Joshua Freeman on The Rise of a Global Power

In his new book, American Empire: The Rise of a Global Power, the Democratic Revolution at Home 1945-2000 , acclaimed historian Joshua Freeman has created a portrait of a nation both galvanized by change and driven by conflict.

Beginning in 1945, the economic juggernaut awakened by World War II transformed a country once defined by its regional character into a uniform and cohesive power and set the stage for the United States’ rise to global dominance.

Meanwhile, Freeman locates the profound tragedy that has shaped the path of American civic life, unfolding how the civil rights and labor movements worked for decades to enlarge the rights of millions of Americans, only to watch power ultimately slip from individual citizens to private corporations. Joshua Freeman is a professor of history at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center in New York.