November 9, 2026The great American missionbook recommendationsbooks like The great American mission

Inside The great American mission: Themes, Story, and Who Should Read It

The Great American Missiontraces how America's global modernization efforts during the twentieth century were a means to remake the world in its own image. David Ekbladh shows that the emerging concep…

If you are looking for your next great read, The great American mission by Author OL6618088A deserves a spot on your list.

First published in 2010, it continues to find new readers today.

About the book

The Great American Missiontraces how America's global modernization efforts during the twentieth century were a means to remake the world in its own image. David Ekbladh shows that the emerging concept of modernization combined existing development ideas from the Depression. He describes how ambitious New Deal programs like the Tennessee Valley Authority became symbols of American liberalism's ability to marshal the social sciences, state planning, civil society, and technology to produce extensive social and economic change. For proponents, it became a valuable weapon to check the influence of menacing ideologies such as Fascism and Communism. Modernization took on profound geopolitical importance as the United States grappled with these threats. After World War II, modernization remained a means to contain the growing influence of the Soviet Union. Ekbladh demonstrates how U.S.-led nation-building efforts in global hot spots, enlisting an array of nongovernmental groups and international organizations, were a basic part of American strategy in the Cold War. However, a close connection to the Vietnam War and the upheavals of the 1960s would discredit modernization. The end of the Cold War further obscured modernization's mission, but many of its assumptions regained prominence after September 11 as the United States moved to contain new threats. Using new sources and perspectives,The Great American Mission offers new and challenging interpretations of America's ideological motivations and humanitarian responsibilities abroad.

Themes and subjects

The book moves through ideas like Economic development, Economic assistance, american, Industrial policy, United states, foreign economic relations, United states, foreign relations, and History. These subjects give the story its texture and make it easy to recommend to the right reader.

Who will enjoy this

Readers who like to be challenged and moved in equal measure will feel at home here.

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