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More copies of this ISBN:The Age of Anxiety: McCarthyism to Terrorismby Haynes Johnson
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:For five long years in the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy and his anti-Communist crusade dominated the American scene, terrified politicians, and destroyed the lives of thousands of our citizens. In this masterful history, Haynes Johnson re-creates that time of crisis-of President Eisenhower, who hated McCarthy but would not attack him; of the Republican senators who cynically used McCarthy to win their own elections; of Edward R. Murrow, whose courageous TV broadcast began McCarthy's downfall; and of mild-mannered lawyer Joseph Welch, who finally shamed McCarthy into silence. Johnson tells this monumental story through the lens of its relevance to our own time, when fear again affects American behavior and attitudes, for he believes now, as then, that our civil liberties, our Constitution, and our nation are at stake as we confront the ever more difficult task of balancing the need for national security with that of personal liberty. Compelling narrative history, insightful political commentary, and intimate personal remembrance combine to make The Age of Anxiety a vitally important book for our time. Extremism-and the suspicion and hatred it engenders-may be Joe McCarthy's most lasting legacy . . . For these and other reasons, while McCarthy and the leading players of his time- Truman and Acheson, Eisenhower and Nixon, the Kennedy brothers and LBJ, Cohn and Schine, Stalin and Mao-have long since passed from the scene, McCarthyism remains a story without an end. -f rom the book. Review:"Pulitzer-winning journalist Johnson (The Best of Times) offers an engrossing account of the career of red-baiting demagogue Joseph McCarthy and a chilling description of his legacy for today. The focus is on the disturbing questions raised by McCarthyism: how could a little-known freshman senator, driven by Cold War paranoia, quickly amass the power to intimidate senior colleagues, bully the media, terrorize innocent citizens and even threaten two respected presidents? Why did fellow Republicans not reject his sleazy, dishonest tactics when they were personally revolted by them? Most urgently, are we seeing the birth of a new 'age of anxiety,' in which terrorism replaces communism as the bogeyman? Johnson's answer is clearly yes. He traces the current climate in Washington directly to the 1950s: 'McCarthyism was a major factor in the rise of the radical Right and the polarization that plagues American life, pitting group against group and region against region, sowing cynicism and distrust, and manipulating public opinion through fear and smear.' He reviews recent events, including the use of the Patriot Act to stifle dissent, the abuse and detention of thousands of American Muslims guilty of no crime, and politicians' readiness to impugn the patriotism of opponents without evidence. Johnson's own critique is not ideological; rather, his most important argument may be that ideological polarization continues to prevent us from rationally assessing and dealing with real threats. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. Agent, Philippa Brophy. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Book News Annotation:Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Johnson (journalism, U. of
Maryland) has written five best-selling books. Here, in part
narrative, part political and social commentary, and part personal
memoir he retells the reign of terror in the 1950s called McCarthyism
and examines how it shaped the context for today's Global War on
Terror. McCarthyism stands as a warning, he says, of what can happen
when fears and anxieties combine to create hysteria in public and
political life.
Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Book News Annotation:Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Johnson (journalism, U. of
Maryland) has written five best-selling books. Here, in part
narrative, part political and social commentary, and part personal
memoir he retells the reign of terror in the 1950s called McCarthyism
and examines how it shaped the context for today's Global War on
Terror. McCarthyism stands as a warning, he says, of what can happen
when fears and anxieties combine to create hysteria in public and
political life.
Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Synopsis:Compelling narrative history, insightful political commentary, and intimate personal remembrance combine to make "The Age of Anxiety" a vitally important look at Senator Joseph McCarthy and his 1950s anti-Communist crusade.
Table of ContentsContents To the Reader xi Prologue A NEW KIND OF WAR 1 PART ONE McCarthyism 1. The List 9 2. Tail Gunner Joe 30 3. Progressivism to McCarthyism 56 4. The Remarkable Upstart 75 5. The Way to Wheeling 81 PART TWO The Past as Prologue 6. In the Beginning 95 7. Cold Warriors 117 PART THREE Dealing With a Demagogue 8. The Press 137 9. The Politicians 149 10. The Network 162 11. The Opposition 177 12. The Demagogue 193 PART FOUR Prelude to Power 13. Twenty Years of Treason 211 14. Taking More Scalps 241 15. Junketeering Gumshoes 253 PART FIVE Witch Hunts 16. Inquisitions 285 17. The Case of Private Schine 332 18. Point of Order! 381 19. "Have You No Shame, Senator?" 413 PART SIX Judgment 20. Belling the Cat 431 21. Oblivion 443 PART SEVEN Legacy 22. The Politics of Fear 459 23. Parallels 466 24. A House Divided 494 Epilogue THE AGE OF ANXIETY 515 About Sources 530 Source Notes 532 Bibliographical Notes 569 Acknowledgments 581 Index 583 What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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