In a groundbreaking reassessment of the long Cold War era, historian Gregory A. Daddis argues that ever since the Second World War’s fateful conclusion, faith in and a fear of war became central to Americans’ thinking about the world around them. With war pervading nearly all aspects of American society, an interplay between blind faith and existential fear framed US policymaking and grand strategy, often with tragic results. These inherent tensions – an unwavering trust and confidence in war coupled with a fear that nearly all national security threats, foreign or domestic, are existential ones – have shaped Americans’ relationship with war that persists to the current day.
A Brief Reception will Precede the Lecture at 4:00 PM
Event Sponsors: University Veterans Services, War in Society and Culture Program, Department of History