386. How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War

This book explores how supermarkets, invented in the United States, were used as anticommunist weapons during the Cold War. It details the 'farms race' between the United States and the Soviet Union, where the superpowers competed to show that their approaches to food production and distribution were best suited for an abundant future. The proliferation of supermarkets has shaped our current food system, transforming U.S. food power into a global system of market power, with transnational supermarkets operating as powerful institutions in a global food economy.

In 'Freedom's Laboratory,' Audra J. Wolfe examines the role of scientists, administrators, and policymakers in American cultural diplomacy after World War II. The book reveals how the US government and private scientific groups promoted a vision of science emphasizing empiricism, objectivity, and internationalism to counter Communist ideology. It uncovers the close relationship between the US government and scientific communities, highlighting the political uses of science during the Cold War and its ongoing impact on contemporary debates about science and politics.