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Richard Hofstadter

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made it Paperback – April 23, 1989

by Richard Hofstadter (Author)

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The American Political Tradition is one of the most influential and widely read historical volumes of our time. First published in 1948, its elegance, passion, and iconoclastic erudition laid the groundwork for a totally new understanding of the American past. By writing a "kind of intellectual history of the assumptions behind American politics," Richard Hofstadter changed the way Americans understand the relationship between power and ideas in their national experience. Like only a handful of American historians before him—Frederick Jackson Turner and Charles A. Beard are examples—Hofstadter was able to articulate, in a single work, a historical vision that inspired and shaped an entire generation.

Print length

560 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage
Publication date

April 23, 1989
Dimensions

5.11 x 0.97 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0679723153
ISBN-13

978-0679723158
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

ition of the clasic study of American politics from the Founding Fathers to FDR.

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A revised edition of the clasic study of American politics from the Founding Fathers to FDR.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reissue edition (April 23, 1989)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 560 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679723153
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679723158
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.11 x 0.97 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #59,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #396 in History & Theory of Politics
- #582 in Political Ideologies & Doctrines (Books)
- #2,485 in United States History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
111 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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Diana Faith AdairTop Contributor: Pets

Excellent, consensus portraits of Americans worth knowing about

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2020

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I won't attempt a scholarly review of this book. Others can and have done that work. Suffice it to say I read a lot and am studying quality books on various aspects of American history to better understand how we got to where we are today. The chapters on the men included in this highly respected book give a better rounded portrait than I've read before. I knew little of Calhoun beyond history class, for example, and his portrait opened my eyes to the immense chasm between northern and southern culture.

And, Lincoln's portrait was priceless. He came across as a real man who was savvy, unbelievably ambitious and who rose to the challenge of making some tough choices. For being more human, his achievements look that much greater.

In addition, I highly recommend the foreword by Christopher Lasch. I'd never really thought about HOW history is told -- what gets told or left out -- that styles of historical reporting go in waves, if you will. What Lasch pointed out reminded me of the lines from the musical Hamilton regarding "who gets to tell your story." Lasch's text, I admit, was a stretch for me. It was really written for fellow historians. So, I found myself running to Google to define terms and fill in where he assumed I already had understanding. But, it was worth my time and effort.

I'm combining the reading of this book with Lapore's These Truths, and I find myself occasionally stunned. I do see, clearer than ever before, how our unfortunate history and cultural divides have left us where we are today.

9 people found this helpful

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Leon Lam

A cornerstone of American history

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2017

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This is a study of the American "core values" by the famous consensus historian Richard Hofstadter. His argument, that the American political tradition emphasizes capitalist order and stability but not democracy as some believes, has become one of the most contentious topics among historians. Written in 1948, Hofstadter's first book has an unparalleled place in historiography and still resonates with the current political debate on various issues. Worth a reading.

5 people found this helpful

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David Southworth

A Masterwork of its Genre

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2005

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The classic story of American History, as told by Richard Hofstadter, has rightly come to be thought of as a masterpiece of American history since its original publication in 1948. This well deserved reputation comes from the rich storytelling, attention to detail, and thoughtful and complete narrative Hofstadter puts forward in this book.

Hofstadter takes as his guide one figure from each generation starting from the beginning of the Republic, and through biographical sketch describes both the historical figure and the time period he is depicting. Beginning with Jefferson and including people such as Jackson, Lincoln, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Hofstadter demonstrates how a combination of the great men and the times they lived in shaped what have come down to us as the leading tradition in American politics: the belief in American greatness, individualism, and compassion.

The most significant contribution of this book is to show how these men, who have come down to us as legendary and nearly mythological figures were very much political animals. Just like Bill Clinton and George Bush make decisions today based on political calculation, so to do Lincoln and Jefferson. That these men were not demigods but in fact mere humans makes their achievements that much more incredible.

31 people found this helpful

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vkay

The American Political Tradition

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2013

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The condition of the book was terrible. The pages are so old looking. They have yellowed from age. I have never received a book from Amazon in such poor condition. The cost of the book was 52.46, which is too much to pay for a paperback book in such poor condition. I cannot believe that Amazon would allow this book to be sold at this price. I have always received good quality products before this shipment, but I will not order again if this is the best that I can receive. I ordered the book for my son's summer reading for an AP Government class. The pages are so yellow that you can barely read the print. Some of the pages were folded back. The outside over of the book does not look like the one in the picture. For the price of the book, I thought that you were sending me a hard copy of the book. However, I did not expect to receive an old paper back copy of the book that looks like it has been stored in someones attic or garage for a long period of time. I am very disappointed in this purchase beyond my explanation. I feel like I have been cheated. Because of the poor condition of the book, I feel that I should refunded a portion of the $52.46 that I was charged. This paper back book should not cost that much. Because of the condition of the book and age it is not worth more that $10.00.

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

lexo1941

A surprisingly critical study of mainstreams in American politics

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2010

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It's a while since I read this book, and my copy of it - which was a 50s Anchor paperback that must have been forty years old when I bought it used - has long since disintegrated, so I can't refer to it. But it's a much better book than the other reviewers would have us believe. Hofstadter reviews various figures in American political history and his central thesis is that, for all the rhetoric that American politicians like to use concerning freedom and liberty and so on, when it comes to property rights, the general tendency among American politicians is absolutely in favour of protecting wealth and private property, and absolutely against any attempt to regulate the distribution of wealth in the direction of protecting the poor from exploitation by the rich, not to mention being opposed to any attempt to prevent the already rich from becoming still richer. In short, Hofstadter's analysis of the American political tradition shows that that tradition is, broadly speaking, on the right. Hofstadter is not really interested in popular movements, or organised labour, or the long tradition of the left in America, for the fairly sound reason that his book is about professional politicians and not about the broader map of American politics as a whole. It could be said that left-wing politics as such have never truly entered the 'American political tradition'; it wasn't so long ago that 'liberal' was one of the vilest terms of abuse that one American politician could hurl at another (I remember Michael Dukakis haplessly denying that he was a liberal - he wasn't much of one, but it was still disgusting that he felt the need to deny it), and if things have got a little more sane, it's only because the far-right of the American political mainstream has displayed itself again and again to be incompetent to hold power, most publicly in the second Bush administration. Right-wing commentators and politicans in the US claim, of course, that they are under constant attack from a massive liberal power bloc that somehow manages to be simultaneously absurd, feeble and intellectually empty and yet also menacing and immensely powerful; Hofstadter diagnosed this argument, too, as what he called the 'paranoid style in American politics'.

Hofstadter died 40 years ago, but his arguments are still sound today. His prose cuts through a lot of the sentimental guff talked about some of the major figures in American political history. I thoroughly recommend this book.

7 people found this helpful

Bingo

I first read this book in 1955 and was bowled ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2016

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I first read this book in 1955 and was bowled over by it. This and 'The Age of Reform' are still 'must read' books on American Political History along with Howard Zinn's 'A People's History of the United States'. Do yourself a favour and read them.

One person found this helpful

Trotskii

Best penny i ever spent

Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2019

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I love this book, i can't believe how cheap it was

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