In his farewell address; Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the nation of the perils of the military-industrial complex. But as Jonathan Herzog shows in this insightful history; Eisenhower had spent his presidency contributing to another; lesser known; Cold War collaboration: the spiritual-industrial complex.This fascinating volume shows that American leaders in the early Cold War years considered the conflict to be profoundly religious; they saw Communism not only as godless but also as a sinister form of religion. Fighting faith with faith; they deliberately used religious beliefs and institutions as part of the plan to defeat the Soviet enemy. Herzog offers an illuminating account of the resultant spiritual-industrial complex; chronicling the rhetoric; the programs; and the policies that became its hallmarks. He shows that well-known actions like the addition of the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance were a small part of a much larger and relatively unexplored program that promoted religion nationwide. Herzog shows how these efforts played out in areas of American life both predictable and unexpected--from pulpits and presidential appeals to national faith drives; military training barracks; public school classrooms; and Hollywood epics. Millions of Americans were bombarded with the message that the religious could not be Communists; just a short step from the all-too-common conclusion that the irreligious could not be true Americans. Though the spiritual-industrial complex declined in the 1960s; its statutes; monuments; and sentiments live on as bulwarks against secularism and as reminders that the nation rests upon the groundwork of religious faith. They continue to serve as valuable allies for those defending the place of religion in American life.
#380755 in Books 2010-07-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x .60 x 9.10l; .78 #File Name: 0195381955208 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very educational book about China's historyBy James G.In all honesty; I thought this book was very informative and I learned A LOT about China's history. From the early days to the present and everything in between; I learned so much about this country. If you are looking for a book that will teach you the history of China; this is the one; stop looking!!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Accurate; rigorous; and fluid. The perfect mixture. I loved it.By juancasyI really enjoyed this book since it met my expectations in a history book: it is rigorous; but at the same time brief; concise and fluid. The history of China; in particular the ancient period is full of magic. We all have plenty of images from movies or theatre based on it; but reality is even more vivid. From now on; I have another nice mixture of China in my mind thanks to this book.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. China in History - Nicely ToldBy James KotowMost of us living in North America have very little knowledge of China; its history; culture and politics. After a short but extremely interesting trip to Beijing I wanted to gain more understanding of China by learning about some of the background to what I had seen. This very fine book did a wonderful job at doing that. Basic Chinese history and culture was clearly presented and the ideas easy to follow. With China appearing so prominently in world economics and politics these days; the final chapter on the late period beginning in 1949 was extremely helpful. I certainly do recommend this book to anyone wanting a brief introduction to China and its people.