"Patel's story will become the definitive account. . . . An impressive, thought-provoking narrative of the New Deal. . . . Patel raised important questions for historians to consider as they continue to grapple with this period of American history and as they, more generally, attempt to argue when and how the global matters."--Meg Jacobs, American Historical Review
"Impressive. . . . Patel traces with unprecedented detail the intense international exchange and 'transnational learning and linking' that shaped the Roosevelt administration's responses to the global crisis of capitalism and democracy in the 1930s."--Ira Katznelson, Foreign Affairs
"Skillfully combining an original approach, comprehensive information and surprising anecdotes, Patel's book contributes to the critical reassessment of a key moment in recent US history."--Giovanni Bernardini, Corriere della Sera
"A compelling argument that is profoundly relevant to the twenty-first century."--Glenn C. Altschuler, Huffington Post
"Those in search of an up-to-date New Deal primer that pays special attention to international connections will find Patel's results extremely useful. The book's fantastic bibliography alone, covering works in no fewer than seven languages, is worth the price of the volume."--Brooke L. Blower, Journal of American History
"A deep, scholarly dive into the New Deal"--Kirkus
"Patel presents exhaustive and valuable factual comparisons of the New Deal with various other country policies in the 1930s."--Choice
"A rich account of facts that shows in detail the unfolding and the impact of the New Deal."--Stefano Solari, History of Economic Thought and Policy
"Patel's contribution is largely in his mastery of many national historiographies and his ability to compare them. When he discusses the diffusion of punch card data management through public administrations around the world, for example, he gives a fascinating view of the development of parallel governmentalities in different national contexts."--Gabriel Winant, Reviews in History
"This global history of the New Deal succeeds in its attempt to re-frame U.S. history of the 1930s and after in a transnational setting. Patel is particularly strong when dealing with matters of diplomacy and economics where he demonstrates a profound knowledge of both primary sources and secondary literature."--Olaf Stieglitz, H-Net
"Excellent and very readable."--Martin Albers, Archiv für Sozialgeschichte
"In the United States, transnational links impacted many political programs. . . . Patel emphatically argues for a global perspective on the New Deal."--Andreas Eckert, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"The first book to globalize the history of the New Deal, this is an amazing tour de force with fresh insights on virtually every page. Many historians will wish they had written it."--Akira Iriye, Harvard University
"This indispensable book reveals the national, comparative, and global dimensions of the Great Depression and New Deal. Attentive to the global circuitry of policy options and supported by a vast knowledge of other national responses, Kiran Klaus Patel transforms our understanding of the formation and nationalist shape of the New Deal. One cannot claim to understand the New Deal without reading this book."--Thomas Bender, author of A Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History
"Kiran Klaus Patel boldly advances the effort to transnationalize historians' understanding of the New Deal, convincingly demonstrating the need to understand the United States in the 1930s as embedded in a larger world confronting a shared crisis. This formidable book decisively challenges exceptionalist claims about mid-twentieth-century reform in the United States."--Paul A. Kramer, author of The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, the United States, and the Philippines
"A stunning world tour, full of surprises and insights into government action in the 1930s in many nations and across a vast policy terrain. This is comparative and transnational history at its best."--Gary Gerstle, author of Liberty and Coercion: The Paradox of American Government from the Founding to the Present
"The New Deal is usually thought of as a quintessentially American historical moment. But as Kiran Klaus Patel's penetrating book shows, it was also a deeply international event, both in terms of Americans transmitting their ideas abroad as well as importing innovations from often-unexpected places around the world. Insightful and original, The New Deal: A Global History will challenge preconceptions and change the way we perceive a seminal moment in world history."--Andrew Preston, University of Cambridge
"Kiran Klaus Patel provides a strikingly broad and comprehensive treatment of the New Deal and brings a remarkable range of global knowledge to bear on the subject. An extraordinary mine of information, this unique and valuable book will be an indispensable reference point in future debates over the global 1930s."--Daniel T. Rodgers, professor emeritus, Princeton University
"An astute, powerfully synthetic global history of the New Deal, this book covers a vast terrain, substantively and geographically, blending a discerning reading of the enormous literature on the New Deal with judiciously targeted primary research. The result is a fresh perspective on the global dimensions of innovation within the American state--and a book for which there is an overwhelming need."--James Sparrow, University of Chicago
Kiran Klaus Patel is the Jean Monnet Professor of European and Global History at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. His books include Soldiers of Labor: Labor Service in Nazi Germany and New Deal America, 1933-1945, and he has edited a number of volumes, including The United States and Germany during the Twentieth Century.
“This absorbing collection of World War I letters from France highlights the multiple roles of Alice M. O’Brien―from mechanic and supply truck driver to nurse and canteen worker. One of many unsung U.S. women in the war, the resourceful O’Brien―with her compassion for Allied wounded, capacity for grueling work, and self-deprecating humor―shines through the miseries of war.”
Elizabeth Foxwell, editor, In Their Own Words: American Women in World War I
“The American war effort during the World War is full of stories. And if we’re lucky enough, they are eloquently preserved in the writings of those who lived it. Alice O’Brien, through her charming and detailed letters, shares both a volunteer’s and a woman’s perspective. These reveal insights into the internal motivations, recount adventurous experiences, and demonstrate women’s contributions to U.S. victory in an era before American women had the right to vote. A welcome read.”
Matthew Naylor, President and CEO, National World War I Museum and Memorial
Nancy O'Brien Wagner is a cofounder of Bluestem Heritage Group, which does research, exhibit development, interpretive planning, and project management for historical organizations.
By exploring China's foreign policy toward the Afro-Asian world during the Cold War, Brazinsky has moved the literature on Sino-American relations in a new direction. Scholars have noted the Maoist emphasis on the "intermediate zone," but few have taken it seriously by studying how it influenced Chinese policy.--Lorenz Luthi, McGill University
Winning the Third World is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Cold War, American foreign policy, and China's foreign relations. Brazinsky's painstaking research, incisive analysis, and fluid narrative reveals the highly consequential Sino-American struggle for prestige and influence in the developing world during the first half of the Cold War.--Thomas J. Christensen, author of The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power
Brazinsky has written a fresh and, indeed, pioneering book on the hot subject of Sino-American relations in the Cold War by concentrating on the previously little-explored area of the two countries' competition in the Third World. This is first-rate scholarship.--Chen Jian, Cornell University
Gregg A. Brazinsky is associate professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University.
"The best study ever written on Anglo-American global thought in the 1940s. Rosenboim's insightful, cutting-edge book will enjoy a lasting impact."--Samuel Moyn, author of The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History
"A pleasure to read. This excellent book stands out as a major contribution to our growing understanding of the history of twentieth-century international thought. Rosenboim forces us to rethink that history, and by implication how we interpret international relations today."--Lucian M. Ashworth, author of A History of International Thought
Or Rosenboim is a research fellow in politics at Queens' College, University of Cambridge. She was co-awarded the prestigious Prix Raymond Aron in 2014.
