Truman's triumphs : the 1948 election and the making of postwar America

The Chicago Tribune headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" remains infamously wrong about the outcome of the 1948 presidential election. But, as Andrew Busch reveals, there is much more to this story than the well-worn image of a victorious and beaming President Harry Truman parading the newspaper's erroneously headlined front page for all to see. Primarily a contest between Truman and challenger Thomas Dewey, the 1948 presidential race offered something for everyone, including two third-party candidates (Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace), triumphant grit, tragic hubris, dangerous naivet�, accidents of fate, accusations of betrayal, foreign crises, the birth of Israel in the Middle East, a dramatic special session of Congress, internecine battles among unions and liberals, spies, extremists galore (including Ku Klux Klansmen and Communists), the first televised convention, wayward polls, and, of course, a final result that surprised many. Amid a small library of books on the topic, Busch's stands out by offering the best scholarly study available--and the most readable. His fresh account goes beyond previous work by examining more closely the nomination season, key congressional elections, and the state of public opinion. He also digs into splits in both parties--the Democrats seeing Southern segregationists and the far left run their own candidates and the Republicans facing a division between philosophical wings representing the 80th Congress and the presidential ticket--and tells why the Republican schism proved more damaging. He concludes that the election was especially significant as an affirmation of the New Deal, of anti-Communist containment, and of gradual progress in civil rights-all of which established the political baseline for postwar America. Even readers knowledgeable about Truman's 1948 victory will discover new findings in this fresh and revealing account of that dramatic race. Truman's Triumphs recalls a contest with more twists and turns--and a different outcome--than most contemporaries anticipated, and makes engaging reading for scholar and history buff alike. The Chicago Tribune headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" remains infamously wrong about the outcome of the 1948 presidential election. But, as the author reveals, there is much more to this story than the well-worn image of a victorious and beaming President Harry Truman parading the newspaper's erroneously headlined front page for all to see. Primarily a contest between Truman and challenger Thomas Dewey, the 1948 presidential race offered something for everyone, including two third-party candidates (Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace), triumphant grit, tragic hubris, dangerous naivete, accidents of fate, accusations of betrayal, foreign crises, the birth of Israel in the Middle East, a dramatic special session of Congress, internecine battles among unions and liberals, spies, extremists galore (including Ku Klux Klansmen and Communists), the first televised convention, wayward polls, and, of course, a final result that surprised many. This fresh account goes beyond previous work by examining more closely the nomination season, key congressional elections, and the state of public opinion. He also digs into splits in both parties, the Democrats seeing Southern segregationists and the far left run their own candidates and the Republicans facing a division between philosophical wings representing the 80th Congress and the presidential ticket, and tells why the Republican schism proved more damaging. He concludes that the election was especially significant as an affirmation of the New Deal, of anti-Communist containment, and of gradual progress in civil rights, all of which established the political baseline for postwar America. In a book accessible to anyone with an interest in American politics, Busch (government, Claremont McKenna College) examines the implications of the 1948 presidential race in the larger sociopolitical context of postwar America, with a focus on the Democratic takeover of large swaths of the American government and Truman's successful divisive strategies. Chapter one examines the national and international context of the election, setting the stage to detail the candidates, the divided parties, the four conventions of the summer of 1948, general election campaigns, congressional and state elections, and the legacy in American politics and policy. Hardcover. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) January 1, 1948 The Contenders Divided Democrats, Divided Republicans The Conventions Name Their Candidates Truman Defeats Dewey A Democratic Sweep Interpretations and Legacies Appendix A: 1948 Republican Primary Results Appendix B: Harry S. Truman Nomination Acceptance Speech, July 15, 1948 Appendix C: 1948 Presidential General Election Results Appendix D: Harry S. Truman Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949. American Presidential Elections 2 TRUMAN’S TRIUMPHS 3 INTRODUCTION 13 JANUARY 1,1948 17 DIVIDED REPUBLICANS 69 THE CONVENTIONS NAME THEIR CANDIDATES 105 A DEMOCRATIC SWEEP 176 p. I. 251