Shepherd of Democracy? - (Contributions in Political Science) by Carl C Hodge & Cathal J Nolan (Hardcover)

About the Book

Established scholars on both sides of the Atlantic offer a broad perspective of the central themes in German-American relations in the twentieth century and show how the most current developments have evolved. This interpretive survey helps fill a major gap in the literature covering the long-term relationships between Germany and the United States and demonstrates how liberal democratic values have been upheld. Policymakers concerned with U.S. foreign policy and German and European relations will find this edited collection illuminating. Students and scholars in government, international relations, and European studies will find this work valuable.

This edited collection describes the mixture of idealism with which American foreign policy has traditionally viewed republican government and peaceful international relations and the pragmatism involved in securing American interests after 1945 and supporting a prosperous German republic. At the same time it deals with the extent to which German objectives have been consistent with American goals. The book begins with a discussion of the Kantian ideal of an international civil society and its place in the tradition of U.S. foreign policy. The middle chapters deal with the evolution of that tradition from Wilsonian precepts after World War I to American tutelage in the establishment and protection of the Federal Republic. The final chapters confront Germany's place in Europe after 1989 and attempt to answer the question: Has American idealism been realistic?

Book Synopsis

Established scholars on both sides of the Atlantic offer a broad perspective of the central themes in German-American relations in the twentieth century and show how the most current developments have evolved. This interpretive survey helps fill a major gap in the literature covering the long-term relationships between Germany and the United States and demonstrates how liberal democratic values have been upheld. Policymakers concerned with U.S. foreign policy and German and European relations will find this edited collection illuminating. Students and scholars in government, international relations, and European studies will find this work valuable.

This edited collection describes the mixture of idealism with which American foreign policy has traditionally viewed republican government and peaceful international relations and the pragmatism involved in securing American interests after 1945 and supporting a prosperous German republic. At the same time it deals with the extent to which German objectives have been consistent with American goals. The book begins with a discussion of the Kantian ideal of an international civil society and its place in the tradition of U.S. foreign policy. The middle chapters deal with the evolution of that tradition from Wilsonian precepts after World War I to American tutelage in the establishment and protection of the Federal Republic. The final chapters confront Germany's place in Europe after 1989 and attempt to answer the question: Has American idealism been realistic?

About the Author

CARL C. HODGE is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Okanagan College in British Columbia. He is the author of a number of articles on European and German politics.

CATHAL J. NOLAN is Associate Professor of History and Executive Director of the International History Institute at Boston University. His numberous books include the award-winning, four-volume Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations (Greenwood, 2002), Power and Responsibility in World Affairs (Praeger, 2004), Ethics and Statecraft (Praeger, 2004), Principled Diplomacy: Security and Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy (Greenwood, 1993), Shepherd of Democracy? America and Germany in the 20th Century (Greenwood, 1992), and the award-winning Notable U.S. Ambassadors Since 1775 (Greenwood, 1997). He also edits the Praeger series Humanistic Perspectives on International Relations, and co-edits the Praeger series International History.