First| Previous| Up| Next| Last
Eisenhower - The President (1984)
Front Cover Book Details Back Cover
Genre Biography; Non-Fiction
Subject Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969; Presidents - United States - Biography
Publication Date 9/28/1984
Format Hardcover (9.5 x 6.4 mm)
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Language English
Extras Dust Jacket; Dust Jacket Cover
Description
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower ( /'a?z?nha??r/ eye-z?n-how-?r; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was a five-star general in the United States Army and the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961, and the last to be born in the 19th century. During World War II, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, with responsibility for planning and supervising the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45, from the Western Front. In 1951, he became the first supreme commander of NATO.[2] A Republican, Eisenhower entered the 1952 presidential race to counter the non-interventionism of Sen. Robert A. Taft, and to crusade against "Communism, Korea and corruption". He won by a landslide, defeating Democrat Adlai Stevenson and ending two decades of the New Deal Coalition holding the White House. As President, Eisenhower concluded negotiations with China to end the Korean War. His New Look, a policy of nuclear deterrence, gave priority to inexpensive nuclear weapons while reducing the funding for the other military forces to keep pressure on the Soviet Union and reduce federal deficits at the same time. He began NASA to compete against the Soviet Union in the space race. Near the end of his term, the Eisenhower Administration was embarrassed by the U-2 incident and was planning the Bay of Pigs Invasion.[3] On the domestic front, he covertly helped remove Joseph McCarthy from power but otherwise left most political actions to his Vice President, Richard Nixon. He was a moderate conservative who continued the New Deal policies, and in fact enlarged the scope of Social Security, and signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Though passive on civil rights at first, he sent federal troops to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling to desegregate schools. He was the first term-limited president in accordance with the 22nd Amendment. Eisenhower's two terms were mainly peaceful, and generally prosperous except for a sharp economic recession in 1958–59. Although public approval for his administration was comparatively low by the end of his term, his reputation improved over time and in recent surveys of historians, Eisenhower is often ranked as one of the top ten U.S. Presidents.
Personal Details
Purchase Price $15.74
Acquire Date 12/26/2017
Condition Very Good/Good
Rating 0
Product Details
Dewey 973.9210924
ISBN 9780671499013
Edition [1st ed.]
Cover Price $24.45
No. of Pages 750
First Edition Yes
Rare No
Notes/Review
Very Good Minor shelf/edge wear, book still in very good shape. Text clean $ unmarked, binding tight, gift inscription on first page.

--------------------------------------------------------

This book covers the time from November 5, 1952 to March 28, 1969. That is, from his election as president to his death. Most of these presidential biographies at least give us the funeral and some discuss lasting impacts. Ambrose chooses to stop when Eisenhower's heart stops.

The book is organized on a strictly chronological basis. Again, this is an unusual approach. Generally presidential biographers deviate from strictly chronological order so that they can present issues as topics. I don't know that I have a big preference for one approach over the other, which just may speak to the thoroughness that Ambrose achieves here.

Ambrose makes the case that Eisenhower was the most important figure of the 20th century. I suspect that if one was to ask the average person who fit that description, the answer would more often be Hitler or Stalin or Churchill. Certainly, without the first two figures Eisenhower would not be in the conversation. Eisenhower rose to greatness in defeating Hitler and early in his presidency struggled against Stalin on the world stage. I find Ambrose's case here compelling. Before reading this book I would not have Eisenhower as most important but now do. He was instrumental in winning WWII and his policies drove the Cold War. His actions, good or bad, formed the world I grew up in.

As is typical with presidential biographies, international relations are more deeply addressed than domestic economics. Presidents can operate foreign affairs much more freely than in domestic ones, and outside of the Great Depression, economic conditions are typically downplayed or ignored. On the international front, we get Korea, Guatemala, Iran, Vietnam, Formosa, Quemoy and Matsu, Hungary, Lebanon, Cuba, Berlin. We get Sputnik and the U2, Atoms for Peace and Open Skies. Domestically we get Little Rock, McCarthy, the Interstate highway system, and, of course, the elections of 1954, 1956, 1958, and 1960.

I was expecting that Ambrose would be quite favorable towards Eisenhower but in the end I think it was fairly evenly written. For the most part, he is critical of his subject where it is most important. As Ambrose states in a short chapter near the end that assesses Eisenhower's presidency, it is impossible to separate one's own politics from how one sees Eisenhower. But I give good grades to Ambrose for giving a fair and full account.

I had already intended to read Ambrose's biography of Nixon and this fairness reinforces my decision. I know much more about Nixon's presidency than I knew of Eisenhower's and I expect I will be a tougher judge.