For courses in U.S. history since 1945. The United States Since 1945: Historical Interpretations gives students the opportunity to compare and contrast leading interpretations of key historical events and issues in recent American history, presenting two or three carefully edited scholarly writings on each topic covered. This book is a collection of secondary readings on key topics in U.S. history since 1945, edited by two leading historians in the field. Due to the growing interest among teachers and students in the 1970s and on, the authors have collected material that concentrates heavily on recent history, including current globalization and the events of 9/11. The reader is divided into three parts, covering 1945-1960, 1960-1974, and 1974 to the present.