Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy Since 1938; Sixth Revised Edition [Mass Market Paperback]

Stephen E. Ambrose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0140147705 | ISBN-13: 978-0140147704

This sixth edition offers an informative view of the evolution of American foreign policy from 1938 through the first two years of the Bush Presidency. Professor Stephen Ambrose's analysis begins with World War II and continues through the Eisenhower administration, Vietnam, the Iran hostage crisis, and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. The 1987 treaty, the end of the Iran-Iraq war, and the US invasion of Panama are among the new topics discussed in this edition, which closes with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An excellent survey of U.S foreign policy Library Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stephen E. Ambrose wrote twenty books on military affairs and foreign policy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His most recent books, D-Day and Undaunted Courage, were mainstays on The New York Times bestseller list. He died in 2002.

Douglas G. Brinkley is Stephen E. Ambrose Professor of History and Director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans. He is the award-winning author of fourteen books, including Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140147705
• ISBN-13: 978-0140147704
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,894,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Survey of Foreign Policy, January 22, 2001

By 

Scott Esposito "Readsalot" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rise to Globalism (Paperback)

This book is an excellent jumping off point for any student of international relations and is quite possibly the best book available for someone who simply wants to know more about American history in the 20th century.

The latest edition of this book (up through Clinton's first term as president) covers roughly 58 years of American foreign poicy in 428 pages; since an entire set of books could easily be written about this period there is going to be a good deal that Ambrose glosses over and skips. If you are looking for detail about any one period in American history, look elsewhere. But if you simply want a map of what has been going on in foreign policy then you will be hard pressed to do better than this book.

"Rise to Globalism" is definitely written from an historical perspective; it reads like a narrative and as such has only the smallest bit of analysis. While this book rates very highly in providing a sense of what has been happening, there is not much to inform you about the political theory, ideology, or trends that underlied decisions that American leaders made in foreign policy. This is not so much a criticism of "Rise to Globalism" (as there is only so much that can be fit into one book); instead take it as a way to differentiate this book from other worthy foreign policy titles that you may be choosing from.

Ambrose's prose is excellent and engaging; often I would read large chunks of this book in one sitting. Admittedly a lot has been going on in world politics and to his credit Ambrose knows what is substantial enough to include, and what details to leave to the reader to seek for herself. This helps the book immeasurably, as it rarely gets bogged down in unnecessary detail.

An overlooked but extremely helpful part of this book is the extensive bibliography. For each chapter, Ambrose includes a lengthy list of books that the reader can examine to more deeply probe anything that has been included in "Rise to Globalism." While anyone can benefit from this feature, the bibliography will be espcially useful for students as it is an excellent way to quickly find other high quality books on foreign relations (especially useful if one needs information for term papers).

Basically, if you are in any way intereseted in American foreign policy this book is a must have. And if you have no interest whatsoever in American foreign policy this book is still highly recommended as it reads very well as a narrative.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on 20th Century American Foreign Policy, May 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy Since 1938; Seventh Revised Edition (Paperback)

This is a classic! Simply the best single volume account of American Foreign Policy I have ever read. Ambrose writes in a clear and concise way, leaving nothing out yet avoiding dry, dull text. His analysis is suburb, his conclusions lucid and thought provoking. This is the book to read if you want a comprehensive overview of America's foreign policy of the past 60 years.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The birth of a super power, March 7, 2001

By 

Abraman "TM" (Roseville, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rise to Globalism (Paperback)

I read the first edition of this book in 1989 as part of required reading in college. I've never been interested in history before I read this book. This book taught history in such a way that you will realize that past is important to move forward. I read it with the same enthusiasm I always have for good fiction. A must read for anyone who wonder how the USA become a major power broker in the world.