After the devastating atomic bomb ended World War II, American troops began to return from abroad, and President Truman was tasked with rebuilding the nation. As Truman installed a variety of new programs specifically designed to provide employment opportunities to the American people, the USSR continued to consolidate its power in Eastern Europe and forge new alliances with emerging Communist governments--relationships that would spark the beginning of the cold war. Meanwhile, as the Korean War and Mao Zedong captivated Asia, the United States was experiencing the beginnings of rock 'n' roll, the civil rights movement, television, and a race to explore space. The Cold War and Postwar America: 1946-1963 tells a riveting narrative about a time in U.S. history that saw the country gain its superpower status and engage in a decades-long "cold war" with the Communist powers of the world.