This second edition of Recent America is an extensive revision of the first one and includes entirely new material that carries the coverage forward, from the mid-1940s to the present. The emphasis is on national politics, federal policy, and the role of the United States in international affairs, but careful attention also is given to economic trends, the evolving social order, and major cultural changes. In the pages of this book the author has attempted to bring new perspectives to bear on the recent history and to encourage what historian Felix Gilbert describes as "reconstructing a historical consciousness that integrates the present with the past." I hope the result will provide a useful and engaging introduction to the last half century of American history, one that will interest students and general readers alike.