like Doris Kearns Goodwin. Needs updating badly. 4th edition has been delayed for months.
Book Description
Is the United States a Force for Democracy? From China in the 1940s to Guatemala today, William Blum provides the most comprehensive study of the ongoing American holocaust. Covering U.S. intervention in more than 50 countries, KILLING HOPE describes the grim role played by the U.S. in overthrowing governments, perverting elections, assassinating leaders, suppressing revolutions, manipulating trade unions and manufacturing "news."
Customer Reviews:
William Blum: Killing Hope.......2007-03-20
I was very skeptical about this book, but it was the only comprehensive thing I could find on the topic of American interventionism/imperialism, so I bought it. It turns out I was right to be skeptical: the book is more than a little biased. The author's emotional rhetoric is extremely annoying (one chapter is titled, "'F*** Your Laws and Your Constitution' Said the President of the United States"....but when you read the chapter it becomes clear that this isn't a real quote, just the author's attempt at summarizing what he believes is the attitude of the U.S. toward other countries.) Don't get me wrong, I definitely believe there is a moral dimension to America's interventionist policies. However, I'd like to draw those conclusions on my own, rather than letting the author of a book draw them for me. So on that note, here are a couple of more scholarly/less biased alternatives for studying this crucial (but neglected) topic:
Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq
by Stephen Kinzer (Author)
American Adventurism Abroad: 30 Invasions, Interventions, and Regime Changes since World War II (Hardcover)
by Michael J. Sullivan
Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA (Hardcover)
by Prados John (Author)
And for a historical perspective that goes back a little further:
Dangerous Nation (Hardcover)
by Robert Kagan
Manifest Destiny's Underworld: Filibustering in Antebellum America (Paperback)
by Robert E. May
If you like Chomsky..........2006-01-24
...You'll love this guy, because he's obviously a student and will continue the Chomsky tradition. Like Chomsky, he ignores anything good that comes of America policy (when he admits it he implies that it was an accident) and ignores anything bad that anyone else does - including Communist governments and other totalitarian governments or dictatorships.
Like Chomsky he insinuates a lot and twists the truth around, leaving things out and implicating rather than stating things upfront as a good historian would. This way he doesn't have to back anything up directly or prove any point or any assumption. Like Chomsky, he implies that because one American administration worked with another government during a certain period (eg during WWII) and then another fought against that administration (eg the Soviet Union or its allies) once the war was over, this must mean that the US is either hypocritical and untrustworthy or must have alternative motives. Neither Blum nor Chomsky could spell this out and expect very many readers to agree, but they can certainly insinuate and hope to convince the reader that he should be more skeptical of such a two-faced government as that of the US.
Like Chomsky, Blum leaves out any potentially moral reason for the US to fight an enemy. If the reason is to fight communism, he makes clear that he sees no morality and no security reason connected to it. For example, regarding US involvement in Vietnam Blum says:
"To the Truman administration, the prospect of another Communist government in Asia was intolerable."
But does he ever say why? Does he mention the millions killed by Communism? Does he mention the expansionist (really Imperialist) policies of the Soviet Union? The repression, famines and brutal governance, the spread of oppression, the threat that these Communist governments presented? He does not.
There may be some truth to some of the facts cited, many are twisted but some may be true; however no historian would take the book seriously because it is very clear that the author is not only biased as an individual writer, but he has biased his research to the point of being willing to leave out vast evidence that directly undermines many of his assertions and he has not outlined his assertions or assumptions in such a way as to allow others to test them, counter them or even quote and question them.
If you are looking for a polemic against America, this book will do. If you are looking for a rant full of assertions that you can research yourself and expose as lies, this is a great choice. If you are looking for serious, well researched historical reading, this is not your book. By the way, Osama Bin Laden just recommended a William Blum book to his followers! Talk about your scholarly reviews.
Great Book, Even if you Disagree.......2005-09-18
What conservatives and liberals are categorically guilty of is not reading literature that doesn't agree with their political opinions, that doesn't get mentioned in their political circles, in short; that isn't politically 'hip' to read. I wish more conservatives would read this book and ones like it, I for one actually read the literature of their movement. This book is especially good for young students who wish to have a companion document to their biased history textbooks.
The reader from Idaho..........2003-08-18
...is infuriating until it becomes clear that he/she is being ironic. It seems 18 people either realize that or agree with some deliberately outrageous beliefs.
Not a Conspiracy Theorist.......2003-07-24
A fact cannot be modified, but it can be
problematised--that is, put under analysis.
William Blum's "Killing Hope" takes the Cold-
War foreign policy of the US and upends
conventional apologies and justifications
for a rather ruthless campaign to stamp
out the ideology that most threatened
American dominance in the world: communism.
Though I met Blum and can attest that he
is no communist, like any decent American he
hates liars. His book exposes lies. Once
an idealistic career servant at the State
Department, Blum turned whistle-blower
after becoming morally nauseated at the
bagful of lies that launched the country
on its disastrous adventure in Vietnam.
"Killing Hope" is an encyclopedic catalogue
of Washington's lies, misdeeds, and subversions
of democracy all over the globe--mostly
carried out in complete secrecy from the
American people. From Chile to China,
Blum shows that "freedom and democracy"
in foreign lands were never primary goals
of US foreign policy but the propaganda
cover for domination and control. Were
this a required book in all US high-school
history books, American youth could
hardly be lining up to serve in wars
that are carried out for exactly
the opposite motives from the stated ones.
In Iraq today, 145,000 soldiers, who went
to fight to liberate Iraq, are finding
out that Iraqis do not thank them for their
sacrifice. Lied to and misused, they often
find this out at the end of a bullet that
strikes them down. To historians like
Blum, this manipulation of American trust is
a crime. His book is, among other things,
a passionate dedication to truth--
and he's not making it up, either.
Declassified government documents are the major
source of his thesis!
Books:
- Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present
- Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision (On Leadership)
- Soviet Lend-Lease Fighter Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces)
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
- The Accusers
- The Apocalypse Now Book
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition
- The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II
- The Book Thief (Book Sense Book of the Year Children's Literature (Awards))
- The Death of a President: November 20-November 25
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