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Overview
Whether World War II made or merely marked the transition of the USA from a major world power to a superpower, the fact remains that America's role in the world around it had undergone a dramatic change. Other nations had long recognized the potential of the USA. They had seen its power exercized regularly in economics, if only sporadically in politics. But World War II, and the landscape it left behind, prompted American leaders and the Congress to conclude that they had to use the nation's strength to protect and advance its interests. The end of the Cold War will not end the debate over the structural reasons for that transformation of American attitudes and actions. The essays in this book reflect a variety of views on the question of causation. The group of contributors provide many varied insights into this crucial change and make this book an important contribution to the history of this period.
Synopsis
Whether World War II made or merely marked the transition of the USA from a major world power to a superpower, the fact remains that America's role in the world around it had undergone a dramatic change. Other nations had long recognized the potential of the USA. They had seen its power exercized regularly in economics, if only sporadically in politics. But World War II, and the landscape it left behind, prompted American leaders and the Congress to conclude that they had to use the nation's strength to protect and advance its interests. The end of the Cold War will not end the debate over the structural reasons for that transformation of American attitudes and actions. The essays in this book reflect a variety of views on the question of causation. The group of contributors provide many varied insights into this crucial change and make this book an important contribution to the history of this period.
Booknews
Nine essays selected and revised from the World War II and the Shaping of Modern America conference at Rutgers University (no date noted), explore theories of why, at the end of World War II, the United States government decided to exert its military power to protect its interests worldwide, rather than sometime before or after, or not at all. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)