Private lives/public consequences : personality and politics in modern America / William H. Chafe.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chafe, William H., 1942-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Presidents.

Psychology.

Politicians.

Political leadership.

Psychological aspects.

Politics and government.

United States--Politics and government--20th century--Psychological aspects.

United States.

Political leadership--United States--Psychological aspects.

Politicians--United States--Psychology.

Presidents--United States--Psychology.

Physical Description:

420 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2005.

Summary:

A political leader's decisions can determine the fate of a nation, but what determines how and why that leader makes certain choices? William H. Chafe, a distinguished historian of twentieth century America, examines eight of the most significant political leaders of the modern era in order to explore the relationship between their personal patterns of behavior and their political decision-making process. The result is a fascinating look at how personal lives and political fortunes have intersected to shape America over the past fifty years.

Contents:

1 The Roosevelts: A Partnership Unprecedented 5

2 Martin Luther King Jr.: Toward the Promised Land 61

3 John F. Kennedy: From Detachment to Engagement 96

4 Robert F. Kennedy: Despair and Commitment 140

5 Lyndon Baines Johnson: A Need for Consensus 178

6 Richard M. Nixon: Genius and Paranoia 233

7 Ronald Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime 292

8 The Clintons: A Flawed Co-Presidency 327.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [393]-402) and index.

ISBN:

067401877X

OCLC:

60776874