Product Description
The focus of this work is not whether Eisenhower was an active or passive president, but how his decisions shaped American life in the 1950s and beyond. This updated edition reaches beyond the issues the revisionists raised: Was Eisenhower in command of his own administration? Did he play a significant role in shaping foreign and domestic policy? Drawing on a wide range of works published within the past decade, the author expands the original 1979 edition of this study. In addition to new material on national security policy, he deepens the analysis of Eisenhower's leadership and managerial style and explores the significance of the decisions Eisenhower made on a range of critical issues, from civil rights to atomic testing. The author breaks with the dominant school of Eisenhower historiography. He concludes, for example, that Eisenhower's commitment to support South Vietnam in 1954, with its attendant responsibilities and consequences, was far more important - and ultimately disastrous - than his refusal to intervene with military force in support of the French in 1954. Eisenhower's unleashing of the CIA (in Iran, Guatemala and elsewhere) also draws sharp criticism, as does his timid and ineffective handling of McCarthy. Yet the author also praises Eisenhower's principled efforts to restrain defence spending and to expand developmental aid to Third World nations.
From the Back Cover
"This revision is essentially a completely new book which draws on all the Eisenhower scholarship of the past decade (the bibliography is a tour de force, by itself worth the price of the book). Pach has incorporated the work of the revisionists, hardly under way when Richardson wrote the first edition, and added the insights and criticism of the post-revisionists. Thanks to Pach's work, this volume takes its proper place in the justly acclaimed American Presidency Series as an up-to-date, informative, judicious, and insightful book on the Eisenhower years. It will be read with profit and enjoyment by anyone interested in the 1950s."--Stephen E. Ambrose, author of
Eisenhower: Soldier and President "This may well become the standard one-volume source on the man and his administration. Concise yet comprehensive, learned but accessible, even-handed but forceful in its judgments, it both sums up a wealth of scholarly literature and takes issue with its celebratory stance toward Ike. Valuable both in introducing students to the subject and challenging scholars, this is first-rate historical synthesis."--Michael S. Sherry, author of The Rise of American Airpower: The Creation of Armageddon
"Chester Pach has extensively and thoughtfully revised Elmo Richardson's book. Incorporating insights from the most recent literature on the Eisenhower era, he has written a lucid, balanced, and stimulating synthesis. I highly recommend it."--Melvyn P. Leffler, author of The Elusive Quest: America's Pursuit of European Stability and French Security
