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Godfrey Hodgson

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The Myth of American Exceptionalism Paperback – February 23, 2010

by Godfrey Hodgson (Author)

3.9 32 ratings

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This first biography of a Palestinian writer also provides a moving account of the ways “ordinary” individuals are swept up by the floodtides of both war and peace

The idea that the United States is destined to spread its unique gifts of democracy and capitalism to other countries is dangerous for Americans and for the rest of the world, warns Godfrey Hodgson in this provocative book. Hodgson, a shrewd and highly respected British commentator, argues that America is not as exceptional as it would like to think; its blindness to its own history has bred a complacent nationalism and a disastrous foreign policy that has isolated and alienated it from the global community.

Tracing the development of America’s high self regard from the early days of the republic to the present era, Hodgson demonstrates how its exceptionalism has been systematically exaggerated and—in recent decades—corrupted. While there have been distinct and original elements in America’s history and political philosophy, notes Hodgson, these have always been more heavily influenced by European thought and experience than Americans have been willing to acknowledge.

A stimulating and timely assessment of how America’s belief in its exceptionalism has led it astray, this book is mandatory reading for its citizens, admirers, and detractors.

Review

"The idea of ''American exceptionalism, '' once a concept dear to the sectarian Left, long ago evolved into a shibboleth of the Republican Right. Godfrey Hodgson has trained his formidable intelligence against the second of these-and written a provocative exploration of American history as well as American myth."-Sean Wilentz, Princeton University

"Godfrey Hodgson has always been a sympathetic and insightful friend of the United States. This is what makes his dismay toward those who use the idea of American innocence to project American power so compelling."-Alan Wolfe, author of The Future of Liberalism

"A brilliant history, from the Puritans to the present, of our belief in our exceptionalism-political, economic, and moral-and how it has lately come to support inequality and hubris."-Walter Nugent, author of Habits of Empire: A History of American Expansion

"Some of Hodgson's historical judgments warrant challenge, but this timely and deeply felt, independent-minded polemic offers powerful evidence that a belief in American exceptionalism hinders clear thinking about the nation and world."-Thomas Bender, author of A Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History

"This survey is informed by Hodgson's wide learning and powerful sense that Americans are somewhat deluded in their reading of their national experience as exceptional and have allowed that belief to warp their interactions with the world."-Mark Lytle, Bard College

About the Author

Godfrey Hodgson is a Fellow at the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford. He lives in Oxfordshire, UK.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Yale University Press
Publication date

February 23, 2010
Dimensions

6.1 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
ISBN-10

030016419X
ISBN-13

978-0300164190
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Seymour Martin Lipset Ph.D.
26
Paperback
50 offers from $1.09
Margaret A. Burnham
150
Hardcover
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; First Edition (February 23, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 030016419X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300164190
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,622,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11,218 in History & Theory of Politics
- #24,738 in International & World Politics (Books)
- #97,405 in United States History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
3.9 32 ratings

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spinetingler

Myth of American Exceptionalism

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2012

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An eye opener about what we believe as Americans and how that stacks up against the facts. Not condescending or insulting but an exploration into the mind, and behavior, of Americans. A good read.

One person found this helpful

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ronwrite

important book

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2015

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Some surprising facts to support a theory many of us are familiar with: we have always been a part of the world, not separate from it, and our good fortune has more to do with our natural resources and the fact that Europe spent the first half of the twentieth century destroying itself, making us more conspicuously successful in the aftermath. These trends led our establishment into Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, all of which contributed to losing many of the advantages we had been given.

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2013

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Book appears to be exactly as ordered, although I have not finished it yet. No further comments at this time.

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American Conservatives Have Done It Again and Ruined Everything

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2014

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This work presents exceptionally fuzzy thinking from the point of a European (British) author and commentator on America, although that is also by design -- that way he can re-direct his criticism toward those who are not involved. Somehow American Exceptionalism never gets defined, but the author's main point seems to be that Americans want to respected and even worshipped because of their supposedly great ideals -- which is certainly true of Obama and the Progressives. He decries the hubris surrounding America as the greatest in everything, while he believes there are serious problems in American history and its current situation. And, of course, all this is due to conservatives.

