Borstellman, Thomas. The 1970s: A New Global History from Civil Rights to Economic Inequality. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013.

Summary
Contrary to previous scholarship that largely treats the 1970s as a decade of decline or as one lacking any grand transformations (like the 1960s or 1980s), Borstelmann argues in his book that the 1970s was not only a crucial period of change and adjustment, but was one of such importance that is reshaped the contours of American and global history. In this book, Borstelmann highlights two key undercurrents during the 1970s. The first was a spirit of egalitarianism and inclusiveness that rejected traditional hierarchies and asserted the equality of all people (gays, lesbians, women, and people of color). The second was the decisive turn toward free market economics as the preferred means of political and social problems (move away from government/New Dealism). These undercurrents gained significant traction in the 1970s as empires declined and capitalism spread. They also reflect a key transformation, as these two values – complete equality and faith in the market place – are often antagonistic forces. Borstelmann writes: “These prototypical American beliefs created a society committed to treating everyone equally, while simultaneously become increasingly unequal.” (4) Just as old hierarchies of race and class were ended (in the U.S. and abroad), a new hierarchy was formed (often treated as “more natural”) by the sorting out of people through the operation of the free market. One was equal as long as they had the money. The 1970s, he argues, created this tension that continues to shape American and global society.