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x, 200 pages ; 24 cm |
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| Summary |
"It was during the Depression, with the Republican regime in disarray, that Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office with a mandate to change the role of government. His was one of the presidencies--like Jefferson's, Jackson's, and Lincoln's before his, and Reagan's after--that transformed the political system. But what of the successors of such transformative figures, those members and supporters of the new regime who are expected to carry forward the policies and politics of those they replace? It is these "heir apparent" presidents, impossibly tasked with backward-looking progress, that Donald Zinman considers in this incisive look at the curious trajectories of political power. An heir apparent president, in Zinman's analysis, can be successful but will struggle to get credit for his achievements. He must contend with the consequences of his predecessor's policies while facing a stronger opposition and sitting atop an increasingly weakened and divided party. And he will invariably alternate between three approaches to leadership: continuity, expansion, and correction. Looking in depth at James Madison, Martin Van Buren, Ulysses S. Grant (an heir apparent as the first genuine Republican to succeed Lincoln), Harry S. Truman, and George H.W. Bush, Zinman reveals how these successors of regime-changing presidents at times suffered for diverging from their predecessors' perceived policies. At times these presidents also suffered from the consequences of the policies themselves or simply from changing political circumstances. What they rarely did, as becomes painfully clear, is succeed at substantially changing the policies and politics that they inherited. It is a perilous and often thankless business, as The Heir Apparent Presidency makes abundantly clear, to follow and lead at once. Tracing the ways in which heir apparent presidents have met this challenge, this book offers rare and valuable insight into the movement of political time, and the shaping of political order"-- Provided by publisher. |
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"Some presidents transform the American political system. Presidents Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan are examples of leaders who came to power at a time when the old political order was collapsing and created a new political order. What happens to their successors? In all of these cases the presidents were succeeded by members of their own party who were close supporters of the new political regime. These successors were bound by the beliefs and practices of the new regime limiting their ability to strike out in new ways. Don Zinman looks at the successors to regime-changing presidents and finds that they follow some combination of three courses of action. First, in some areas they continue their predecessor's policies with almost total devotion. Second, they expand the agenda of the new regime picking up their predecessors' unfinished objectives. Third, they deal with the defects of the new regime, making changes that confront the regime's failures. What they rarely do with any success is significantly change the policies and politics of the new regime. Zinman looks at James Madison (Jefferson's successor); Martin Van Buren (Jackson's successor); Grant (deemed to be Lincoln's successor since Andrew Johnson was not a Republican and was repudiated by the Republicans); Truman (Roosevelt's successor); and George H.W. Bush (Reagan's successor). He is building on the theoretical work of UPK author Stephen Skowronek who talks about how the ability of a president to succeed is conditioned on their place in time in the political order"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-192) and index. |
| Contents |
1. Introduction -- 2. Second in Line in Political Time -- 3. James Madison: The Jeffersonian Torch Bearer -- 4. Martin Van Buren: The Unfortunate Mop-Up Man -- 5. Ulysses S. Grant: Let Us Have Peace and Hard Money -- 6. Harry Truman: Fair Deal Democrat -- 7. George H.W. Bush and the Stalling of the Reagan Revolution -- 8. Conclusion. |
| Subject |
Presidents -- United States -- History -- Case studies.
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Political leadership -- United States -- Case studies.
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Madison, James, 1751-1836.
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Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862.
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Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885.
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Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972.
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Bush, George, 1924-2018.
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Bush, George, 1924-2018 (OCoLC)fst00050051
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Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885. (OCoLC)fst00061535
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Madison, James, 1751-1836. (OCoLC)fst00055654
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Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972. (OCoLC)fst00032671
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Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862. (OCoLC)fst00054740
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Political leadership. (OCoLC)fst01069363
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Presidents. (OCoLC)fst01075723
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United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
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| Genre/Form |
Case studies. (OCoLC)fst01423765
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History. (OCoLC)fst01411628
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| ISBN |
9780700622078 (hardback) |
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0700622071 (hardback) |
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9780700622085 (ebook) |
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