Following the devastation of the Second World War and the realization that the damage to Europe was irreparable, the balance of world power shifted across the Atlantic from the old powers of Europe to the extremely visible power of the United States. Historian and journalist Norman Moss looks at this transfer of global rule from the point of view of the changing "special relationship" of the U.S. and Britain, with the U.S. taking on something like the imperial role that Britain had previously held. Although some had predicted this transfer of roles, few were ready for it whenit happened.At a time when America's diplomatic role in the world is coming increasingly under scrutiny, Picking Up the Reins looks at the U.S.'s assumption and acceptance of the role of superpower, and its evolution from being an opponent of the concept of empire, to a defender and ultimately an inheritor of the imperial role.