The Unfinished Journey America Since World War II

by Chafe, William H.

• ISBN13: 9780195315370
• ISBN10: 0195315375
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-24
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

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.

Author Biography

William H. Chafe is Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of History at Duke University.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
The War Years	p. 1
Origins of the Cold War	p. 29
Truman and the Cold War	p. 51
"The Other Half of the Walnut": Social Reform and Activism in the Postwar Years	p. 74
The Paradox of Change: American Society in the Postwar Years	p. 105
The Civil Rights Movement: "The Gods Bring Threads to Webs Begun"	p. 140
John F. Kennedy: The Reality and the Myth	p. 170
LBJ: The Trial of Consensus	p. 212
Vietnam-The Early Years	p. 237
"Lyndon's War"	p. 262
Coming Apart at Home	p. 290
1968	p. 329
"Bringing Us Together"	p. 365
New Rules, Old Realities: The Continuing Intersection of Gender, Class, and Race in the Seventies	p. 412
The Reagan Years	p. 450
The 1990s: A Referendum on the Post-World War II Years	p. 476
2000 and Beyond	p. 521
Epilogue	p. 571
Bibliographical Essay	p. 577
Index	p. 598
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.