Abundance and Anxiety: America, 1945-1960

by Gary A. Donaldson

Overview

The United States had tremendous opportunities after World War II. The nation's industrial might, geared to defeat Germany and Japan, could now be focused on domestic production. Real wages were up, the GNP was on the rise, industrial production was up, and inflation was under control. The future looked bright for the average American. But this abundance was punctuated with anxiety. Within four years of the end of the war, the Soviet Union had become the new enemy: they had the bomb and China and Eastern Europe had fallen into the Soviet sphere of influence. These two points, the abundance of the growing economy and the anxiety of the Cold War, defined the period from 1945-1960.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275957735
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/21/1997
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1320L (what's this?)

About the Author

GARY A. DONALDSON is Associate Professor of History at Xavier University in New Orleans. In 1991 he spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in the People's Republic of China. He is the author of America at War Since 1945: U.S. Involvement in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War (Praeger, 1996), and A History of African Americans in the Military (1991).

Table of Contents

Introduction
Domestic Politics in Truman's First Term—and the Anatomy of an Upset
The New World Order and the Origins of the Cold War
Domestic Fears and the "Red Scare"
America and the Forgotten War: Stopping the March of Communism in Korea
The Fair Deal and Truman's Second Term
Eisenhower in the White House—and the Fall of McCarthy
Korea and Foreign Policy in the Eisenhower Administration
The Civil Rights Movement in the Postwar Years
The Use of Abundance: Culture and Society, 1945-1960
The Election of 1960 and the End of an Era
Notes
Bibliographical Essay
Index

Editorial Reviews

Looks at expectations, attitudes, and politics in America during the post-WWII era, with chapters on domestic politics in Truman's first term, the origins of the Cold War, the fall of McCarthy, Korea and foreign policy during the Eisenhower administration, the civil rights movement, culture and society during the period, and the election of 1960. For academics, students, and general readers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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