Presidency of Warren G. Harding (American Presidency (Univ of Kansas Hardcover)) [Hardcover]

Eugene P. Trani (Author), David L. Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Series: American Presidency (Univ of Kansas Hardcover) | Publication Date: April 1, 1977

In this volume, Eugene P. Trani and David L. Wilson evaluate the presidency of Warren G. Harding by surveying scholarship on the Harding years. Vast quantities of archival materials have become available to researchers in recent years, giving rise to new, sometimes startlingly different, accounts of the Harding administration. Harding-generally considered one of the weakest American presidents-was elected chief executive in 1920, during a time of uncertainty and frustration for many of the American people. The authors assess the critics and defenders of Harding in light of the administration's accomplishments and failures. Both the strengths and weaknesses of the Harding administration came from the people President Harding selected for high office. Charles G. Dawes accomplished much by implementing sound budgetary practices in the federal government for the first time in history. Herbert Hoover became the dominant figure in the Harding administration, using his influence to advance both domestic and foreign policies. And Charles Evans Hughes proved to be an able, if conservative, secretary of state. Yet the accomplishments of these and other capable men tended to be short-term in nature. Trani and Wilson describe the widespread corruption and malfeasance in the Harding administration, pointing out that Harding's erratic judgment of character caused many of his problems as president. His personal habits-philandering, playing poker, and drinking liquor during national prohibition-tainted his reputation and appeared to connect him to the activities of his associates. Tragically, Harding sought to avoid controversy, even if it meant ignoring real problems or evading justice, and thus failed to provide moral leadership for the nation. Harding and his advisors demonstrated little understanding of the social and economic forces at work in the country and abroad. In the early 1920's, the United States continued the transition from a rural society to an urbanized and industrialized society. Rather than adjusting the government to meet the needs of all segments of an industrialized society, Harding instituted "normalcy," an attempt to maintain the values of a rural society rapidly disintegrating under the impact of social and economic change. The few real accomplishments of the Harding administration were buried under scandal, and in the end, Harding must be rated as an ineffective leader at a time when the nation would have been better served by a different, more imaginative approach to government.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Impressive for its comprehensiveness, restraint, and balanced viewpoint. The authors have succeeded admirably in making the Harding administration intelligible." -- History: Reviews of New Books

"The authors are to be commended for keeping Harding's personal peccadilloes and the scandals in the proper perspective." -- American Historical Review

"This is the finest synthesis on the Harding presidency, beautifully written and cogently argued." -- Ohio History

From the Back Cover

"Judicious and readable. This is the best balanced portrait of Harding's administration available, the first to bring out the true significance of the role of Herbert Hoover in these years."--John Y. Simon, editor of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 246 pages
• Publisher: University Press Of Kansas (April 1, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 070060152X
• ISBN-13: 978-0700601523
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #694,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE MAN BEHIND THE MYTH, April 6, 2001

By 

RODNEY KUHN (Cromwell, In.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Presidency of Warren G. Harding (American Presidency (Univ of Kansas Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

ANY SERIOUS STUDENT OF AMERICAN HISTORY, AND MORE ESPECIALLY THAT OF PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT, IS WELL AWARE OF THE SCANDALS THAT HELPED TO BLACKEN PRESIDENT HARDING'S NAME FOREVER. HOWEVER, IN RECENT YEARS, INTEREST WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES HAVE SHOWN ITSELF TO BE QUITE OVERWHELMING TO SAY THE LEAST. WARREN HARDING REMAINS TODAY TO BE A SHADOW WHEN STANDING NEXT TO WOODROW WILSON AND CALVIN COOLIDGE. THE ROARING '20'S BROUGHT WITH IT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE LIVES OF ALL AMERICANS, AND IN HOW THEY LIVED AND WORKED. THE ECONOMIC BOOM CAN BE DIRECTLY TRACED TO THE POLICIES OF THE HARDING ADMINISTRATION. HARDING PROMISED A RETURN TO "NORMALCY" AND HIS PLANS TO REVITILZ THE UNITED STATES WORKED BETTER THAN ANYONE FIRST THOUGHT. THE TWENTY-NINTH PRESIDENT IS LARGELY UNAPPRECIATED TODAY, BUT DESPITE THE SCANDALS, ONE WOULD HAVE TO CONCLUDE, AFTER REVIEWING ALL OF HIS DECISIONS, THAT THIS MAN CARED DEEPLY FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS GRAND NATION. PRESIDENT HARDING DONE MORE FOR THIS COUNTRY THAN MOST PEOPLE THINK, AND THAT CLAIM CAN WITHSTAND THE TEST OF TIME.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A man in over his head, October 18, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Presidency of Warren G. Harding (American Presidency (Univ of Kansas Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

