The American Presidency, 1945-2000: Illusions of Grandeur [Hardcover]

G. H. Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2000

This volume explores the radical changes in the historical role of the president since 1945, with an opening chapter looking at the evolving nature of the office from the 18th to the 20th century. The central argument is that after 1945, as the issue of national security became the dominant theme of American politics, the power of the presidency increased enormously. The outbreak of the Cold War and the passing of the National Security Act in 1947, setting up the CIA, gave the president unparalleled powers. Presidents could now exercise power in the name of, but not always with the consent of, the American people. The paranoia of successive presidents is another theme of the book, from Truman's and Kennedy's fear of Communism, through to Johnson's and Nixon's fears of political intrigues and rivals. Watergate and its impact on presidential power through Ford and Carter is fully explored, as is the reassertion of strong presidential leadership through a dynamic foreign policy under Reagan and Bush. The crisis of the presidency, with the American people groping backwards to the notion of a caretaker president who does nothing wrong, rather than an activist president, forms the final section. As chief executive of the only remaining superpower, the US president occupies a unique political space. Giving equal weight to domestic and foreign concerns, Harry Bennett offers an account of this key area of contemporary political history.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: The History Press; 1st Ed. (U.K.) edition (August 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075092277X
• ISBN-13: 978-0750922777
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,518,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars An Englishman's View, January 25, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Presidency, 1945-2000: Illusions of Grandeur (Hardcover)

This is a very interesting view of the American Presidency by an outsider. The author is a professor in England. He sees the presidency from an outside view as the head of the world's only remaining super power and has a good view of the problems that the US is facing from the outside world and internally.

His view is interesting to see, but in some places I wonder if he really understood what he was seeing. The anger and almost hatred that one faction or the other holds for the current President is amazing. Yet, there's still a general following of his authority. The contempt that most people feel for Congress, except for our own representatives is another point difficult to understand.

His conclusion after a pretty good recap of history is that the US will muddle through, on that I think he's right. There will be screaming and yelling, one disaster after another, but in the end it seems that things work out.