Depression to Cold War: A History of America from Herbert Hoover to Ronald Reagan (Perspectives on the Twentieth Century)

Organized around the office of the president, this study focuses on American behavior at home and abroad from the Great Depression to the onset of the end of the Cold War, two key points during which America sought a re-definition of its proper relationship to the world. Domestically, American society continued the process of industrialization and urbanization that had begun in the 19th century. Urban growth accompanied industrialism, and more and more Americans lived in cities. Because of industrial growth and the consequent interest in foreign markets, the United States became a major world power. American actions as a nation, whether as positive attempts to mold events abroad or as negative efforts to enjoy material abundance in relative political isolation, could not help but affect the course of world history. Under President Hoover, the federal government was still a comparatively small enterprise; challenges of the next six decades would transform it almost beyond belief, touching in one way or another almost every facet of American life. Before the New Deal, few Americans expected the government to do anything for them. By the end of the Second World War and in the aftermath of the Great Depression, however, Americans had turned to Washington for help. Even the popular Reagan presidency of the 1980s, the most conservative since Hoover, would fail to undo the basic New Deal commitment to assist struggling Americans. There would be no turning back the clock, at home or abroad. Contents Series Foreword Preface Acknowledgments CHAPTER 1 The Turn of the American Century CHAPTER 2 A New Deal for the American People CHAPTER 3 The Slow Death of Versailles CHAPTER 4 Call to Arms CHAPTER 5 America at War CHAPTER 6 The Transition CHAPTER 7 Navigating the Middle Road CHAPTER 8 The Promise of Greatness CHAPTER 9 The Great Society CHAPTER 10 White House under Siege CHAPTER 11 A Time for Healing CHAPTER 12 The Conservative Revolution Selected Bibliography Index Machine generated contents note: 1. The Turn of the American Century 1 2. A New Deal for the American People 21 3. The Slow Death of Versailles 45 4. Call to Arms 69 5. America at War 89 6. The Transition 109 7. Navigating the Middle Road 137 8. The Promise of Greatness 163 9. The Great Society 183 10. White House under Siege 205 11. A Time for Healing 225 12. The Conservative Revolution 245. Joseph M. Siracusa And David G. Coleman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [275]-293) And Index.