The Age of Eisenhower, William I Hitchcock
The Age of Eisenhower, William I Hitchcock
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The Age of Eisenhower
America and the World in the 1950s

Author: William I Hitchcock

Narrator: Arthur Morey

Unabridged: 25 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/20/2018


Synopsis

A New York Times bestseller, this is the “outstanding” (The Atlantic), insightful, and authoritative account of Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency.

Drawing on newly declassified documents and thousands of pages of unpublished material, The Age of Eisenhower tells the story of a masterful president guiding the nation through the great crises of the 1950s, from McCarthyism and the Korean War through civil rights turmoil and Cold War conflicts. This is a portrait of a skilled leader who, despite his conservative inclinations, found a middle path through the bitter partisanship of his era. At home, Eisenhower affirmed the central elements of the New Deal, such as Social Security; fought the demagoguery of Senator Joseph McCarthy; and advanced the agenda of civil rights for African-Americans. Abroad, he ended the Korean War and avoided a new quagmire in Vietnam. Yet he also charted a significant expansion of America’s missile technology and deployed a vast array of covert operations around the world to confront the challenge of communism. As he left office, he cautioned Americans to remain alert to the dangers of a powerful military-industrial complex that could threaten their liberties.

Today, presidential historians rank Eisenhower fifth on the list of great presidents, and William Hitchcock’s “rich narrative” (The Wall Street Journal) shows us why Ike’s stock has risen so high. He was a gifted leader, a decent man of humble origins who used his powers to advance the welfare of all Americans. Now more than ever, with this “complete and persuasive assessment” (Booklist, starred review), Americans have much to learn from Dwight Eisenhower.

About William I Hitchcock

William I. Hitchcock is a professor of history at the University of Virginia and the Randolph Compton Professor at the Miller Center for Public Affairs. A graduate of Kenyon College and Yale University, he is the author of The Age of Eisenhower and The Bitter Road to Freedom: The Human Cost of Allied Victory in World War II Europe, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by ALLEN

In my opinion this biography is the right thing at the right time, and a joy to read. Unlike other popular biographies, William I. Hitchcock's The Age of Eisenhower: America and the World in the 1950s does not linger on Ike's upbringing and military service: indeed, a mere 46 pages of text take us u......more

“[T]he Federal government cannot avoid or escape responsibilities which the mass of the people firmly believe should be undertaken by it.” Americans wanted the government to act as a safety net. “Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate lab......more

Goodreads review by Jean

This book covers the time frame from 1953 to 1961 when Eisenhower was president. Hitchcock does a brief overview of DDE’s early life and military career. I found it helpful when the author provided a review of the various biographies of Eisenhower as well as the most common negative reviews of his p......more

Goodreads review by Jim

I've always thought of Dwight Eisenhower as a great WWII general who carried his natural leadership abilities into the White House where they also served him well as president. In reality his natural abilities were in middle ground politics, and this is the reason he both rose in the ranks of the ar......more