Civilizing the Enemy
Subtitle: German Reconstruction and the Invention of the West
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Published: June 26, 2006
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 304
ISBN-13: 9780472099290
Subjects: American history: postwar, from c 1945 -; European history: postwar, from c 1945 -; International relations; Rhetoric; Political Science; International Relations - General; History - General History; Reconstruction (1939-1951); Politics/International Relations; Europe; The Americas; Political aspects; Europe - Germany; Political Science / International Relations; Social aspects; Germany
Description: For the past century, politicians have claimed that "Western Civilization" epitomizes democratic values and international stability. But who is a member of "Western Civilization"? Germany, for example, was a sworn enemy of the United States and much of Western Europe in the first part of the twentieth century, but emerged as a staunch Western ally after World War II. By examining German reconstruction under the Marshall Plan, author Patrick Jackson shows how the rhetorical invention of a West that included Germany was critical to the emergence of the postwar world order. Civilizing the Enemy convincingly describes how concepts are strategically shaped and given weight in modern international relations, by expertly dissecting the history of "the West" and demonstrating its puzzling persistence in the face of contradictory realities.