The Rebirth of the West: The Americanization of the Democratic World, 1945-1958 - Softcover

Mere scope of book makes it an impressive intellectual achievement. * Journal of Peace Research * Treats a big subject in a grand and magisterial fashion . . . An impressive accomplishment. * American Historical Review * This book is essential to understanding the mess that Europe has lately become. * National Review * It would be hard to find a work that better introduces the undergraduate or general reader to an age where, thanks to Russia, peace did not seem at hand, but, thanks to the U.S. democracy, prosperity, and social justice did. There is much here for the professional historian as well . . . should be assigned reading for all students of contemporary Europe. * CHOICE *

The years following World War II witnessed perhaps the greatest success story in Western history-the economic and political recovery of European democracies that had been devastated by the cataclysmic war. Peter Duignan and L.H. Gann convincingly demonstrate that the deep involvement of the United States was a key factor in this success. The Rebirth of the West is a broad, narrative analysis of every important aspect of Western society during this formative period-political, economic, social, cultural, and scientific. In addition to providing an interpretive synthesis of the vast literature on the subject, the authors make an important and original contribution to both the historical record of this period and current debates over the future of Europe.