Focusing primarily on politics and foreign policy, America at War Since 1945 analyzes America's involvement in three wars since the end of World War II: Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. The main questions asked are: How did the U.S. become involved in these wars? How were the wars conducted? And how did the U.S. get out of these wars?In Korea and Vietnam, the U.S. fought to show the world that it would stand up to the evils of communism; that it could be counted on (with money, advisors, or even a major military effort if necessary) to halt the advance of communism. But in both wars, the U.S. showed itself to be militarily vulnerable. The Gulf War―against tyranny, not communism―restored the U.S. to its position of prominence in the world, reaffirming its role as a world leader and a defender of freedom.

America at War Since 1945: Politics and Diplomacy in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War

History

Donaldson, Gary A.

Americas

Praeger Pub Text

The United States had tremendous opportunities after World War II. The nation's industrial might, geared to defeat Germany and Japan, could now be focused on domestic production. Real wages were up, the GNP was on the rise, industrial production was up, and inflation was under control. The future looked bright for the average American. But this abundance was punctuated with anxiety. Within four years of the end of the war, the Soviet Union had become the new enemy: they had the bomb and China and Eastern Europe had fallen into the Soviet sphere of influence. These two points, the abundance of the growing economy and the anxiety of the Cold War, defined the period from 1945-1960.

Abundance and Anxiety: America, 1945-1960

Praeger

This collection of primary source documents is intended as a supplement to a U.S. Foreign Policy course that covers the 20th Century. Most sources appear in their full length so students can comprehend the entire document. This collection also includes several contemporary, opposing viewpoints, offering students an opportunity to consider different points of view.

American Foreign Policy: The Twentieth Century in Documents

Pearson

The First Modern Campaign: Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960

The presidential campaign that pitted Richard M. Nixon against John F. Kennedy was the most significant political campaign since World War II. With Eisenhower's tenure at an end, American society broke with the culture of the war years. This social shift was reflected in and provoked by new trends in American political life and political campaigning, all of which made 1960 a landmark year in American politics. In this engaging book, Gary A. Donaldson tells the story of Kennedy versus Nixon with a sharp eye for the salient political developments and a keen sense of the drama of an election that was unlike any other the nation had experienced. The election of 1960 was also an orchestrated political drama, organized as a sweeping campaign from coast to coast and staged for a national television audience. This made it the first modern campaign in which the television media changed the dynamics of presidential politics and in which photographs, charisma, and direct appeals to voters counted as they had never done before. It was also an election of intense personal rivalry made all the more spirited by the prejudice against Kennedy's Catholicism and his intention to widen the American political arena. Ideological shifts within the parties as they combined with innovations in campaigning would mark a clear divide in politics as it was practiced and politics as it would have to be practiced in the future. Yet not since Theodore White's journalistic account, The Making of the President, has attention been paid to the full 1960 campaign as it played out in the early primaries and then culminated in the November election. Donaldson shows why the whole political season is critical to understanding American politics today. The First Modern Campaign is essential and engaging reading for anyone interested in contemporary politics in the United States.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

In this engaging book, Gary Donaldson tells the story of Kennedy versus Nixon with a sharp eye for the salient political developments and a keen sense of the drama of an election that was unlike any other the nation had experienced. The election of 1960 was an orchestrated political drama, organized as a sweeping campaign from coast to coast and staged for a national television audience. This made it the first modern campaign in which the television media changed the dynamics of presidential politics and in which photographs, charisma, and direct appeals to voters counted as they had never done before. It was also an election of intense personal rivalry made all the more spirited by the prejudice against Kennedy's Catholicism and his intention to widen the American political arena. The First Modern Campaign is essential and engaging reading for anyone interested in contemporary politics in the United States.

The Making of Modern America: The Nation from 1945 to the Present

When World War II ended in 1945, America emerged as the only superpower. It had defeated Germany and Japan, it was the only nation with the bomb, and much of the rest of the world lay in ruins as a result of the war. In addition, the wartime economy had dragged the nation out of the worst depression in modern history. The United States seemed on the verge of its greatest age, and from that starting point, its people embarked on a journey through the next several decades of change. The Making of Modern America is the story of that journey. As Gary Donaldson chronicles, the second half of the twentieth century was, in fact, one of the most tumultuous eras in U.S. history: Nearly every minority group in the nation, including women, demanded equal rights and access; the Cold War kept Americans living in fear of a nuclear holocaust that might end civilization; the turbulent sixties galvanized the baby boom generation; and the war in Vietnam divided the nation. The end of the Cold War brought new challenges and opportunities, but the specter of international terrorism cast a pall over the beginning of a new century. At the end of the era, once again the United States stood alone as the sole superpower on earth, but the threats remained ominous and real. The nation was at war again, and the American people were perhaps more divided than they had been since the Vietnam era. The talk was of consensus, but the reality was conflict.