The author takes an European-leftist and American-Progressive view and blames American conservatives for all that is wrong with America, rather than pointing the finger directly at himself and American Progressives. It's not the conservatives who attempt to transplant American democracy to the rest of the world, it is the Progressives. The author features Wilson (he wrote a book on House), and the rest of the Progressives, FDR, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, and George W. Bush, all of who DID believe in nation-building (FDR, the least). The hubris on America comes from the Progressives, that is, the people like the author himself. Notably, however, the historiography in this book is extremely weak.

And he took umbrage at the defining of "Old Europe", apparently believing Britain will be a player forever, when it is much more likely to end up being partitioned between India and Pakistan to settle their dispute over Kashmir. But the biggest problem is the concentration on trivial issues rather than looking at American Exceptionalism as being defined by its four great pillars: (1) Common Law -- law that comes from God to the people, who then elect or appoint representatives to codify and administer that law; (2) virtue and morality as grounded in Protestant Christianity wherein every believer has a personal relationship with God without the need of clerical intermediaries; (3) free-market capitalism where everyone is free and has a chance to become whatever they wish to be; and (4) the sanctity of private property, secured by a system of deeds readily obtainable upon payment for each property. No other country on the planet has all four of these pillars to the extent present in the U.S., and the vast majority have one or none. That's what dooms Progressive attempts at nation-building -- American Exceptionalism cannot be exported until all four of these pillars are present in the receiving nation. Somehow, this work misses all that. The author should have listened to James Otis in 1764 say that no King or Parliament has the right to deprive a citizen of his life, liberty, or property, and that all power is of God. There was a reason the colonists broke away from the British Empire.

I was amused that the author believes the conservatives in America are in the ascendency. He writes that "liberal" has fallen into disrepute. The book was written in 2009, so one wonders if he would delete the chapter titled "Liberal Consensus, Conservative Ascendancy" today. But he is correct that the establishment Republicans are moderate Progressives/Liberals, a fact that has not gone unnoticed since the beginning of Obama's reign. But he is dead wrong to say the nation has moved decisively to the right. That alone should make the reader skeptical of the many other pontifications present in this work.

Nonetheless, this was an interesting book if the reader is into miss-direction, and how it is used by Progressives to blame conservatives for everything from the rise of beef prices to the common cold. For that is what this work does: it raises up phony shibboleths, then proceeds to discredit them, and in so doing, blame those who are merely bystanders. Pretty slick..

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T. White

More needs to be taught to the next generation

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2015

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Godfrey is a must read in a survey of the important topic of American exceptionalism. I didn't agree with him on many points but I deeply appreciate his thorough examination of an essential topic of the 21st century.

One person found this helpful

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C. P. Anderson

As Others See Us

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2009

Hodgson basically has two theses. One is that the US is not quite so unique as we would like to believe. He points to things like early involvement in European disputes (i.e., the French and Indian War as just a part of the Seven Years War) and ideas (the Pilgrims as simply part of the Reformation and the debt the Founding Fathers owe to the Enlightenment), increased industrialization (and the consequent laissez-faire capitalism) in the 19th century, the idea of the frontier (in Russia, for example, but also through colonialism for the rest of Europe), and (recently at least) immigration.

The second is that, these days at least, there are some things that make the US unique - but not in a good way. These include the long list of things - education, medical care, income distribution, capital punishment, incarceration rates, the decline of manufacturing - that have already been discussed in other reviews. The most interesting thing about these is Hodgson's making the point that "it wasn't always so." As an example, we actually have rather a strong history of anti-militarism. In fact, just as recently as the start of WWII, our army was similar in size to Bulgaria's!

This second idea is probably the more important one, as Hodgson does seem to be an admirer of the US and does see some real, admirable examples of exceptionalism in our early history. More than anything, he seems to be asking "where did you go wrong?" There are, of course, many factors, but exceptionalism is definitely an important one.

I am familiar with a lot of the ideas in the book, but am really impressed with how Hodgson ties them altogether, the excellent arguments he makes, and his stinging-but-never-smarmy style.

My only objections were a somewhat wandering first chapter and a rather repetitious last one. All in all, though, this is an excellent read. It really provides a lot of light on recent history.

34 people found this helpful

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