In Midcentury Journey, William Shirer describes America’s many accomplishments at midcentury, and raises the bar to meet more challenges.
High Point: With America at its pinnacle, Shirer says he is “proud and glad” about the nation’s potential to lead the world.
Low Point: A sense that the United States hasn’t entirely met Shirer’s expectations.
Author: William L. Shirer
Publication Date: 1952
Genre: History
To get the most from Midcentury Journey, the reader should first complete two earlier works from William L. Shirer—The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and Berlin Diaries. Those two excellent books provide the backdrop for much of the analysis and detail provided in this one.
Beginning at the turn of the 20th century, Shirer discusses the journey from a world largely at peace through the catastrophic world wars to the uneasy quiet of a cold war between the world’s two great superpowers. His insight into events in the European combatant countries during the first half of the last century makes for powerful reading.
Shirer writes at a time when America was at its pinnacle, and he is quite optimistic about the future. He writes:
“It was genuine progress to have grown up, to have come of age, to have shed the incredible provincialism of the twenties, its infantilism and insipidity, the blind worship of business and money, and the mawkish hypocrisy of Prohibition…
…It was a growing up when we abandoned isolationism, assumed our responsibilities as a world power…”
Shirer goes on to describe the many accomplishments of America at midcentury. And he raises the bar as he discusses the challenges still to be met by a more mature and dynamic nation. The first half of the 20th century was an incredible journey.
They had so much potential.
Sources For This Book
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