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Dewey Defeats Truman: The 1948 Election and the Battle for America's Soul
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About This Book
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Accidental President comes the thrilling story of the 1948 presidential election, one of the greatest election stories of all time, as Truman mounted a history-making comeback and staked a claim for a new course for America.On the eve of the 1948 election, America was a fractured country. Racism was rampant, foreign relations were fraught, and political parties were more divided than ever. Americans were certain that President Harry S. Truman's political career was over. "The ballots haven't been counted," noted political columnist Fred Othman, "but there seems to be no further need for holding up an affectional farewell to Harry Truman." Truman's own staff did not believe he could win. Nor did his wife, Bess. The only man in the world confident that Truman would win was Mr. Truman himself. And win he did. 1948 was a fight for the soul of a nation. In Dewey Defeats Truman, A. J. Baime sheds light on one of the most action-packed six months in American history, as Truman not only triumphs, but oversees watershed events—the passing of the Marshall plan, the acknowledgement of Israel as a new state, the careful attention to the origins of the Cold War, and the first desegregation of the military. Not only did Truman win the election, he succeeded in guiding his country forward at a critical time with high stakes and haunting parallels to the modern day.
Reviews
"Baime's richly textured, fast-moving narrative vividly captures the stories of the race's potential spoilers, the staunch segregationist Thurmond and the socialist-leaning Wallace ..."
"a spirited rundown of Truman's come-from-behind 1948 victory over Republican challenger Thomas Dewey to win his first full term in office ..."
"Baime engagingly chronicles how Truman campaigned vigorously and creatively ..."
"In retrospect,1948 election issues still echo in the 2020 election season."
"At stake in 1948, according to Baime, was America's soul, but his account is also a rendering of the deep fissures in American life ..."
"Well written and supremely researched, Dewey Defeats Truman identifies the key issues, the major personalities involved, and how they played out in the lead-up to the 1948 presidential election."
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