This volume examines how the post-World War II American political economy was shaped by international cooperation and conflicts
Capitalism and the American Century argues that work, business, and consumption in the post-World War II United States cannot be understood as purely, or even primarily, local stories. American capitalism developed not only in an international context, but also through cross-border networks and international competition.The contributors to this volume show that treating postwar American capitalism as a global story changes our accounts of the political, social, and cultural life of the period.
This reframing of American political economy in its global context highlights critical continuities during the second half of the twentieth century.Rather than focusing on the mid-1970s as a fundamental point of rupture, the book's attention to the individuals and corporations most directly involved in cross-border capitalist projects demonstrates that throughout the twentieth century, the American political economy was constructed by the nation's sustained efforts to influence international affairs and shape the global economy.Moreover, placing postwar US history in an international framework shows how the current US political economy has been shaped not only by domestic disputes over taxation, federalism, and capital flight, but also by regional efforts to control international investment; the actions of businesses, workers, and consumers far from the American center; and complex negotiations between CEOs and heads of state that were not always visible to ordinary Americans.In addition, this book suggests that narratives of globalization as an internal crisis pay insufficient attention to late twentieth-century American power, including the power of American capitalists. Rather than understanding the late twentieth century as a period of decline for American capitalism at home and abroad, the book highlights how certain categories of Americans retained and even expanded their power and influence.
