Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewStock deftly blurs the traditional parameters of political, social, and cultural history, explains the racial and gendered implications of militarization in view of ‘southern diaspora’ (as she and others have called it), and stretches the already vast historiography on modern American conservatism in several challenging and helpful ways.
Nuclear Country also reconsiders the catalysts of modern conservatism, its geographic and temporal loci, and, quite frankly, explains more efficiently and compellingly than most how Cold War–era militarization—specifically the rapid expansion of American military bases— spurred a brand of patriotic, anticommunist conservatism that eventually made its way into the mainstream…[A] strikingly insightful and unapologetically forceful study. Engaging and accessible, the book is, in short, a triumph. * Journal of American History *
Catherine McNicol Stock's compelling new book
Nuclear Country extends the history of the right back in time, opening in the late 1800s, to ask how a region that had once embraced radicalism gradually moved to the right. Nuclear Country will not only speak to scholars but also appeal to readers deeply engaged with our current political moment. * Kevin Boyle, author of
Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age *
In her excellent book Nuclear Country, Catherine McNicol Stock expertly reveals the political impact of the arrival of Air Force bases and nuclear bombs during the Cold War period on places in the Great Plains. Stock's knowledge of the history of the Dakotas is both broad and intimate, and she writes lively, accessible prose that makes her story come alive for readers who know nothing about the region. * Michael Kazin, author of
War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914-1918 *
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
Chapter 1. "Under God, the People Rule"
Chapter 2. "Humanity Gone Mad"
Chapter 3. "100% Against Communists"
Chapter 4. "An Entire World in Khaki Brown and Olive Green"
Chapter 5. Secrets and Lies
Chapter 6. George McGovern's "Lost World"
Chapter 7. Wounded Knee, 1973, and the War at Home
Chapter 8. "The Companies You Keep"
Appendix. Methodology:Total Population of Military Personnel and Dependents Stationed in the Dakotas, 1955-1995
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
