The Deadly Bet: LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election (Vietnam: America in the War Years) [Hardcover]

Walter LaFeber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2005 | Series: Vietnam: America in the War Years

Lyndon Johnson made a life or death bet during his Presidential term, and lost. Intent upon fighting an extended war against a determined foe, he gambled that American society could also endure a vast array of domestic reforms. The result was the turmoil of the 1968 presidential election—a crisis more severe than any since the Civil War. With thousands killed in Vietnam, hundreds dead in civil rights riots, televised chaos at the Democratic National Convention, and two major assassinations, Americans responded by voting for the law and order message of Richard Nixon.

In The Deadly Bet, distinguished historian Walter LaFeber explores the turbulent election of 1968 and its significance in the larger context of American history. Looking through the eyes of the year's most important players—including Robert F. Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, Martin Luther King, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon, George Wallace, Nguyen Van Thieu, and Lyndon Johnson—LaFeber argues that the domestic upheaval had more impact on the election than the war in Vietnam.

Clear, concise, and engaging, this work sheds important light on the crucial year of 1968.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Walter LaFeber skillfully examines 1968 election issues from the point of view of Johnson, Eugene McCarthy, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, George Wallace, and Nguyen Van Thieu.

(Vietnam )

LaFeber presents a colorful narrative and informative analysis. . . . Recommended.

(Lindley, W. T. CHOICE )

An excellent framework for an integrative, reader-friendly format. . . . Anyone who wants to write in this genre should study the methods Walter LaFeber has used to craft and important, accessible style of historical writing. (Diplomatic History )

Walter LaFeber's The Deadly Bet is a distinguished addition to the abundant writing on the election and its consequences. LaFeber shows what the traditional methods of political and diplomatic history can still do to illuminate the recent past. . . . For a thorough, insightful, and fast-paced narrative based on the most up-to-date historical literature, LaFeber's book offers the best place to start about the 1968 election. It should be particularly useful for college students who have little knowledge about the complexities of politics in the 1960s beyond the myths and legends of the modern, conservative-oriented mass media.

(Gould, Lewis )

About the Author

Walter LaFeber is Andrew H. and James S. Tisch Distinguished University Professor and a Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow in the Department of History at Cornell University. He is the author of numerous articles and his most recent books include Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism and America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945–2002.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (March 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742543919
• ISBN-13: 978-0742543911
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,308,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A strong book that does its best to put things in context, February 10, 2006

By 

J. Holst "JarrettH" (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Deadly Bet: LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election (Vietnam: America in the War Years) (Hardcover)

Four-and-a-half stars, actually.

The Deadly Bet is essentially a review, with some analysis, of the political year of 1968, beginning with the Tet Offensive and ending with the election of Richard Nixon. Key figures, mostly from American politics, are used as Chapter titles to illustrate not only their roles in the events of that year, but the impact their lives and deaths had upon history.

The title of the book refers to the idea LaFeber presents that when a democracy undertakes a major war it is taking a gamble with the very security and stability of its institutions, betting that it can do what is necessary to win the conflict while still preserving the social fabric and being able to pursue domestic agendas. The events of 1968, as chronicled by LaFeber, show how Lyndon Johnson's bet in Vietnam failed, ruining his political career and creating a fundamental crisis in America (one which still divides the nation to this day).

I found the book to be both interesting and enlightening. As someone who didn't live through the sixties, I appreciated all the facts and recollections that LaFeber could reasonably fit in, as it allowed me to gain a better feel for the era. I thought the book was well written, it laid everything out quite clearly and precisely, and it more than kept my interest. As well, I enjoyed the analysis LaFeber offered, as he was often able to overcome bias from both the left and right to try to present a clearer picture of the many competing forces at work during that critical time.

Overall, the Deadly Bet was both scholarly and readable, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the era.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beware, don't buy from "lady_college", September 8, 2010

By 

The Mill - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Deadly Bet: LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election (Vietnam: America in the War Years) (Paperback)

Beware, don't buy from "lady_college". My experience was very disturbing. Absolutely no customer service whatsoever. Emails were not even acknowledged. Textbook ordered August 14, 2010 has not been shipped. To top it off, a status was not provided nor were emails answered. Pay $2 more and get your books and better service.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOTHING NEW, April 9, 2006

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NOVA REVIEWER (Northern VA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Deadly Bet: LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election (Vietnam: America in the War Years) (Hardcover)

There is nothing here that one cannot read elsewhere and possibly with greater detail. This book focuses on the 1968 election as the pivotal election of the second half of the 20th Century and does not give a convincing argument as to why.

The chapters centers on the primary political figures of that year (Johnson, McCarthy, Kennedy, King, Humphrey, Wallace, Nixon, etc) and how each candidate contributed to the 1968 political landscape. But I felt the treatment of each individual was at best superficial and contributed little to an understanding of any of them or the electoral process in 1968.