In the 1960s, many Americans attempted to redefine their nation's identity, both at home and abroad. abroad, while the Peace Corps was in place. Nothing reflected this better than the Peace Corps. In All You Need is Love, Elizabeth Cobbs-Hoffman explores the history of the Peace Corps and reveals that by tracing its development over the past forty years, we can better understand how it became the ideal institution for social reform in the world. 1960s. Cobbs-Hoffman begins his story by exploring the context of American idealism. She states that the United States, since its creation, has seen itself as a crusading nation whose mission has been to promote the spread of its form of “benevolent” democracy. However, this often clashed with the reality mentioned. This disagreement has often made Americans uncomfortable about their role in power politics, and as a result Cobbs-Hoffman asserts that "Paradoxically, when the United States has been most expansionist, it has been most prone to idealism.” It was precisely at this time that the early 1960s took place. Twenty years after World War II, the country was able to experience an era of economic growth and increased military and political power. This, however, created conflicting emotions among many Americans, whose pride in this force was accompanied by another. their historical view that power had corrupted their virtue. Appalled by the consequences of nationalism and racism in Nazi Germany, many Americans turned to universalism and its belief that all humans deserved the same rights, regardless of nationality, and the obvious racism of Nazi Germany. the 1950s, caused Americans to commit to their vision of the type of country they lived in to end it all. middle of paper there were so many different approaches to the cold war. and why it was sometimes so confusing to coexist. Works Cited Cobbs, Hoffman Elizabeth. All You Need is Love: The Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960s. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. Print. Francis, Sam. "Put a Little Love in Your Heart - Accompaniement." CLASS CLASSICS - ACCOMPANIMENT FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL PERFORMANCES AND CLASS SINGING. Internet. March 24, 2015..Gorn, Elliott J., Randy Roberts and Terry D. Bilhartz. Constructing the American Past: A Sourcebook on the History of a People. Seventh ed. Flight. 2. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. Print. Rosenberg, Jennifer. “Berlin Wall – The rise and fall of the Berlin Wall.” History of the 20th century. Internet. March 24. 2015. .