In polls of historians, Warren Harding has consistently ranked last when their greatness is examined. Even those who are more favorably disposed towards his presidency never rank him out of the very bottom. While some of that is due to the major scandals of his administration, Harding himself was not a dynamic, imaginative figure. The major changes in the world due to the consequences of World War I meant that the American president needed those skills.
The old order in Europe was destroyed, new small nations were created out of the remnants of the old and the United States emerged as the economically most powerful country in the world. The colossal Russian Empire was dismembered and ruled by a revolutionary regime that openly advocated overthrowing the governments of other nations. Due to their assuming many traditional male roles during the war, women were finally granted the right to vote and other issues concerning female rights were still being debated. Japan emerged as the dominant power in Asia and their ruling class was determined to expand Japanese power as much as possible. Since the only nation standing in their way was the United States, the military forces of both countries began planning for a war between them. The end of the war saw a worldwide economic downturn and millions succumbed to a flu pandemic. Finally, the last years of the Wilson presidency saw American policy drift. Wilson's serious health problems meant that there was a leadership vacuum at the worst possible moment.
Harding stepped into this maze of problems and he simply was not capable of understanding them, much less dealing with them. Fortunately for the country and the world, he chose some very capable cabinet members and left them alone. Unfortunately, he also selected some really bad cabinet members and also left them alone. On the positive side, he chose Charles Hughes as secretary of state, Henry Wallace as secretary of agriculture and Herbert Hoover as secretary of commerce. As Trani so aptly points out, the position of the American secretary of commerce had changed dramatically due to the war. After the war, the only nation that could provide the funds for rebuilding the European economies and the food to feed the people was the United States. Trani spends a great deal of time describing how effective Hoover ways in transitioning the United States into the major global economic power.
The expanded U. S. involvement in world events meant that the secretary of state was more active than ever. While the main point of American domestic political contention was whether the U. S. should join the League of Nations, many other things were taking place. Two of the eight chapters are devoted to foreign policy, very little of which deals with the question of league membership. One chapter is devoted to the ending of the war in Europe and the early indications of the eventual conflict between the United States and Japan. The other deals largely with U. S. relations with Latin America. After decades of military interventions, the United States was beginning the "Good Neighbor" policy of non-intervention.
The negative side of Harding's cabinet appointments was significant. Attorney General Daugherty was indicted, although acquitted at trial and three officials of the Harding administration served time in jail. Harding was sexually active outside his marriage and did not feel bound to adhere to the laws against alcohol. Nearly all of the scandals were revealed after his death, so he personally did not have to face them. Herbert Hoover deserves credit for giving Harding advice that all politicians should heed. He told Harding that when faced with the possibility of scandal, "reveal it, at least you will be praised for your integrity."
This book does very little to raise the stature of Warren Harding as a president. That task is impossible, as it would force the author to commit historical turpitude. It describes Harding as he was. He was without vision, unable to take a stand on any issue and almost certainly the weakest personality ever to occupy the presidency.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fair and Balanced View, January 7, 2009

By 

Dr. Watson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Presidency of Warren G. Harding (American Presidency (Univ of Kansas Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

The authors present a very fair and balanced view of our most scandalous president. It is well-written from original primary source materials. It is better organized, researched, unlike those tomes written by other academic entrepreneurs, who continue to rehabilitation of his tainted reputation. You simply cannot raise the reputation of one who continually committed adultery, fathered two children out of wedlock, and had very little positive influence in governing our country. The widespread corruption and malfeasance in the Harding administration, primary came from Harding's erratic judgment of character which caused many of his problems as president. Of course, his personal habits--philandering, playing poker, and drinking liquor during national prohibition--tainted his reputation and appeared to connect him to the activities of his associates. Unfortunately, Harding did not have the leadership qualities necessary to be the Chief Executive and, as Harding sought to avoid controversy, even if it meant ignoring real problems or evading justice, he failed to provide moral leadership for the nation.

Harding got elected partly because, as one woman said, "He looked like a president." Sadly, he never grasped the fact that he WAS President until he realized he would be remembered as worse than Grant. Humorist Will Rogers joked that he asked Mr. Harding, "Would you like me to tell you the latest political jokes?" He said the President told him, "You don't have to, Will - I've already appointed them." Much too late, Harding reportedly realized, "When I became President, I thought my job was to appoint my friends to public office. But, you know, you can't do that. You have to appoint the best men." Also late in his brief presidency, he supposedly lamented, "It's not my enemies that I'm worried about. It's my friends that keep me pacing the floors at night." Harding mysteriously died in 1923 before the public ever found out what he was so concerned about.

The cronies Harding put in office were in league with Big Business and used their positions solely to make money for themselves and their benefactors. Harding's attorney general had a house on K Street where he sold influence (remember Jack Abramoff's recent K Street lobbying schemes that were almost exclusively with Bush-Cheney's Republican Congress). Harding's director of the Veterans' Bureau went to jail for receiving kickbacks for construction bids on hospitals and retirement homes. His Secretary of Interior was sentenced for receiving bribes from big oil corporations to sell federal oil reserves at Teapot Dome, WY, and Elk Hills, CA.