Description
Book SynopsisThe 1970s looks at an iconic decade when the cultural left and economic right came to the fore in American society and the world at large. While many have seen the 1970s as simply a period of failures epitomized by Watergate, inflation, the oil crisis, global unrest, and disillusionment with military efforts in Vietnam, Thomas Borstelmann creates a
Trade Review"Keeping contemporary history timely and accessible, Borstelmann shows the significance of 1970s politics, culture, and religion on the following decades... The author's sterling commentary on the rise of the feminist movement, the decline of the Soviet empire, and the New Christian right's courtship of Capitol Hill sets this book apart from other surveys of the 'Me Decade.' Nuggets of genuine insight without any social agenda are found frequently within these pages."--Publishers Weekly "[T]his is an ambitious and important work that skillfully analyzes all aspects of the seventies and defines its legacy for present times."--Karl Helicher, ForeWord Reviews "What sets this book apart ... is the author's global approach, making clear that by the 1970s, while other countries may not have seen the US as the preeminent world leader it had been, it was very much a part of a world in which, thanks largely to technological advantages, boundaries of time and space and even culture were collapsing. Borstelmann also concisely brings readers to the present, concluding that while Americans have become less racist and sexist and more tolerant of diversity and difference, they have as a nation allowed economic inequality to reach near-epic proportions--in other words, the 1 percent versus the 99 percent."--Choice "Used as a text to enter the field of 1970s U.S. history the book excels and should receive wide readership. The study is accessible, very well written and incorporates much recent 1970s literature... The 1970s is an important addition to the growing body of literature focused on the decade."--Nick Blackboum, 49th Parallel "[I]ntelligent and well crafted."--William L. O'neill, Pacific Historical Review "Thomas Borstelmann provides us with a significant addition to a growing body of literature on the decade. More than an exhaustive survey of American politics, culture, and society in the seventies (a considerable achievement in itself), the study focuses on what Borstelmann brilliantly identifies as the central crux of the decade... Borstelmann has written a thought-provoking, lucid, and at-times brilliant account of American culture, society, and politics in the seventies... [I]f readers approach this book as the capacious and beautifully written history of the United States that it is, they will be richly rewarded."--Natasha Zaretsky, Diplomatic History "Borstelmann is an excellent synthesis succeeded. His simple thesis offers explanatory power. It is also rarely overused. The beauty of this book is that Borstelmann can interweave different and quite different strands and topics to a text."--Frank Reichherzer, Sehepunkte "Borstelmann's is a narrative that raises provocative questions. Moreover, it serves as an accessible overview of the 1970s, including political, social, diplomatic and cultural developments. I can easily imagine it being used in a classroom, where it could serve as a jumping-off point for deeper analysis of the important issues raised."--Brian Kennedy, Journal of Transatlantic Studies "Borstelmann does an excellent job illuminating the role of technology... He is at his best in treatments of environmentalism and religious fundamentalism... An essential volume for anyone seeking to understand the legacy of that decade."--Christian Wright, H-Net Reviews
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Crosscurrents of Crisis in 1970s America 19 Trouble Abroad 22 Corruption at Home 36 Conservatism and the Distrust of Government 45 Economic Insecurity 53 Turning Inward 63 Chapter 2: The Rising Tide of Equality and Democratic Reform 73 Women in the Public Sphere 76 Women in the Private Sphere 88 The Many Frontiers of Equality 96 Political Reform 108 Resistance 114 Chapter 3: The Spread of Market Values 122 A Sea Change of Principles 126 The Economy Goes South 133 Globalization's Gathering Speed 137 From Citizenship to Deregulation 144 Market Solutions for Every Problem 153 A Freer Market, A Coarser Culture 162 Chapter 4: The Retreat of Empires and the Global Advance of the Market 175 The Emergence of Human Rights 179 European Empires and Southern Africa 186 The Soviet Empire 193 The American Empire 201 The Israeli Exception 208 The Retreat of the State 214 China and the Hollowing Out of Socialism 220 Chapter 5: Resistance to the New Hyper-Individualism 227 The Environmentalist Challenge 231 Religious Resurgence at Home 247 Religious Resurgence in Israel 258 Religious Resurgence in the Muslim World 263 Jimmy Carter as a Man of His Times 270 Chapter 6: More and Less Equal since the 1970s 279 Evidence to the Contrary 280 Inclusiveness Ascending 287 Markets Persisting 295 Unrestrained Consumption 299 Inequality Rising 306 Conclusion 312 Notes 319 Index 371
