The twilight of the American enlightenment : the 1950s and the crisis of liberal belief / George M. Marsden.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Marsden, George M., 1939-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Group identity.

History.

Alienation (Social psychology).

United States--Civilization--1945-.

United States.

Civilization.

United States--Social conditions--1945-.

Social conditions.

Cold War--Social aspects--United States.

Cold War.

Social aspects.

Alienation (Social psychology)--United States--History--20th century.

Group identity--United States--History--20th century.

Physical Description:

xxxix, 219 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, [2014]

Summary:

"In the aftermath of World War II, the United States stood at a precipice. The forces of modernity unleashed by the war had led to astonishing advances in daily life, but technology and mass culture also threatened to erode the country's traditional moral character. As award-winning historian George M. Marsden explains in The Twilight of the American Enlightenment, postwar Americans looked to the country's secular, liberal elites for guidance in this precarious time, but these intellectuals proved unable to articulate a coherent common cause by which America could chart its course. Their failure lost them the faith of their constituents, paving the way for a Christian revival that offered America a firm new moral vision-one rooted in the Protestant values of the founders. A groundbreaking reappraisal of the country's spiritual reawakening, The Twilight of the American Enlightenment shows how America found new purpose at the dawn of the Cold War."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 Mass Media and the National Character 1

2 Freedom in the Lonely Crowd 21

3 EnlightenmentÆs End? Building Without Foundations 43

4 The Problem of Authority: The Two Masters 69

5 The Latter Days of the Protestant Establishment 97

6 Sequel: Consensus Becomes a Fighting Word 127.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780465030101

0465030106

9780465069774

0465069770

OCLC:

861966381