Governing America: The Revival of Political History - Softcover

Zelizer, Julian E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691163928 ISBN 13: 9780691163925

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2014

Synopsis

In recent years, the study of American political history has experienced a remarkable renaissance. After decades during which the subject fell out of fashion and disappeared from public view, it has returned to prominence as the study of American history has shifted its focus back to politics broadly defined. In this book, one of the leaders of the resurgence in American political history, Julian Zelizer, assesses its revival and demonstrates how this work not only illuminates the past but also helps us better understand American politics today.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Governing America offers us an opportunity to observe one of the country's best political historians working at the top of his game. Zelizer's range is extraordinary, and he brings a penetrating intelligence to every topic he touches. No scholar working today has a better grasp of how the key institutions of American democracy, notably the Congress and the Presidency, have evolved over time, and how they have translated political demands emanating from society into state policy. A tour de force."--Gary Gerstle, Vanderbilt University

"Presidential power, congressional committees, national security--such are the daily bread of American political life but not the usual preoccupations of historians. Julian Zelizer has built a stunning career around probing how political institutions and policies have mattered historically. These fine essays show him singlehandedly breathing new life into political history."--Lizabeth Cohen, author of A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America

"Julian Zelizer is not only the most prolific historian of modern American politics, but he is also the most authoritative and nuanced student of modern American state and society. To have the fruits of his work about taxation, the welfare state, Congress, and the national security state assembled in one place makes for an excellent collection. This is a consistently stimulating and wise book, and it should be required reading for any student of the New Deal, the Great Society, or modern American conservatism."--Tony Badger, University of Cambridge

"Julian Zelizer is a highly accomplished historian of twentieth--century American politics who has played a leading role in the recent revival of political history. These strong, accessible, and thoroughly grounded essays address important questions of broad scholarly and general interest. This is a collection that illustrates how exciting, intellectually diverse, and relevant political history has become."--Alice O'Connor, University of California, Santa Barbara

About the Author:

Julian E. Zelizer is professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. His most recent books include Jimmy Carter, Arsenal of Democracy, and The Presidency of George W. Bush (Princeton). He writes a weekly column for CNN.com and Politico and has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many other publications.

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0691163928
• ISBN 13: 9780691163925
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432