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31st out of 155 books
—
67 voters
Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy since 1938
A survey of America's foreign policy from 1938 through to President Clinton's second term in 1995. Included in the text is commentary on Reagan's deal with Iran in 1980, Bush's deal with Iraq up to the invasion of Kuwait, the Middle East peace talks and the collapse of Soviet Union.
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
September 1st 1997
by Penguin Books
(first published January 1st 1971)
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This is one of those books that I actually remember the precise moment that I first picked it up. I was in college. Some of my friends and I were walking down, I believe, 7th Avenue between Irving and Judah streets late on a Friday night. We had just left the pizza parlor, walking back to our cars, when we passed a bookstore on the east side of the street (I don't know if it's still there). The store was closed, it's green awning drawn back over the peeling green door frame, the lights were all...more
THERE ARE SO MANY F*-#KING TYPOS IN THIS BOOK. Apologies for the profanity, but dear Lord, who edited this thing?! Paragraphs split in the middle of a sentence, misspellings, random commas, missing capital letters....someone was clearly asleep at the wheel in proofreading this thing. Beyond just typos, there was also a lot of bad or confusing phrasing and awkward sentences that really brought down the level of the book, stylistically. So one star off for some poor writing.
The other star I took o...more
The other star I took o...more
I had to read a chapter from this book for class but was so enthralled that I decided to read the remaining 400 pages. It’s a summary of American foreign policy since 1938, if that sentence alone bored you then you shouldn’t bother. Regardless, this is the only foreign policy book I’ve ever read and felt “enlightened”, there was a lot of information but it was presented in a way that would make a squirrel go “ah!”
Books like these that show all the inner workings of historical events are, unfortu...more
Books like these that show all the inner workings of historical events are, unfortu...more
I think I read this in college. No wait, I am quite sure that I read this in college as my major was international relations but we only read parts. It is much more interesting as a whole. I actually enjoyed reading this on the never ending bus trip from one side of this island to the other. My only issue was the change of terms by the authors without explanation. Within the first 150 pages they only used "Formosa", a name which most people do not know but switched to Taiwan after that. PICK ONE...more
I was originally assigned the 2nd edition of this book, when I was in university and it has continued to be one of my favorites. Ambrose does a remarkable job at describing the historical circumstances that lead up to the most important decisions of the 20th century. Rather than providing a list of dates with names or disjointed collections of facts, he tells the narrative of American foreign policy in a way that is accessible and interesting.
Jul 30, 2011
Sam Norton
added it
THE BEST foreign policy book I've ever read. Ambrose, again, manages to produce historical writing which is worth reading, and entertaining throughout. He avoids the minutia which make most history books painful to read. Sticks to the big picture. If I was teaching a course on American Foreign Policy, this would undoubtedly be the first (but not necessarily the only) book I assigned.
If you have zero knowledge about US Foreign Policy before the 1st Bush White House, then this book is not a bad primer. You wont find a great amount of detail about any single event but dont get this book expecting that. If you want a book about the Korean War, for instance, then buy a book about Korea, like Halberstams The Longest Winter. Rise to Globalism is a survey book, a Birds Eye view of history, as one person wrote. The portions covering Iraq and Afghanistan arent valuable really. Too br...more
An interesting read, but having read about twenty other books specifically in this genre it leaves a little to be desired. I found it to be an excellent way to catch up on holes in my education (i.e. learning more abou the Carter administration) but if you want a great all around book on the rise of globalism and American foreign policy there are better books out there.
May 11, 2011
Lazarus P Badpenny Esq
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
only the most historically wary Cold War warriors
This felt like a book of two halves. What began as a detailed and seemingly thoroughly researched study of American foreign affairs sadly began by the Nixon years to seem merely generalised and opinionated.
