Patriot's History® of the Modern World, Vol. II: From the Cold War to the Age of Entitlement, 1945-2012
A sequel to the same-titled volume that covered the years 1898–1945, this survey rues what the authors regard as the erosion since WWII of American exceptionalism, the idea that this country has a providentially unique role and destiny in the world. This trend has perpetrators in Schweikart and Dougherty’s eyes: socialists abroad, progressives at home, and government bureaucrats everywhere, whose ideologies and actions undermine the four elements that constitute their definition of American exceptionalism. In their version of themes familiar to history readers—the Cold War, decolonization, expansion of the welfare state, and the phenomenon of radical Islam—they lament that since 1945, markets are not as free, private property rights are not as secure, common law is not as respected, and Christianity is not as prevalent. Presenting quantities of economic and demographic data to buttress their case, Schweikart and Dougherty clearly worry that the U.S. is declining and that the causes are the growth of the federal government and the coarsening, if not decadence, of popular culture. Readers who share the authors’ sentiments will find historical support for their feelings in this work. --Gilbert Taylor