Eugene McCarthy: The Rise and Fall of Postwar American Liberalism - Hardcover

Sandbrook, Dominic

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1400041058 ISBN 13: 9781400041053

Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc, 2004

Synopsis

Dominic Sandbrook traces Eugene McCarthy's rise to prominence and his subsequent failures, and makes clear how his story embodies the larger history of American liberalism over the last half century. We see McCarthy elected from Minnesota to the House and then to the Senate, part of a new liberal movement that combined New Deal domestic policies and fierce Cold War hawkishness, a consensus that produced huge electoral victories until it was shattered by the war in Vietnam.
As the situation in Vietnam escalated, many liberals, like McCarthy, found themselves increasingly estranged from the anti-Communism that they had supported for nearly two decades. Sandbrook recounts McCarthy's growing opposition to President Johnson and his policies, which culminated in McCarthy's stunning near-victory in the New Hampshire presidential primary and Johnson's subsequent withdrawal from the race. McCarthy went on to lose the nomination to Hubert Humphrey at the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which secured his downfall and led to Richard Nixon's election, but he had pulled off one of the greatest electoral upsets in American history, one that helped shape the political landscape for decades.

About this title

Review:

"An interesting book, handsomely written, and closely researched." -"The Weekly Standard
"
"Massively researched. . . . Sandbrook is effective in conveying the sense of a wasted talent." -"The Nation
"
"Dominic Sandbrook's subtle, intelligent portrait gives us Gene McCarthy in all his enigmatic brilliance. . . . At a time when so much political history comes to us as scandal and gossip, this absorbing book reminds us where the drama of politics really begins-in the tensions between idealism and compromise, intellect and passion, knowledge and delusion." -Sam Tanenhaus, author of "Whittaker Chambers"
"McCarthy has lacked a full-scale biography; now, thanks to a young British historian, Dominic Sandbrook, he has a very good one. . . . Sandbrook brings both McCarthy and American liberalism alive. . . . A stunning achievement."
-"History Book Club Review" (Editors' choice)
"Highly readable. . . . Captures all of the drama and historical significance of both McCarthy the man and the political era that he helped define." -"Tucson Citizen
"
"A consummate political biography. Dominic Sandbrook insightfully probes Eugene McCarthy's complex role in the decay of American liberalism. Avoiding nostalgia, he writes with an incisive and compelling honesty. . . . A sobering story in vivid prose, rich in nuance." -Alan Taylor, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "William Cooper's Town
"
"Sandbrook's biography will command attention and spark discussion about this controversial career and McCarthy's role in the end of the New Deal liberal consensus."
-"Publishers Weekly
"
"Illuminating. . . . Sandbrook is especially good at describing how McCarthy's Catholicism formed his political visione. Scholarly, scrupulously researched." -"Library Journal
""This incisive account of the career both of postwar liberalism and of one of its most romantic standard-bearers reads like the anatomy of a lost cause --lost thanks not only to ideologic

An interesting book, handsomely written, and closely researched. The Weekly Standard

Massively researched. . . . Sandbrook is effective in conveying the sense of a wasted talent. The Nation

Dominic Sandbrook s subtle, intelligent portrait gives us Gene McCarthy in all his enigmatic brilliance. . . . At a time when so much political history comes to us as scandal and gossip, this absorbing book reminds us where the drama of politics really begins in the tensions between idealism and compromise, intellect and passion, knowledge and delusion. Sam Tanenhaus, author of Whittaker Chambers
McCarthy has lacked a full-scale biography; now, thanks to a young British historian, Dominic Sandbrook, he has a very good one. . . . Sandbrook brings both McCarthy and American liberalism alive. . . . A stunning achievement.
History Book Club Review (Editors choice)
Highly readable. . . . Captures all of the drama and historical significance of both McCarthy the man and the political era that he helped define. Tucson Citizen

A consummate political biography. Dominic Sandbrook insightfully probes Eugene McCarthy s complex role in the decay of American liberalism. Avoiding nostalgia, he writes with an incisive and compelling honesty. . . . A sobering story in vivid prose, rich in nuance. Alan Taylor, Pulitzer Prize winning author of William Cooper s Town

Sandbrook s biography will command attention and spark discussion about this controversial career and McCarthy s role in the end of the New Deal liberal consensus.
Publishers Weekly

Illuminating. . . . Sandbrook is especially good at describing how McCarthy s Catholicism formed his political visionE. Scholarly, scrupulously researched. Library Journal
This incisive account of the career both of postwar liberalism and of one of its most romantic standard-bearers reads like the anatomy of a lost cause lost thanks not only to ideological choicesbut to the all-too-human attributes of arrogance, self-absorption and spite. An invaluable book for liberals who want to understand how they got where they are. James Traub, contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine"

About the Author:

Dominic Sandbrook studied history and modern languages at Oxford University. He has a master’s degree from the University of St. Andrews and a doctorate from Cambridge University. He taught American history at the University of Sheffield from 2001 to 2004, when he resigned to write full-time.

About this edition

• Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1400041058
• ISBN 13: 9781400041053
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352