Bridging the Atlantic
The Question of American Exceptionalism in Perspective

This volume discusses comparative developments in modern European and American history.

Elisabeth Glaser (Edited by), Hermann Wellenreuther (Edited by)

9780521782050, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 January 2002

322 pages, 1 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.64 kg

'… will prove of great value in the US where the battle for a transatlantic perspective has constantly to be fought.' Contemporary Review

Bridging the Atlantic discusses comparative developments in modern European and American history. Including case studies on British, German and US history since the eighteenth century, it seeks to establish an integrated vision of Atlantic history. The contributions by European and American historians challenge the concept of American exceptionalism and present a vivid example of the ongoing debate between American and European historians on the structure and nature of European-American relations.

Introduction Elisabeth Glaser and Hermann Wellenreuther
Part I. Transatlantic Faiths and Beliefs: 1. Liberal democracy as a culture of rights: England, the United States, and Continental Europe Gerald Stourzh
2. American exceptionalism: republicanism as ideology Ari Hoogenboom
Part II. Transatlantic Ideologies and the Perception of the Other: 3. The role of religion in Germany and America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Hartmut Lehmann
4. The impact of Darwinism on religion and science in America and Europe during the nineteenth century Carl N. Degler
5. Nationalism as a civil religion in the thought of Abraham Lincoln, Carl Schurz, and Otto von Bismarck Hans L. Trefousse
Part III. People in the Transatlantic World: The Perception of Self: 6. German catholic communalism and the American civil war: exploring the dilemmas of transatlantic political integration Kathleen Neils Conzen
7. Toward a comparative history of racism and xenophobia in the United States and Germany, 1865–1933 Kenneth L. Kusmer
8. Movie stereotypes, 1890–1918: some German and American national perceptions Daniel J. Leab
Part IV. Transatlantic Politics and Economics: 9. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler: a contemporary comparison revisited Gerhard L. Weinberg
10. The role of the banker in transatlantic history: J. P. Morgan and Co. and aid for the allies, 1914–16 Elisabeth Glaser
Part V. Transatlantic History and American Exceptionalism: 11. Transatlantic history as national history: thoughts on German post-World War II historiography Peter Krüger
12. American exceptionalism as national history? Hans R. Guggisberg
13. The historical world of Erich Angermann Hermann Wellenreuther
Index.

Subject Areas: 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], History of the Americas [HBJK], European history [HBJD]