The Short American Century: A Postmortem

by Andrew J. Bacevich (Editor), Jeffry A. Frieden (Contributor), Akira Iriye (Contributor)

Writing in "Life" magazine in February 1941, Henry Luce memorably announced the arrival of The American Century. The phrase caught on, as did the belief that America s moment was at hand. Yet as Andrew J. Bacevich makes clear, that century has now ended, the victim of strategic miscalculation, military misadventures, and economic decline. To take stock of the short American Century and place it in historical perspective, Bacevich has assembled a richly provocative range of perspectives.

What did this age of reputed American preeminence signify? What caused its premature demise? What legacy remains in its wake? Distinguished historians Jeffry Frieden, Akira Iriye, David Kennedy, Walter LaFeber, Jackson Lears, Eugene McCarraher, Emily Rosenberg, and Nikhil Pal Singh offer illuminating answers to these questions. Achievement and failure, wisdom and folly, calculation and confusion all make their appearance in essays that touch on topics as varied as internationalism and empire, race and religion, consumerism and globalization.

As the United States grapples with protracted wars, daunting economic uncertainty, and pressing questions about exactly what role it should play in a rapidly changing world, understanding where the nation has been and how it got where it is today is critical. What did the forging of the American Century with its considerable achievements but also its ample disappointments and missed opportunities ultimately yield? That is the question this important volume answers."

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, American History, Sociology

296 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2012

About the author

Andrew J. Bacevich, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University, retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of colonel. He is the author of Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War and The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism and The New American Militarism. His writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic Monthly, The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He holds a Ph.D. in American Diplomatic History from Princeton University, and taught at West Point and Johns Hopkins University prior to joining the faculty at Boston University in 1998. He is the recipient of a Lannan Award and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/andrew...

Reviews

[Sam Dye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional compilation of essays/chapters such as "Pragmatic Realism versus the American Century" by T.J. Jackson Lears Professor of History at Rutgers. He quotes William Fulbright from 1966 "power tends to confuse itself with virtue and a great nation is particularly susceptible to the idea that its power is a sign of God''s favor, conferring upon it a special responsibility for other nations, to make them richer and happier and wiser, to remake them, that is, in its own shining image." Jackson says that quote should be in gold over the Oval Office door. All the chapters are exceptional. As summarized in Bacevich's short chapter at the end of the book where he states that "To further indulge old illusions of the United States presiding over and directing the course of history will not only impede the ability of Americans to understand the world and themselves but may well pose a positive danger to both. Faced with a reality that includes, within the last decade alone, an inability to anticipate ...; an inability to control...; an inability to afford... ; an inability to respond ...; and an inability to comprehend...., Americans today would do well to temper any claims or expectations of completeing the world's redemption."

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays on the Short American century. Some are quite good, others are not worth the time. General theme of American exceptionalism, how it started, how it was reinforced throughout the 20th Century, and how it is blinding us in the current day.

[LNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

So liking this book probably makes me a "bad American," also I didn't realize that it was a collection of essays- I went: wow, Bacevich has written a lot of books, I liked the first one I read so I'll read the others.
I am too young for Life magazine and I don't know who Luce was/is but I enjoyed the book.
Walter LeFeber's "Illusions of an American Century" was the essay that matched my thinking the best because it focused on the difference between what we told ourselves in history, the Disneyfication to use Bacevich's word, and the reality of what happened.
Some of the essays put into words feelings I had- Eugene McCarraher's "The Heavenly City of Business" tying religion and its symbols with business, issues I had with the Obama presidency, and an absolute take down on Thomas Friedman ( books that I probably wrote awe-inspired reviews on that can be found on this site- the internet where nothing dies or is forgotten). Akira Iriye's "Toward Transnationalism" discussing the travel and movement of people and ideas- what makes something American and when does an idea become global?
Nikhil Pal Singh's "The Problem of Color and Democracy" brought up issues I have never thought about- how a nation can spread 'freedom, human rights, and democracy' to the world and have Jim Crow laws at home (I am that white). Though reading this essay helped explained the some of the Civil Rights movement to me- the issues different African American/ Black Power groups had with US foreign policy and the nation's views on decolonization.