When World War II ended in 1945, America emerged as the only superpower. It had defeated Germany and Japan, it was the only nation with the bomb, and much of the rest of the world lay in ruins as a result of the war. In addition, the wartime economy had dragged the nation out of the worst depression in modern history. The United States seemed on the verge of its greatest age, and from that starting point, its people embarked on a journey through the next several decades of change. The Making of Modern America is the story of that journey. As Gary Donaldson chronicles, the second half of the twentieth century was, in fact, one of the most tumultuous eras in U.S. history: Nearly every minority group in the nation, including women, demanded equal rights and access; the Cold War kept Americans living in fear of a nuclear holocaust that might end civilization; the turbulent sixties galvanized the baby boom generation; and the war in Vietnam divided the nation. The end of the Cold War brought new challenges and opportunities, but the specter of international terrorism cast a pall over the beginning of a new century. At the end of the era, once again the United States stood alone as the sole superpower on earth, but the threats remained ominous and real. The nation was at war again, and the American people were perhaps more divided than they had been since the Vietnam era. The talk was of consensus, but the reality was conflict.

"Although the story of Truman's triumph is well-known, Donaldson, thanks to his wide-ranging research into a variety of fresh primary and secondary materials, provides the readers with a detailed and clear account of how and why Truman won that election".--William C. Berman, University of Toronto. 12 photos.

Truman Defeats Dewey

Univ Pr of Kentucky

Fifty years ago Harry S. Truman pulled off the greatest upset in U.S. political history. With his party split on both the left and the right, and facing a formidable Republican opponent in New York governor Thomas E. Dewey, the Missourian was thought to have little chance of remaining in the White House. But politics in the postwar years were changing dramatically. Truman and his advisers successfully read those changes: their strategy focused on building a coalition of organized labor, African Americans in large northern cities, and traditional liberals―and ignoring protests from the conservative South. Donaldson argues that Dewey did nearly as much to lose the election as Truman did to win it. Dewey entered the campaign so overconfident that he refused to confront Truman on the issues. The Republicans, certain of a mandate from the public after the midterm elections of 1946, prepared to disassemble the New Deal. Yet they suffered from even more severe internal division than the Democrats. The 1948 presidential campaign was a watershed event in the history of American politics. It encompassed Truman's rousing "Give 'em Hell Harry" speeches and intriguing behind-the-scenes political maneuvering. It was the first election after Roosevelt's death and the last before the advent of television. It marked the new political prominence of African American voters and organized labor, as well as the South's declining influence over the Democratic Party.

University Press of Kentucky

The Making of Modern America, introduces students to the cultural, social and political paths the United States has traveled from the end of WWII to the present day. While deftly cataloguing the sweeping changes and major events in America from “Dewey Defeats Truman” through the election of our first black President, this newly updated edition never loses touch with that American history taking place at the level of the people. This edition details not just the United States’ rich cultural history, but elegantly repositions it as integral to our understanding of any portion of this country’s past. Donaldson provides a factual foundation for students and then pushes them to interpret those facts, framing the discussions essential to any complete study of American history.\nThe Making of Modern America, Second Edition is updated to include: 
—A new chapter titled “The Second Bush and Obama: From the War on Terrorism to the Audacity of Hope” updating readers on the calamitous end to President George W. Bush’s second term, the Obama administration’s first term challenges and the Great Recession. 
—Newly revised readings each profiling an historical event, speech or figure—Lee Harvey Oswald to Bill Gates to Condoleeza Rice— at the conclusion of each chapter.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Donaldson, Gary A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Donaldson, Gary A.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Donaldson, Gary A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

America at War Since 1945: Politics and Diplomacy in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War

Abundance and Anxiety: America, 1945-1960

American Foreign Policy: The Twentieth Century in Documents

The First Modern Campaign: Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960

The First Modern Campaign: Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960

The Making of Modern America: The Nation from 1945 to the Present

The Making of Modern America: The Nation from 1945 to the Present

Truman Defeats Dewey

Truman Defeats Dewey

The Making of Modern America: The Nation from 1945 to the Present