Friday, September 28, 2018

Goldman, The Crucial Decade–and After: America, 1945-1960 (1960)

Eric F. Goldman.
The Crucial Decade–and After: America, 1945-1960.
New York: Vintage Books, 1960.

Book Information: Google Books; Amazon.com.

First published as:
The Crucial Decade: America, 1945-1955.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1956.

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Author Information:
  • Eric F. Goldman (1916 – 1989), Wikipedia.
  • Eric F. Goldman. Rendezvous with Destiny: A History of Modern American Reform. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee (Rowman & Littlefield), 2001.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Eric F. Goldman. The Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1969.
    [Google Books; Amazon.com.]
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Video:

I collected some links to videos addressing the period 1945-1960 in my posts for:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Goldman calls the period 1945-1955 the "Crucial Decade." In the post-Roosevelt governments would the innovations of the New Deal persist? (Goldman is a vehement opponent of the domestic policies promoted by Republicans generally and Robert Taft in particular.) In the post-World War II peace would the European oriented internationalist foreign policy of Roosevelt continue or would 1930s-style isolationism return? (Goldman's dualism of Internationalism versus Isolationism is obviously too simplistic and is an expression of the political passions prevalent when he wrote his book. The U.S. had a century of activity in the Pacific and East Asia and an even longer interest in the Caribbean and Latin America; nobody argued a for decrease of U.S. intervention in those regions. Oh, wait: the "Internationalist" Truman administration issued NSC 48/2 in 1949 which excluded Korea and Formosa from the U.S.'s East Asia defense perimeter. My point is that the "Internationalism versus Isolationism" controversy was less idealistic and more narrow than Goldman relates and was mainly focused on the scale of U.S. military and economic assistance to western Europe.) It is impossible for me to describe Goldman's book without also observing that it is political advocacy disguised as history.

For an introductory history of the U.S. during the period 1945-1960, one's time might be better spent with:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday, September 23, 2018

McCullough, Truman (1992)

David McCullough.
Truman.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.

Book Information: Publisher; Wikipedia; Google Books; Amazon.com.

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Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum, Independence, Missouri.

Harry S. Truman, Miller Center, University of Virginia.

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.

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Author Information:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Video: David McCullough~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other Video

General Overviews and the Truman Presidency:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lectures in History, American History TV, C-SPAN.org.

Selected Lectures on Topics Related to Truman:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1948 Election:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Korean War:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Truman Before National Office:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Truman Family:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other Talks, Conferences, Panel Discussions, etc.:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles and Other Items:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday, September 09, 2018

Kennedy, Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 (1999)

David M. Kennedy.
Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Book Information: Publisher; Google Books; Wikipedia; Amazon.com.

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Author Information:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FDR Fireside Chats:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Video: David M. Kennedy

(I found many videos of Professor Kennedy discussing the topics of Freedom from Fear. However, many of the talks are repetitive, especially those delivered after 2001 about World War II. I have indicated the more repetitive talks by "[RRR]" below.)

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Other Video:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lectures in History, American History TV, C-SPAN.org.

Selected Lectures Addressing the Period 1929-1945:

************ 1930s: Great Depression and New Deal ************************ Roosevelt and Politics ************************ World War II: Surveys ************************ World War II: Campaigns, Battles ************************ World War II: Air Warfare ************************ World War II: Prisoners of War ************************ World War II: Japan ************************ World War II: Aftermath: Cold War ************
  • David Dalton, "Origins of the Cold War," College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Missouri, Lectures in History, American History TV, C-SPAN.org, 17 November 2011.
  • I collected some links for talks on the early Cold War in my post for McCullough, Truman (1992).

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Wikipedia Articles:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~