The New South Faces the World
Foreign Affairs and the Southern Sense of Self, 1877-1950

Tennant S. McWilliams (Author)

9780817354718

Paperback / softback, published 15 January 2007

176 pages
22.6 x 15.7 x 1.3 cm, 0.273 kg

In his study of the New South and foreign affairs, Tennant McWilliams raises a central question: why have southerners failed to develop a realistic attitude about U.S. relations with the rest of the world? He notes that throughout their history southerners have encountered failure, povetry, guilt, defeat, and ridicule and that their experiences seem at odds with the notions of invincibility that have fueled the flames of American idealism. Yet McWilliams points out that southerners have joined with northerners in accepting the ideas of a mission to extend the American way of life to people around the world. Thus, he asks, what happened between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the cold war that can help explain the failure of realism to dampen the crusading spirit in the South. - American Historical Review ""McWilliams' book is a subtle exploration of the evolution of southern ideas and actions about foreign policy."" - Virginia Quarterly Review