The Unfinished Journey: America Since World War II

by William H. Chafe

Overview

Brilliantly written by a prize-winning historian, The Unfinished Journey, Ninth Edition, considers 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. The new edition offers a greatly enhanced visual program, with over 40 new photos and 20 new maps, graphs, and tables.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190919771
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/23/2021
Edition description:	9th ed.
Pages:	704
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

William H. Chafe is Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of History Emeritus at Duke University. He is a former president of the Organization of American Historians and his books have been recognized with the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award (1981), the Sidney Hillman Book Award (1994), and the Lillian Smith Book Award (2003).

Table of Contents

Preface
Timeline

1. The War Years
Making the War Real on the Home Front
Mobilizing the Economy
Women
Black Americans
Other Minorities
Politics at Home
Conclusion

2. Origins of the Cold War
The Historical Context
The War Years
Negotiating Peace
Finding a Path of Mutual Accommodation
Cold War Issues
Conclusion

3. Truman and the Cold War
The Challenge of the Presidency
Nuclear Weapons and American Lives
The Soviet Agenda
Declaration of the Cold War
"Two Camps"
Causes and Interpretations

4. "The Other Half of the Walnut"
Social Reform and Activism in the Postwar Years
The Politics of 1945
The Experience of Women
The Black Experience
The Experience of Labor
The Politics of Anticommunism
The Election of 1948
Consequences
"The Other Half of the Walnut"

5. The Paradox of Change
American Society in the Postwar Years
Economic Growth
Suburbia and Consumerism
Family Life and Sex Roles
TV and Popular Culture
Politics of the Fifties
The Critique of Conformity
Conclusion

6. The Civil Rights Movement
"The Gods Bring Threads to Webs Begun"
The Court Fight
The Response to Brown
White Southern Resistance
The Montgomery Movement
The Sit-in Movement
The Movement Spreads
Conclusion

7. John F. Kennedy
The Reality and the Myth
The Kennedy Career
The Kennedy Frame of Reference
The Kennedy Record
Kennedy's Foreign Policy
The Year of Promise
Conclusion

8. LBJ
The Trial of Consensus
The Early Years
Domination, Control, and Consensus
A New President Takes Hold
Transcending Regional Conflict
The Great Society and the War on Poverty
Community Action Programs
Conclusion

9. Vietnam-The Early Years
The Cold War and Korea
"Aggression Doesn't Pay"
The History of American Involvement in Vietnam 1950-61
American Policy in Vietnam
The Kennedy Years
Conclusion

10. "Lyndon's War"
The Johnson Approach to Foreign Policy
The Road to Disaster
"Into the Big Muddy"
The Dissenters
The Quagmire Gets Deeper
Conclusion

11. Coming Apart at Home
From Civil Rights to Black Power-A Paradigm
The Student Movement
The Emergence of Women's Liberation
The Counter-response
The White House Response
Conclusion

12. 1968
January and February
The Struggle of Robert F. Kennedy
Lyndon Johnson
Martin Luther King, Jr., RFK, and Eugene McCarthy
The Year Comes to a Climax-The Conventions and Election
Conclusion

13. "Bringing Us Together"
The Nixon Presidency: Rhetoric and Reality
Nixon's Southern Strategy
Foreign Policy
White House Control over Foreign Affairs
"Us" Against "Them"
The Demise of the Left
An Appeal to "Middle Americans"
The Downfall of the Imperial President
Conclusion

14. An Era of Political Malaise
Political Bewilderment
A "Trusteeship"
The Reagan Revolution
The "New Right"
Conclusion

15. A Divided Culture, a Divided Society
The Positive Legacy of the 1960s
The Other Side of the Coin
American Attitudes Toward Welfare
A New Economy
Conclusion

16. The Reagan Years
The Reagan Credo
The Domestic and Foreign Policy Agendas
Prosperity Returns
The 1984 Election
Falling Apart
Long-Term Consequences
Reaching New Heights

17. The 1990s
A Referendum on the Post-World War II Years
The Reagan Legacy-George Bush
The 1992 Presidential Election
The First Clinton Administration
Topsy-Turvy: The 1994 Elections
Clinton/Dole-A Decision or a Stand-off?
The Second Clinton Presidency
The Basic Issues

18. 2000 and Beyond
The 2000 Election
The 2000 Post-Election Debacle
The First Bush Administration
September 11, 2001
The Bush Response
The Aftermath
The 2004 Election
The Second Term
Reflections

19. Barack Obama
A Utopian Vision Confronts Political Reality
The Election
The First Two Years
The Second Two Years
A Nuanced Approach to Foreign Policy
Who Would Win?
Obama's Victory
Conclusion

20. The Trump Years
The 2016 Election
"Making America Great Again"
The Trump Administration and North Korea
A Nation in Crisis
The 2020 Election
Breaking Old Rules

Epilogue
Bibliographical Essay
Index

Editorial Reviews

"It is the best, one-volume survey of U.S. history since 1945 available on the market today. Written by a top scholar, The Unfinished Journey provides a comprehensive account of modern American history that manages to be analytical as well. Chafe's overarching narrative—that Americans' ongoing struggle to achieve a more perfect union has hinged on a series of turning points—helps students make sense of the often bewildering array of events, currents, and counter-currents that have beset the US since 1945."—M. Todd Bennett, East Carolina University

"The Unfinished Journey is a well-written narrative that brings individual characters to life, from presidents and generals to less well known figures. The book provides a balanced perspective on various hot-button historical issues and events, and should provide basis for far-ranging class discussions. The book is particularly strong in its historical analysis. Moments in the past that may appear bewildering to contemporary students are explained and parsed thoughtfully, allowing students to connect past and present effectively."—William S. Bush, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

"The Unfinished Journey is a book that immediately engages students at all levels to consider the complexities and paradoxes of modern America. There is no other book that incorporates social, political, economic, and cultural history as well as Chafe's. It is far more than a mere textbook. It contains a thesis about the state of modern America that many other books lack, or don't have the insight or courage to state."—Tracy Campbell, University of Kentucky

From the Publisher