The Upset That Wasn't: Harry S. Truman and the Crucial Election of 1948 (American Ways)
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Book Overview
In this persuasive reappraisal of Truman's 1948 victory, Harold Gullan argues that it was neither the "greatest upset in American political history" (as popular mythology would have it) nor merely a successful extension of the coalition built by Franklin Roosevelt (as many historians contend). Aided by so many fortuitous circumstances, Gullan declares, Truman should have won by an even larger margin. Despite the near unanimous opinion of polls, pundits, and publications favoring Thomas E. Dewey, a win by Dewey would have been the authentic upset. Making his case, Mr. Gullan surveys Truman's background and recreates the happy but anxious years just after the war, as well as the events of this remarkable campaign. He shows why, in retrospect, the results of 1948 make it--along with 1932 and 1968--one of the three most important elections in the twentieth century. Party loyalties gave way to independent voting, personal campaigning to the primacy of television; the cold war was enshrined as policy; and the bulwarks of New Deal legislation were preserved but little expanded. The Upset That Wasn't was published on the fiftieth anniversary of this historic election.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:1566632064
ISBN13:9781566632065
Release Date:November 1998
Publisher:Ivan R. Dee Publisher
Length:255 Pages
Weight:1.05 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 6.0" x 8.7"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
A gripping read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
I grew up listening to my parents talk about Harry Truman and the 1948 election. No one thought Truman had a chance and everyone went to bed believing Tom Dewey would be the next President. But everyone was wrong, from the reporters who covered the campaign, to H.V. Kaltenborn, the famous radio announcer of that era, to the new political pollsters. All were left with egg on their faces when Truman won over 300 electoral votes and swept to victory.This book demonstrate the importance of the farm vote switching mightily to Truman as the campaign wore on, and how Dewey was impossibly arrogant and stopped active campaigning on mid-October, thinking he had the election sewn up! Most of all, this is a tribute to the plucky Harry Trumam, who never conceded, never doubted he would win, and throughout his famous whistle-stop tour, gave 'em hell. A stirring account of a great campaign.
Makes American Political History Readable!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Books about American Political History are usually fairly dense. Not this book! Gullan managed to create a work that appeals to casual readers, junkies and professors alike. It has scholarly value, yet is written in an engaging and readable manner. A must read!
An excellent and enlightening historical reminiscence.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
A fascinating and concise view into a politcal upset that has long been forgotten. Gullan is able to capture the reader's attention, and hold onto it. A must-read for anyone who has any interest in Harry Truman. I enjoyed this book immensly! Highly recommend!
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