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Bezig met laden... American Exceptionalism: The Effects of Plenty on the American Experience (2002)door Arnon Gutfeld
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In general, societies have evolved from a background in which people were many and resources were few. Thus, the creation of their ideas, values, and institutions needed to adjust to that reality. The unique history of the United States, however, makes it an exception. There, people were few but resources seemed endless. American traditions, values, ideas, and institutions of European origin had to undergo major transformations. The reality of plenty is thus the key to understanding the uniqueness of American civilization. The book is divided into five main topics: Europe dreamt and America realized the Enlightenment; American exceptionalism and the forces that maintain it; As American as Apple Pie - political violence as a constant theme in American political development; The deprivation of Indian sovereignty; and Genocide American-style. An extensive Introduction shows how each of the five main topics presented is a phase of the uniqueness of the American experience. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)973History and Geography North America United StatesLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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Gutfield believes that America was exceptional based on ideas of the Enlightenment, and its frontier. It was (and is?) unique from other countries in that very few people faced seemingly unlimited resources, while all other countries faced limited resources and too many people. This situation drove an extremely violent people from coast to coast. He takes as an instance of that violence the ‘genocidal’ wars against the Indians. He also believes that, if it ever existed, that exceptionalism ended with the end of the frontier in the early twentieth century.
As should be obvious from the above, I strongly disagree with many of his conclusions. Yet he does present a clear and basically an outsider’s view of American history, and argues his case well. The work is of value in helping to understand the differences in American and European views, but its usefulness may be limited to those who really enjoy academic history books. ( )