Book excerpt: Since 1945 the US economy has evolved from an expanding consumer society in which affluence was more widely distributed than ever before. Mike French's volume examines the principal economic developments and social changes in the US since 1945, including those in business, regional dynamics, protest movements, and population distribution. Social movements based on the civil rights demands of African-Americans, ethnic minorities, and women are also examined. The elements of continuity to pre-1945 trends and the points of departure, notably in the post-1970 period, are discussed to provide a more complete examination than previously available.