The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s (Penguin History of American Life) [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert Weisbrot (Author), G. Calvin Mackenzie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin History of American Life | Publication Date: June 30, 2009

An engaging be hind-the-scenes look at the lesser-known forces that fueled the profound social reforms of the 1960s

Provocative and incisive , The Liberal Hour reveals how Washington, so often portrayed as a target of reform in the 1960s, was in fact the era's most effective engine of change. The movements of the 1960s have always drawn the most attention from the decade's chroniclers, but it was in the halls of government-so often the target of protesters' wrath-that the enduring reforms of the era were produced. With nuance and panache, Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot present the real-life characters-from giants like JFK and Johnson to lesser-known senators and congressmen-who drove these reforms and were critical to the passage of key legislation. The Liberal Hour offers an engrossing portrait of this extraordinary moment when more progressive legislation was passed than in almost any other era in American history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" This is a terrific and timely book-a riveting narrative of one of the most fascinating decades in American history."
-Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals

"A valuable corrective to a lot of hackneyed thinking about the significance of the ''60s."
-The New York Times

About the Author

G. Calvin Mackenzie is the Goldfarb Family Professor of Government at Colby College, and has written or edited more than a dozen books on American government and public policy. A Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, he holds a Ph.D. from Harvard and was the John Adams Fellow at the Institute for United States Studies in London. He was also a soldier with the First Cavalry Division in Vietnam

Robert Weisbrot is the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at Colby College. He is the author of numerous books, including Freedom Bound: A History of the Civil Rights Movement and Maximum Danger: Kennedy, the Missiles, and the Crisis of American Confidence. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Reprint edition (June 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143115464
• ISBN-13: 978-0143115465
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets it all about right, August 25, 2008

By 

Mark Town "realoldmusicman" (Pittsburgh USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s (Hardcover)

This is an excellent summary of the sixties. It has all the hope and the large vision of the many who meant so well and dreamed so big. It reminds us of how optimistic we were back then. And it makes you feel the pain of how it all came crashing down so quickly and with so many lasting reprocussions for the future of American politics. It depicts the many out-sized characters fairly and is particularly on target with LBJ. It is generous without holding back blame. The authors have a large story to tell and they certainly have to scrimp on many matters that could have used more coverage, but that is a small price to pay for getting so much right in under 400 pages!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable perspective, September 6, 2008

By 

Deborah Vose (Hingham, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s (Hardcover)

Although I lived through much of what MacKenzie and Weisbrot cover in this book, I needed the background and analysis they provide to fully appreciate the historical impact of these events. Their meticulous research backs up their cogent argument about the true reasons for the recent rise and fall of American liberalism, and forced me to correct several misconceptions I held about Kennedy, Johnson, Humphrey, Muskie, Nixon and others. This title offered me a chance to look back on the upheaval of the 1960s, and early 1970s, from a new, deeper perspective.

3.0 out of 5 stars Just gets below the surface of things, November 20, 2011

By 

Newton Ooi (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s (Penguin History of American Life) (Paperback)

This fairly short book tries to summarize the origins and manifestations of all the key progressive movements in America during the 1960s. These include the women's rights movement, war on poverty, civil rights, environmentalism, and the growth of the federal welfare state. The book covers many of the key leaders of this era, such as JFK, RFK, LBJ, Adlai Stevenson, Betty Friedan, Nixon, MLK Jr. and Rachel Carson. The book also includes many of the lesser known, but still important figures of this decade, figures such as Bayard Rustin of the civil rights movement, John Kenneth Galbraith on the Council of Economic Advisors during JFK's presidency, and Earl Warren of the US Supreme Court. The book examines the progress of liberalism from multiple angles, including studies from academic circles, changes in grassroots politics, major court cases, etc... However, given the breadth of this book, it pays scant attention to the murders of JFK, RFK and MLK Junior. A closer look at their deaths would reveal the initial counters to liberalism. The book's authors also make some incorrect statements. One example is when they explore the suburbanization of America, and how this was partially driven by the reduction in rail use and increase in freeway construction. The authors specifically say they found no grand plan for this to occur; unfortunately this is wrong. Yes, there was a plan, and it was led by General Motors and oil companies. This conspiracy is first mentioned in David Halberstam's classic work, "The Fifties", and is more fully explored in Edwin Black's "Internal Combustion". All told, a good, but incomplete book with occasional errors.