"The problem for the United States today is that sanitizing history no longer serves U.S. interests. Instead, it blinds Americans to the challenges that they confront."

[Patrick Eddington · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive compilation of thought-pieces that challenge the notion that the last century was truly "the American Century". The preponderant role of American military power in the purported era of American dominance is a central theme of the book. Cornell history professor Walter LeFeber perhaps summarizes best the perils in the thinking that Henry Luce's famous phrase embodies and its real consequences, for America and the world:

"But critics of 'manifest destiny' or Luce's "American Century" will have little influence in policy-making circles. Instead, advocates of ever-I creasing military spending will join interventionists, promising that this time, unlike the last, some proposed U.S. intervention will succeed quickly and cheaply--not, in other words, as it was done in Korea, Iran, Cuba, Vietnam, Central America, Lebanon, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. As long as Americans believe such pledges, they will remain oblivious to the lessons and consequences of persisting in Luce's dream--a dream that was, after all, conjured up in order to persuade them to go to war."

Sage words to bear in mind as the U.S. "drone war" in the Muslim world expands year by year.

[Hubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the first few essays, I felt that writing was generally overly verbose, perhaps felt that the points that were made were points that I had been familiar with already.

However, after completing all essays, I'm grateful that the writers did their due diligence in researching the history and historiography of America, focused on the period prior to and post 1940s, breaking down critically against the hegemonic view that America 'saved' the world post World War II, and emerged victorious after the end of the Cold War in late 80s early 90s. The essays are centered on responses to Henry Luce's Life Magazine conceit of a blissed (blissful?) America that extends globally, searching for new frontiers to expand into.

Various writers speak on various dimensions of American life since Luce's vision was shared to Life readers: from the perspective of race, business, philosophy, religion, and intersecting intellectual historical ideas amongst these various perspectives.

It's interesting to read this in 2025; readers might have a more measured sense of contemporary times after having read this volume.

[Julian Pritchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of history essays by well-regarded historians loosely inspired by Henry Luce's famous declaration in 1941 announcing the arrival of the American Century. The contributors to this are good historians, especially Emily Rosenberg, Akira Iriye, and Walter LaFeber, but I didn't really feel like this book added a lot to their arguments that appear in their other works. They all share a particular attitude critical of the uses of American economic and military power in the international system, which I agree with, but their arguments are kind of all over the place. I recommend this book if you want to learn about aspects of capitalism, U.S. empire, commercialization, globalization, and modern history.

[The American Conservative]

'As editor Andrew Bacevich explains in his introductory remarks, the purpose of the essays assembled in this volume is not “to decry or to mourn the passing of the Short American Century (much less to promote it resurrection) but to assess its significance.”

Each chapter is a study of different aspects of this era of American preeminence, reflecting on matters of race, consumerism, and globalization, as well as reviewing the history of the last 70 years with special attention to the critics of U.S. policies abroad. Though often sharply critical of the moral and political failings of this epoch, the contributors—a distinguished collection of historians and international-relations scholars—are also judicious in their interpretations. The book aspires to be much more than a series of polemics, and it is very successful.'

Read the Full Review, "The Sun Sets on American Empire," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am skeptical of this book. I've read a lot of pieces for undergrad which argued for the end of the American dream and the decline of America. We've got some issues to deal with, but I think more along the lines of Kagan - we've got some major issues to deal with, but the American dream is not "dead" unless we as a nation decide it is and no longer work to protect and strengthen it.

More interesting than I thought - it was more an examination of the social forces that have shaped the last century, leaving it up to readers to decide how much this shows an "American exceptionalism" or how different the last century was compared to previous times in history. Written extremely academically, this was not (unlike most other books I've read this summer)a nice read at the side of the pool. :)

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes a number of excellent points that convince me that the American Century is over, if it ever existed.

[Kaiti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these essays were really good, and a few were really bad. I skipped one completely and only skimmed another one. But overall I enjoyed what most of the authors had to say.

[Tamir Lachman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Century of study




Every page is revelation, worth attention for students and all other history followers. Recommend for study and thoughts engage especially.

[Jrohde · Rating 4 out of 5]

some excellent pieces - not yet finished but will be very worth while. at least a 4 - more later