Foundations of the American Century: The Ford, Carnegie, and Rockefeller Foundations and the Rise of American Power: The Ford, Carnegie, and Rockfeller Foundations in the Rise of American Power

Foundations of the American Century Inderjeet Parmar reveals the complex interrelations, shared mindsets, and collaborative efforts of influential public and private organizations in the building of American hegemony. Focusing on the involvement of the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations in U.S. foreign affairs, Parmar traces the transformation of America from an "isolationist" nation into the world's only superpower, all in... Full description

Inderjeet Parmar reveals the complex interrelations, shared mindsets, and collaborative efforts of influential public and private organizations in the building of American hegemony. Focusing on the involvement of the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations in U.S. foreign affairs, Parmar traces the transformation of America from an "isolationist" nation into the world's only superpower, all in the name of benevolent stewardship.

Parmar begins in the 1920s with the establishment of these foundations and their system of top-down, elitist, scientific giving, which focused more on managing social, political, and economic change than on solving modern society's structural problems. Consulting rare documents and other archival materials, he recounts how the American intellectuals, academics, and policy makers affiliated with these organizations institutionalized such elitism, which then bled into the machinery of U.S. foreign policy and became regarded as the essence of modernity.

America hoped to replace Britain in the role of global hegemon and created the necessary political, ideological, military, and institutional capacity to do so, yet far from being objective, the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations often advanced U.S. interests at the expense of other nations. Incorporating case studies of American philanthropy in Nigeria, Chile, and Indonesia, Parmar boldly exposes the knowledge networks underwriting American dominance in the twentieth century.

Columbia University Press

Inderjeet Parmar reveals the complex interrelations, shared mindsets, and collaborative efforts of influential public and private organizations in the building of American hegemony. Focusing on the involvement of the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations in U.S. foreign affairs, Parmar marks the transformation of America from an 'isolationist' nation into the world's only superpower, all in the name of benevolent stewardship. The author begins in the 1920s with the establishment of these foundations and their system of top-down, elitist, scientific giving, which focused more on effecting social, political, and economic change than in solving modern society's structural problems. Consulting rare documents and other archival materials, he recounts how the American intellectuals, academics, and policy makers affiliated with these organizations institutionalized such elitism, which then bled into the machinery of U.S. foreign policy and became regarded as the essence of modernity. America hoped to replace Britain in the role of global hegemon and created the necessary political, ideological, military, and institutional capacity to do so, yet far from being objective, the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations often advanced U.S. interests at the expense of other nations. Incorporating case studies of American philanthropy in Nigeria, Chile, and Indonesia to support his argument, Parmar boldly exposes the knowledge networks underwriting American dominance in the twentieth century.-- Book Jacket Inderjeet Parmar reveals the complex interrelations, shared mindsets, and collaborative efforts of influential public and private organizations in the building of American hegemony. Focusing on the involvement of the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations in U.S. foreign affairs, Parmar marks the transformation of America from an 'isolationist' nation into the world's only superpower, all in the name of benevolent stewardship. The author begins in the 1920s with the establishment of these foundations and their system of top-down, elitist, scientific giving, which focused more on effecting social, political, and economic change than in solving modern society's structural problems. Consulting rare documents and other archival materials, he recounts how the American intellectuals, academics, and policy makers affiliated with these organizations institutionalized such elitism, which then bled into the machinery of U.S. foreign policy and became regarded as the essence of modernity. America hoped to replace Britain in the role of global hegemon and created the necessary political, ideological, military, and institutional capacity to do so, yet far from being objective, the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations often advanced U.S. interests at the expense of other nations. Incorporating case studies of American philanthropy in Nigeria, Chile, and Indonesia to support his argument, Parmar boldly exposes the knowledge networks underwriting American dominance in the twentieth century.--Jaquette Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 1 The Significance of Foundations in U.S. Foreign Policy......Page 14 2 American Foundation Leaders......Page 44 3 Laying the Foundations of Globalism, 1930–1945......Page 78 4 Promoting Americanism, Combating Anti-Americanism, and Developing a Cold War American Studies Network......Page 110 5 The Ford Foundation in Indonesia and the Asian Studies Network......Page 137 6 Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie in Nigeria and the African Studies Network......Page 162 7 The Major Foundations, Latin American Studies, and Chile in the Cold War......Page 193 8 American Power and the Major Foundations in the Post–Cold War Era......Page 234 9 Conclusion......Page 269 Notes......Page 280 Index......Page 354 Inderjeet Parmar reveals the complex interrelations, shared mindsets, and collaborative efforts of influential public and private organizations in the building of American hegemony. Focusing on the involvement of the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations in U.S. foreign affairs, Parmar marks the transformation of America from an?isolationist" nation into the world's only superpower, all in the name of benevolent stewardship. Parmar begins in the 1920s with the establishment of these foundations and their system of top-down, elitist, scientific giving, which focused more on e