"Doing History" in a Changing World Environment

Henry Berger, a student of William Appleman Williams, has published a testimonial to his mentor and friend. By presenting essence of Williams's historical interpretations and political beliefs, Berger has performed a service to historical community. Not only does this edited volume allow historians to reacquaint themselves with the most influential American diplomatic historian of his generation, as Gary Hess has written,1 but it provides clear evidence that historical profession needs a new revisionism within changed environment following collapse of Cold War. The nineteen selections Berger includes are well chosen, though they parallel those Williams included in History as a Way of Learning (1973), and argument could be taken with a few. Berger provides historical and political context for each selection, and a solid biography of Williams. He arranges selections by publication date rather than by topic, and introduces each with a paragraph stating theme and historiographical significance. Most selections are from Williams's books and range from early and less well-crafted works like Russian-American Relations (1952) to more mature works like The Tragedy of American Diplomacy (1959/1962/1972), The Contours of American History (1961), The Great Evasion (1964), and The Roots of Modern American Empire (1969), and to later polemical works like America Confronts a Revolutionary World (1976), and Empire at Bay (1980). This organization is ultimately rewarding as reader witnesses parallel developments of both a provocative revisionist historian and a passionate political activist. Williams is best known for his revisionist interpretations of American history. Such ideas as corporatism, reassessment of 1920s isolationism, America as empire, role of economics, domestic politics, ideology and class in foreign policy, and efficacy of Marxism as a research tool, are some of his contributions. But Williams will always be remembered for his successful challenge of Realist school and its politically orthodox interpretation that

Ancient history · World history · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · History

• After the Tumult

  Gary R Hess•Diplomatic History•1988

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• The Tragedy of Cold War History

  John Lewis Gaddis•Diplomatic History•1993

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• The Tragedy of American Diplomacy

  Bradford Perkins•Reviews in American History•1984

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