Customer Reviews

The Dark Ages: Life in the United States 1945-1960

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This is an outstanding book that gets at one of the biggest weapons that the gov't can wield - fear. A must read for any history student or any person who wants an alternative perspective in order to balance out all the mainstream thinking.

I read this book for a History of the Cold War class where the prof. attempted to equate this book with the core argument that the decisions made by the Cold War are direct or substantially related causes of the suburbanization and expansionism of today. This book did a poor job arguing that fact and a worse job placing any firm argument on whatever its unclear point was.
The thesis is lacking, as, after reading it three times, I'm not entirely sure if he had much of a point other than to complain about the United States in the past, in the present, or today and what substantive thesis that was to lead to, is also unclear.
The book begins with an explination of history, which was "enlightening" if for some reason formalistic schooling taught you Stalin wasn't an honest, hardworking individual. It defends Stalin's actions as simply protectionist, non-expansionist and dynamic. He claims that Stalin kept his promises and was co-operative in order to fight imperialism (ignoring entirely that Stalin was a dictator). My problems could have come from the fact I'm not a Marxist and therefore require that arguments start with fact and lead to a proposition, not assuming the proposition and ignoring the contrary information.
Once Jezer moves on from his distorted and factually supported view of history, he goes on to analyzing pop culture. Unsuccessfully, he simply states that people were bored and thus participate in sex, were oppressed therefore encouraged to rebel, and makes broad statements without factual basings including the argument that the Civil Rights Movement was a direct derivative of the cold war.
No real factual arguments were used to base these arguments, the sources tended to be equally biased and not only was the book biased, but it do not substantial act to justify this bias. It focused as an eco-centric basis for events, and while many trees died to rail on bussiness, he did little to address any other dynamic aspects of the time period.