The first decade
after the Second World War witnessed profound changes in America's relationship
to Europe. For the first time, the U.S. entered into a military alliance during
peacetime outside the Western Hemisphere, when it joined NATO in 1949. Unlike
after the First World War, the U.S. government kept significant numbers of troops
in Europe to protect its western part from a possible Soviet attack, directly
or indirectly intervened in the political process of West European nations, and
strongly encouraged West European integration efforts. Just as importantly,
North America and Western Europe became increasingly connected to each other
through an expansion of trade, cultural exchanges, and transnational networks.
This discussion- and participation-based seminar examines the multiple
diplomatic, political, social, economic, and cultural changes in the transatlantic
relationship that took place in the postwar period, paying particular attention
to how actors on both sides of the Atlantic negotiated the markers of the emerging
'Western' identity and analyzing the profound ramifications the notion of an
'Atlantic Community' had for Americans' conception of their nation, which had traditionally
been defined through demarcation from the 'Old World.' Course requirement: oral
presentation. Credit requirements: presentation handout and power point
presentation; term paper (10-15 pages). Readings: Marco Mariano (ed.), Defining
the Atlantic Community: Culture, Intellectuals, and Policies in the
Mid-Twentieth Century (New York: Routledge, 2010). Marc Trachtenberg (ed.), Between
Empire and Alliance: America and Europe during the Cold War (Lanham: Rowman
& Littlefield, 2003). Giles Scott-Smith and Hans Krabbendam (eds.), The Cultural
Cold War in Western Europe, 1945-1960 (London: Frank Cass, 2003).