But without doubt it was the worst example of proof-reading that I've ever encountered: errant commas, dollar signs transposed by random numerals, non-sensical sentences (in one case the word 'create' is replaced by 'cremate') not to mention unnecessarily sloppy colloquialisms. Arguably the in...more
But without doubt it was the worst example of proof-reading that I've ever encountered: errant commas, dollar signs transposed by random numerals, non-sensical sentences (in one case the word 'create' is replaced by 'cremate') not to mention unnecessarily sloppy colloquialisms. Arguably the in...more
3 likes · like · see review
Excellent analysis actions and motives that drove the US's rise to global power after WWII. After reading this, W's presidency stands out even more -- not in a good way. In an era where you have to rewrite the rules (because of terrorism), these were not the people that you wanted at the helm. But as Christopher Hitchens said, you don't go into a war with the president you want but the president you have.
A great introduction into modern US foreign policy. It does have more of a liberal leaning to it (speaking out against globalism) but it is well researched and written in a way that people who are not the biggest foreign policy fans can still understand.
I originally picked up this book because it had Stephen E. Ambrose on the cover and while it didn’t remind me of his other works it was still a pretty good book. It read more like a text book than a novel but that is by no means a bad thing as it did a good job of illustrating America’s foreign policy from WWII to the fall of the Soviet Union.
A classic overview and a useful reference for understanding American foreign policy during the Cold War--although it isn't nearly as engaging a read as you might expect from Ambrose.
Great book that filled in lots of gaps for me about the presidents from Truman to Clinton. It helped me to understand the thinking and "logic" behind many foreign policy decisions.
I've never been a big Ambrose fan because of his honesty issues and overinflated ego, but this book is decent enough as an overview of US diplo history during the mid 20th century.
This has been a standard text for my foreign policy classes since I began teaching college classes in 1980. I first read this as an undergraduate student.
Why couldn't we have read this book in high school? The kind of history that points out the problems and issues, not just the boring "The US has overcome all obstacles, and will continue to do so" flag-waving bull of most modern text books. The chapters on Reagan and Bush were especially illuminating to me, having grown up during that period and not having understood some of the bigger picture issues as a child.
Required reading, along with 'Lies My Teacher Told Me.'
Required reading, along with 'Lies My Teacher Told Me.'
I have read this book twice. It's a great read to see the rise of Globalism in the historical process...great book by a great author.
In the Ambrose tradition a lot of recycled prose. That said very well done and presented. The layman should find the book useful.
Two of the most well-known and well-read history writers have presented the subject in this book in a manner that is both comprehensive and incredibly smooth. The book is great not only for the breadth of the subjects covered, but also the depth of the insights. The authors are able to provide both without redundancy. Additionally, the subject matter flows from one event to the next without interuption. This is an excellent book for someone interested in the United States and its relationship wi...more
I'm taking a class on The Cold War, and this was the text. For a history book, it was okay.
The BEST S.E. Ambrose book out there - also one of the first books he ever had published.
Ambrose provides a pretty good 30,000-foot view of the changing nature of American foreign policy since 1938. It's organized primarily by president, which makes it easier to follow (though not easier to compare where presidents were on given big-picture policy issues). For foreign policy neophytes, this is a great, easy to read primer. For people more familiar with foreign policy/international relations theory and practice, it's a great history piece. Either way, there's something for everyone w...more
Fantastic overview of American foreign policy from WW2 end to W.
A great history of US post WWII foreign policy.
Jan 17, 2010
Bdesmond Desmond
marked it as to-read
Rise to Globalism by Stephen Ambrose (1998)
A comprehensive introduction to the various foreign policy concepts and terminology (isolationism, containment, etc.) within a 60-year span, and their evolution since the second world war. Dense, but readable. It serves as both a reminder of the historical chronology of events and gives insight into the back room decision-making that fueled certain policy shifts during each president's term and at times of major transition. Published in the late 90s, so it only covers a thimbleful of the second...more
Jan 04, 2009
Jeanette
marked it as to-read
Have this book, need to read
Excellent history summary.
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Stephen Edward Ambrose was an American historian and biographer of U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon. He received his Ph.D. in 1960 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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Oct 09, 2012 11:20pm