The 1970s
A New Global History from Civil Rights to Economic Inequality
Published on 20. November 2011
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-0-691-14156-5 (ISBN)
Description
"The 1970s" looks at an iconic decade when the cultural left and economic right came to the fore in American society and the world at large. While many have seen the 1970s as simply a period of failures epitomized by Watergate, inflation, the oil crisis, global unrest, and disillusionment with military efforts in Vietnam, Thomas Borstelmann creates a new framework for understanding the period and its legacy. He demonstrates how the 1970s increased social inclusiveness and, at the same time, encouraged commitments to the free market and wariness of government. As a result, American culture and much of the rest of the world became more - and less - equal. Borstelmann explores how the 1970s forged the contours of contemporary America. Military, political, and economic crises undercut citizens' confidence in government. Free market enthusiasm led to lower taxes, a volunteer army, individual 401(k) retirement plans, free agency in sports, deregulated airlines, and expansions in gambling and pornography. At the same time, the movement for civil rights grew, promoting changes for women, gays, immigrants, and the disabled. And developments were not limited to the United States.
Many countries gave up colonial and racial hierarchies to develop a new formal commitment to human rights, while economic deregulation spread to other parts of the world, from Chile and the United Kingdom to China. Placing a tempestuous political culture within a global perspective, "The 1970s" shows that the decade wrought irrevocable transformations upon American society and the broader world that continue to resonate today.
Many countries gave up colonial and racial hierarchies to develop a new formal commitment to human rights, while economic deregulation spread to other parts of the world, from Chile and the United Kingdom to China. Placing a tempestuous political culture within a global perspective, "The 1970s" shows that the decade wrought irrevocable transformations upon American society and the broader world that continue to resonate today.
Reviews / Votes
"Keeping contemporary history timely and accessible, Borstelmann shows the significance of 1970s politics, culture, and religion on the following decades... The author's sterling commentary on the rise of the feminist movement, the decline of the Soviet empire, and the New Christian right's courtship of Capitol Hill sets this book apart from other surveys of the 'Me Decade.' Nuggets of genuine insight without any social agenda are found frequently within these pages."--Publishers Weekly "[T]his is an ambitious and important work that skillfully analyzes all aspects of the seventies and defines its legacy for present times."--Karl Helicher, ForeWord Reviews "What sets this book apart ... is the author's global approach, making clear that by the 1970s, while other countries may not have seen the US as the preeminent world leader it had been, it was very much a part of a world in which, thanks largely to technological advantages, boundaries of time and space and even culture were collapsing. Borstelmann also concisely brings readers to the present, concluding that while Americans have become less racist and sexist and more tolerant of diversity and difference, they have as a nation allowed economic inequality to reach near-epic proportions--in other words, the 1 percent versus the 99 percent."--Choice "Used as a text to enter the field of 1970s U.S. history the book excels and should receive wide readership. The study is accessible, very well written and incorporates much recent 1970s literature... The 1970s is an important addition to the growing body of literature focused on the decade."--Nick Blackboum, 49th Parallel "[I]ntelligent and well crafted."--William L. O'neill, Pacific Historical Review "Thomas Borstelmann provides us with a significant addition to a growing body of literature on the decade. More than an exhaustive survey of American politics, culture, and society in the seventies (a considerable achievement in itself), the study focuses on what Borstelmann brilliantly identifies as the central crux of the decade... Borstelmann has written a thought-provoking, lucid, and at-times brilliant account of American culture, society, and politics in the seventies... [I]f readers approach this book as the capacious and beautifully written history of the United States that it is, they will be richly rewarded."--Natasha Zaretsky, Diplomatic History "Borstelmann is an excellent synthesis succeeded. His simple thesis offers explanatory power. It is also rarely overused. The beauty of this book is that Borstelmann can interweave different and quite different strands and topics to a text."--Frank Reichherzer, Sehepunkte "Borstelmann's is a narrative that raises provocative questions. Moreover, it serves as an accessible overview of the 1970s, including political, social, diplomatic and cultural developments. I can easily imagine it being used in a classroom, where it could serve as a jumping-off point for deeper analysis of the important issues raised."--Brian Kennedy, Journal of Transatlantic Studies "Borstelmann does an excellent job illuminating the role of technology... He is at his best in treatments of environmentalism and religious fundamentalism... An essential volume for anyone seeking to understand the legacy of that decade."--Christian Wright, H-Net ReviewsMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
13 halftones.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
709 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-14156-5 (9780691141565)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Thomas ("Tim") Borstelmann is the Elwood N. and Katherine Thompson Distinguished Professor of Modern World History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Content
List of Illustrations ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Crosscurrents of Crisis in 1970s America 19 Trouble Abroad 22 Corruption at Home 36 Conservatism and the Distrust of Government 45 Economic Insecurity 53 Turning Inward 63 Chapter 2: The Rising Tide of Equality and Democratic Reform 73 Women in the Public Sphere 76 Women in the Private Sphere 88 The Many Frontiers of Equality 96 Political Reform 108 Resistance 114 Chapter 3: The Spread of Market Values 122 A Sea Change of Principles 126 The Economy Goes South 133 Globalization's Gathering Speed 137 From Citizenship to Deregulation 144 Market Solutions for Every Problem 153 A Freer Market, A Coarser Culture 162 Chapter 4: The Retreat of Empires and the Global Advance of the Market 175 The Emergence of Human Rights 179 European Empires and Southern Africa 186 The Soviet Empire 193 The American Empire 201 The Israeli Exception 208 The Retreat of the State 214 China and the Hollowing Out of Socialism 220 Chapter 5: Resistance to the New Hyper-Individualism 227 The Environmentalist Challenge 231 Religious Resurgence at Home 247 Religious Resurgence in Israel 258 Religious Resurgence in the Muslim World 263 Jimmy Carter as a Man of His Times 270 Chapter 6: More and Less Equal since the 1970s 279 Evidence to the Contrary 280 Inclusiveness Ascending 287 Markets Persisting 295 Unrestrained Consumption 299 Inequality Rising 306 Conclusion 312 Notes 319 Index 371