Ascent to Power
How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt's Shadow and Remade the World
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4.8 • 6 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
From Franklin Roosevelt’s final days through Harry Truman’s extraordinary transformation, this is the enthralling story behind the most consequential presidential transition in US history.
When Roosevelt, in failing health, decided to run for a fourth term, he gave in to the big city Democratic bosses and reluctantly picked Senator Truman as his vice president, a man he barely knew. Upon FDR’s death in April 1945, Truman, after only 82 days as VP, was thrust into the presidency. Utterly unprepared, he faced the collapse of Germany, a Europe in ruins, the organization of the UN, a summit with Stalin and Churchill, and the question of whether atomic bombs would be ready for use against Japan. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was growing increasingly hostile towards US power. Truman inherited FDR’s hope that peace could be maintained through cooperation with the Soviets, but he would soon learn that imitating his predecessor would lead only to missteps and controversy.
Spanning the years of transition, 1944 to 1948, Ascent to Power illuminates Truman’s struggles to emerge as president in his own right. Yet, from a relatively unknown Missouri senator to the most powerful man on Earth, Truman’s legacy transcends. With his come-from-behind campaign in the fall of 1948, his courageous civil rights advocacy, and his role in liberating millions from militarist governments and brutal occupations, Truman’s decisions during these pivotal years changed the course of the world in ways so significant we live with them today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian Roll (George Marshall) offers a perceptive examination of Harry Truman's first presidential term. Tracking Truman's evolution from accidental president into confident leader, Roll contends that this period comprised the country's "most consequential and productive events since the Civil War." When Roosevelt died 82 days into his fourth term, first-term vice president Truman found himself "utterly unprepared" as Roosevelt had "made no effort to bring him up to speed." He threw himself into "a days-long crash course in foreign affairs" in order to carry on negotiations with the Allies regarding the handling of postwar Germany and come to a decision on America's use of nuclear weapons against Japan. Domestic issues also arose, including the need for a "reconversion plan" for returning troops. A disastrous 1946 midterm election for the Democrats was what finally "liberat Truman from the long shadow cast by FDR," according to Roll, as it led Truman to take proactive stances on the Soviet Union's expansionist efforts abroad and civil rights at home. Truman adopted "a level of engagement in the world beyond anything that FDR had envisioned" with the Marshall Plan to reconstruct Europe and the harsh anti-Soviet Truman Doctrine, while his Committee on Civil Rights set a firm foundation for future progress. Exceptionally thorough, Roll's blow-by-blow makes for an insightful portrayal of high-stakes diplomacy and politicking. This will enthrall mid-century history buffs.
