“The Great Society,” Crisis, and the “Return to Greatness”: How Americans Entered the Modern World

This chapter examines the turbulent transformation of the United States from the early 1960s to the end of the Cold War. Decolonization, technological rivalry with the Soviet Union, and new geopolitical realities forced American elites to rethink both the language and the goals of foreign policy. At the same time, profound domestic changes—including the civil rights movement, immigration reform, and the rise of multicultural politics—reshaped the definition of the American nation. The Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and the economic crises of the 1970s undermined Americans’ confidence in their political system and global role, producing a deep identity crisis. Debates over détente, human rights, and the balance of power reflected competing visions of how the United States should engage the world. The conservative turn associated with Ronald Reagan sought to restore national confidence and redefine America’s mission in the late Cold War.