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Passage two

A global "population explosion" brought to the postwar world a multitude of social problems. Symptoms of underlying social tensions were such disquieting contemporary phenomena as youth in revolt and upsurging crime. The postwar years in America were marked by a curious mix of idealism and materialism. One striking example was the concurrent rise in both church membership and secularization. Despite a record of unexampled physical growth, America found itself facing a host of danger signals, including depletion of natural resources, health hazards, a creaking governmental structure, and an overburdened educational system. America's submerged minorities had achieved genuine progress, but the goal of a fully integrated society had not been attained. High on the agenda of unfinished business stood the incongruity of affluence for the majority of Americans while large minorities remained in poverty. Once a revolutionary force in a world of conservatism, America had become a conservative force in a world of revolution. Yet America remained the world's last and perhaps still the best hope for freedom.