America in the Twentieth Century (4th Edition) - Softcover

Moss, George Donelson

3.78

9 ratings by Goodreads

9780130833709: America in the Twentieth Century (4th Edition)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130833703 ISBN 13: 9780130833709

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 1999

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Written in a lively, narrative style, this comprehensive survey of 20th century U.S. history —from the late 19th century through the late 20th century—focuses on the public life of American people, on American political history, and the history of American public policy. It intertwines political, demographic, economic, social, and cultural history throughout to give readers a fascinating, accessible account of the significant events, trends, groups, and personalities that comprise the modern history of the nation. A Society in Transition. The Progressive Era. The United States and the World. The Twenties. The Great Depression. The New Deal. Diplomacy between Wars. World War II. The Rise of the Cold War. The Age of Consensus. Reform, Rebellion, and War. The Nixon Era. An Era of Limits.America in the Eighties. The 1990s. For anyone who is looking for a comprehensive, reader-friendly account of twentieth century U.S. history.

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From the Publisher:

Written in a lively, narrative style, this comprehensive survey of 20th century U.S. history -- from the late 19th century to the mid-1990s -- focuses on the public life of the American people, on American political history, and the history of American public policy. It intertwines political, demographic, economic, social, and cultural history throughout.

For over four decades, I have been telling the story of modern American history to my students and to anyone else who showed a serious interest in the topic. This textbook derives naturally and inevitably from my vocation as one of the professional keepers of the American people's collective memory of themselves. It represents my best efforts to write a comprehensive narrative synthesis spanning the years of the twentieth century and beyond.

This book focuses on the public life of the American people. Historically, Americans have come together in the public sphere to compete and cooperate with one other. It is within the public sphere that the great decisions for war and peace, for reform and reaction, which shaped the democratic life of the American people, have been determined. It is within the public arena that powerful contending ideologies and interests have sought allegiance, and economic and cultural forces have shaped the destiny of the nation and forged the character of its people.

This narrative also incorporates much demographic, social, and cultural history in order to bring the experiences of all Americans into the mainstream of history. It is an inclusive account that records the historical experiences of those groups that were often ignored or neglected in conventional history. Special attention has been given to the history of women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and other Americans who have come together to create the most successful multicultural society in the history of the planet.

I also have given a lot of attention to the role that the United States has played in world affairs in modern times. Such a focus is particularly appropriate for the post-World War II era, when the United States has been the preeminent national power in the world and has forged a network of global interests. Today, the destinies of Americans and the planet's other 6 billion inhabitants are inextricably intertwined.

I am delighted to have an opportunity to offer this Fifth Edition of America in the Twentieth Century. The book has been thoroughly revised. Each chapter has been carefully reworked. In some chapters, new material has been added, in others material has been abbreviated or deleted. Chapter 16, covering the, 1990s has been redesigned and rewritten. A new chapter has been added that covers the momentous events occurring at the dawn of the twenty-first century, including the horrific terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 and the resulting war on terrorism.

I have imposed a coherent structure on the chaos of modern U.S. history, and I have employed a clear, concise style that avoids social scientific jargon, "psychobabble," and esoteric intellectual constructs. This book is accessible to anyone who wants to understand the major contours of modern U.S. history. It is a good place to begin one's study of modern and postmodern America. The story of America in the twentieth century and beyond unfolds chapter-by-chapter in carefully structured categories. Each chapter carves out a chronological segment. Within each time frame, the particular topics that define an era and give it its historical significance are developed.

The master themes of modern American historical development undergird the events and personalities treated in individual chapters. These themes provide the story of America with its underlying coherence and continuity. They include the growth in the size, cost, power, and scope of authority of the national government; the expanding role the United States plays in world affairs, which often involves fighting in wars; the development and application of new systems of technology; the development of the consumer economy; the continued growth of a vital popular culture and systems of mass communication; the increasing plurality and diversity of American social life; the continual empowerment of women and people of color; and the continuing commitment of nearly all Americans to democratic values and practices.

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