Synopses & Reviews
Review
"These 13 essays...reflect critically on major developments of the Truman era in light of recent scholarship." Publishers Weekly"...a provocative and balanced volume." Choice"...contributions are...informative and intellectually stimulating. In sum, they well document the complexity of the Truman presidency and its vital importance in setting the agenda of the United States since 1945." The Journal of American History
Synopsis
The essays in this volume provide a wide-ranging overview of the intentions, achievements, and failures of the Truman administration.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments; Introduction and summary: the Truman era in retrospect Michael J. Lacey; 1. The mind and character of Harry S. Truman Alonzo L. Hamby; Part I. Domestic Politics and Issues: 2. Forging America's postwar order: domestic politics and political economy in the age of Truman Robert Griffith; 3. Attitudes toward industry in the Truman administration: the macroeconomic origins of microeconomic policy Craufurd D. Goodwin; 4. Labor in the Truman era: origins of the 'private welfare state' Nelson Lichtenstein; 5. Postwar American society: dissent and social reform William H. Chafe; 6. 'Some sort of peace': President Truman, the American people, and the atomic bomb Paul Boyer; Part II. Foreign Policy and National Defense: 7. The national security state reconsidered: Truman and economic containment, 1945-1950 Robert A. Pollard; 8. The insecurities of victory: the United States and the perception of the Soviet threat after World War II John Lewis Gaddis; 9. Alliance and autonomy: European identity and US foreign policy objectives in the Truman years Charles S. Maier; 10. US policy in the Near East: the triumphs and tribulations of the Truman administration Bruce R. Kuniholm; 11. Toward a post-colonial order: Truman administration policies toward South and Southeast Asia Robert J. McMahon; 12. Occupied Japan and the cold war in Asia John W. Dower; 13. The Truman administration and the Korean War Barton J. Bernstein; About the authors; Index.