Dewey Defeats Truman: The 1948 Election and the Battle for America's Soul [9780358522492]

Overview

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 affectionate 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. 

The year 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 both triumphs and 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.

This definitive account of one of history’s most shocking elections reveals the full story behind the headlines:

• An Underdog President: Everyone from the press to his own wife counted Harry S. Truman out. This is the story of the man who refused to quit and the comeback that stunned the world.
• A Nation Divided: Explore the turbulent landscape of 1948, a country grappling with deep political divisions, racial strife, and the emerging threat of the Soviet Union.
• The Whistle-Stop Campaign: Go on the road with Truman during his legendary cross-country train tour, a game-changing strategy that brought his fight directly to the American people.
• Cold War Origins: Witness pivotal moments that shaped the next half-century, including the Marshall Plan, the desegregation of the military, and the founding of the state of Israel.
• The Battle for America's Soul: Discover the splintering of the Democratic party with Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrats and Henry Wallace's Progressives—a political fight with haunting parallels to the modern day.