The End of Victory Culture
Subtitle: Cold War America and the Disillusioning of a Generation (Revised Edition with new preface and afterword)
Edition: second / revised edition edition
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Published: July 1, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 387
ISBN-13: 9781558495869
Subjects: American history: postwar, from c 1945 -; Social, group or collective psychology; Warfare & Defence; Social Science; Politics / Current Events; Sociology; USA; General; Sociology - General; United States - 20th Century; Popular Culture - General
Description: A triumphalist myth, unquestioned for years, promoted the belief that America would always overcome its enemies. Engelhardt shows how major events since 1945 have thoroughly eroded this belief, resulting in disillusionment for those over 40 and bewilderment for the post-Vietnam War generation. He focuses on a variety of related themes: Indian captivity narratives; Hollywood's depiction of our "enemies," usually dehumanized Native Americans and Asians; the phenomenon of "GI Joe," the most popular war toy ever created; and the advent of rock'n'roll and the teen subculture that grew up around it. In a new afterword, Engelhardt carries that story into the twenty-first century, exploring how, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the younger George Bush headed for the Wild West.