Review by Choice Review
There are any number of recent historical studies making claims for the decisiveness of a given year in US history. Weisbrode argues that 1946 was crucial as a year of indecision. Coming out of WW II, Americans confronted "one of the most confusing and frightening times in our history." Indecisiveness rather than firm decisions, he argues, is evident in the response to the Cold War, economic challenges, and the direction of domestic politics. Weisbrode makes a convincing case for this thesis while challenging some prevailing perceptions. He finds Truman "a limited man thrust into a position for which he was unprepared," whose insecurities and contradictory qualities made him the "perfect emblem" of the American of 1946. The book is rife with brief but compelling character studies of those who shaped national policy and public life. Weisbrode finds much wanting in US Cold War policy formulation, agreeing with Dean Acheson that the NSC-68 report was less a blueprint than a "bludgeon." In 12 chapters, Weisbrode examines the emerging Red Scare, the politics of 1948, and popular culture. Of particular interest is the chapter on Poujadism, a populist impulse fueled by rage against the elites ostensibly ruining the nation, to which Weisbrode attributes the rise of McCarthyism. Well written and thought provoking. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. --Blaine T. Browne, Broward College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Weisbrode, author of Churchill and the King (2013), takes an unorthodox stand in this curious work of popular history. Whereas most historians would place 1946 at the beginning of a new era, Weisbrode emphasizes its uniqueness, defined by the mood of anxiety and fear (much of it the result of Hiroshima). He discuses the problems of internationalism versus isolationism, political suspicions, the dissatisfaction of returning vets, and the tensions in popular culture. While he makes his case, he doesn't put much weight on the fact that these issues were not unique to 1946. And contrary to the writings of David McCullough, he is disdainful of Harry Truman's leadership. Weisbrode does acknowledge major players of the era like James Byrnes, Dean Acheson, and Henry Wallace, but his concentration on anti-Communist William Bullitt and Frenchmen Pierre Poujade is puzzling. African Americans figure not at all in Weisbrode's narrowly-defined cosmos. Though one might question the premise (in some ways the book is a mistitled stretch), it does capture the postwar mood effectively.--Levine, Mark Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Though WWII has come to be known as the "good war" fought by the "Greatest Generation," such shorthand would have baffled most Americans in 1946, as Weisbrode (Churchill and the King), a diplomatic and cultural historian, shows in this free-flowing meditation on postwar attitudes. Never quite measuring up (in his own mind or others) to aristocratic Franklin Roosevelt, Truman is shown to be able, industrious, conniving, and thin-skinned. The man from Missouri vacillates all too often, but is saved by good advisors. Observing the politics, society, and culture of the time, Weisbrode pronounces Truman as emblematic of the period's "unsure mood." Yet, the author perhaps drinks too deeply at the well of revisionism, judging Truman to be "overrated" without making a clean case for such a pronouncement while veering tangentially into such topics as the cultural milieu of New York and writers of the period. Weisbrode is an astute critic of the political headwinds whipped up by McCarthyite witch hunts for domestic communists, and his excellent analysis of the psychology of the fear of communism delves into other social dislocations that are remarkably similar to more current attitudes. This is a provocative, if meandering, study of a turbulent period in American history. Agent: Alexander Hoyt, Alexander Hoyt Associates. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Review by Library Journal Review
In his latest work, Weisbrode (Churchill and the King) examines the pivotal year of 1946. The events in and around this year marked a dark, uncertain time in the United States: just after the end of World War II and prior to the start of the Cold War. It was also the first full year of the presidency of Harry S. Truman, who is viewed with a critical eye by the author. Weisbrode presents Truman as a man of contrasts who struggled to make decisions and provides U.S. nuclear policy as an example of this unfavorable characteristic. (At that time, America was the only nation that possessed the atomic bomb.) The Truman administration worked on building more powerful bombs, while it sought to limit nuclear proliferation. According to the author, the president's indecisiveness set a tone that would affect U.S. decision makers for the rest of the century. Despite the troubles and uncertainty, or perhaps because of them, this era was also a culturally exciting time, marked by creative developments in fashion, literature, music, and movies. -VERDICT Recommended for those interested in 20th-century American history with insight into the making of the modern world. Those seeking more about this year should also consider Victor Sebestyen's 1946.-Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Diplomatic and cultural historian Weisbrode (Churchill and the King: The Wartime Alliance of Winston Churchill and George VI, 2013, etc.) recounts the turmoil of 1946 and the Americans who just wanted to return to a life of security. The United States may not have suffered physical devastation in World War II, but as Herbert Hoover noted, "the victors suffer almost equally with the vanquished in economic misery and spiritual degradation." This generation relished their survival, but they were the children of the Depression and took nothing for granted. Now they returned to live in fear of recession, poverty, and communism. They endured housing shortages, unemployment, and a country that was dominant in military and economic matters but politically isolated. Weisbrode rejects the biographies of Harry Truman that have lionized him, noting that the best thing about him was his honesty. He had to find a path through the Cold War, tensions between industry and labor, political disunity, and the communist threat and atomic policy. The author explains the difference between choosing and deciding; the first requires courage, while the second takes wisdom and diligence. He compares Truman to George W. Bush, who was also quick to issue directives and rarely second-guessed them. Weisbrode ably shows how Truman did not really judge; he acted. Luckily, he had good advisers. In one particularly interesting and currently applicable chapter, the author explores Poujadism, a form of populism similar to the current tea party. It was an angry, highly patriotic, reactionary movement to bring down elites, playing on people's fears and blaming immigrants, nonwhites, and strange religions. The author explains Truman's mistakes and successes in the Cold War, dealings with the Soviets, threats against striking workers, and removal of price controls. Even as he rejects Truman's greatness, he admits that security required elaborate compromises and alliances. Truman was the perfect emblem of the unsure mood of 1946. A solid, fact-filled study, especially relevant for those who thought life was better then. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
