|
Product Description
Why We Fought is a timely and provocative analysis that examines why Americans really chose to sacrifice and commit themselves to World War II. Unlike other depictions of the patriotic “greatest generation,” Westbrook argues that, strictly speaking, Americans in World War II were not instructed to fight, work, or die for their country—above all, they were moved by private obligations. Finding political theory in places such as pin-ups of Betty Grable, he contends that more often than not Americans were urged to wage war as fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, lovers, sons, daughters, and consumers, not as citizens. The thinness of their own citizenship contrasted sharply with the thicker political culture of the Japanese, which was regarded with condescending contempt and even occasionally wistful respect.Why We Fought is a profound and skillful assessment of America's complex political beliefs and the peculiarities of its patriotism. While examining the history of American beliefs about war and citizenship, Westbrook casts a larger light on what it means to be an American, to be patriotic, and to willingly go to war.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
- The Declaration of Independence: A Global History
- The Declaration of Independence: A Global History
- Muller v. Oregon: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History and Culture)
- The Creation of Confederate Nationalism: Ideology and Identity in the Civil War South (Walter Lynwood Fleming Lectures in Southern History)
- Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America (Simon & Schuster Lincoln Library)
- A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870-1920
*If this is not the "Why We Fought: Forging American Obligations in World War II" product you were looking for, you can check the other results by clicking this link. Details were last updated on Sep 28, 2024 22:35 +08.