Description
Book SynopsisA Companion to 20th-Century America is an authoritative survey of the most important topics and themes of twentieth-century American history and historiography.
- Contains 29 original essays by leading scholars, each assessing the past and current state of American scholarship
- Includes thematic essays covering topics such as religion, ethnicity, conservatism, foreign policy, and the media, as well as essays covering major time periods
- Identifies and discusses the most influential literature in the field, and suggests new avenues of research, as the century has drawn to a close
Trade Review"This superb book is a treasure and a delight. Penetrating interpretive essays by almost thirty distinguished historians offer thoughtful perspectives on a turbulent century that brought sweeping changes to the United States even as the nation surged to global dominance. A Companion to 20th-century America is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary America."
—Paul S. Boyer, University of Wisconsin-Madison
"This is an important contribution to our understanding of modern American history, with illuminating contributions by many first-rate American historians."
—Richard Pells, University of Texas-Austin
"An indispensable book for anyone who wants to learn what America's best historians have written about the American century and its critics. The breadth of topics is dazzling, and fresh insights appear on nearly every page."
—Michael Kazin, Georgetown University
Table of ContentsNotes on the contributors viii
Introduction xiii
Stephen J. Whitfield
PART I: TIME-FRAMES
1 1900 - 1914 3
Eugene E. Leach
2 1914 - 1929 19
Glen Gendzel
3 1929 - 1941 36
Michael E. Parrish
4 1941 - 1950 54
Allan M. Winkler
5 1950 - 1960 71
Richard M. Fried
6 1960 - 1974 87
Jama Lazerow
7 1974 - 1988 102
Leo P. Ribuffo
8 1988 - 2000 123
Steven M. Gillon
PART II: PLACES
9 The South 141
Raymond Arsenault
10 The West 163
Anne M. Butler
11 The Environment 179
Paul S. Sutter
12 The City 198
Jon C. Teaford
PART III: PEOPLE
13 Immigration 215
Roger Daniels
14 Ethnicity 233
Hasia R. Diner
15 Labor 249
Joseph A. McCartin
16 Race 266
Reed Ueda
17 Women 283
June Sochen
PART IV: THE POLITY AND THE ECONOMY
18 The Military 301
Jerry Cooper
19 Foreign Policy 317
Justus D. Doenecke
20 Consumption 336
Charles McGovern
21 Law 358
Norman L. Rosenberg
22 Business 377
David B. Sicilia
PART V: IMAGES AND "ISMS"
23 Journalism and Broadcasting 397
James L. Baughman
24 Religion 413
Charles H. Lippy
25 Ideas 430
Wilfred M. McClay
26 Science and Technology 449
Carroll Pursell
27 Conservatism 462
Edward S. Shapiro
28 Liberalism 478
Hans Vorlander
29 The Visual Arts 493
Douglas Tallack
Bibliography 510
Index 557
