When World War II ended in 1945, America emerged as the only superpower. It had defeated Germany and Japan, it was the only nation with the bomb, and much of the rest of the world lay in ruins as a result of the war. In addition, the wartime economy had dragged the nation out of the worst depression in modern history. The United States seemed on the verge of its greatest age, and from that starting point, its people embarked on a journey through the next several decades of change. The Making of Modern America is the story of that journey.

The Making of Modern America is a history of the nation from the end of WorldWar II to the present. It is an attempt to explain how we, the American people, made that journey, how we got to where we are today—the routes we took, the trip we made. These are the events that have shaped us, shaped our nation, and formed our character.

This book is designed to meet the needs of students for a concise narrative of America’s recent past. It provides an overview of the most important personalities, trends, and events of that period. It also explores the principal economic, political, social, and international problems the nation has experienced as it moved from the heady days of the postwar years through various waves of economic expansion, promises, hopes, war, and, certainly, the fears and failures of the age.