Research Catalog

Presidents and the dissolution of the Union : leadership style from Polk to Lincoln

Title
Presidents and the dissolution of the Union : leadership style from Polk to Lincoln / Fred I. Greenstein ; with Dale Anderson.
Author
Greenstein, Fred I.
Publication
Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2013]

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TextUse in library IBM 13-4240Schwarzman Building - Milstein Division Room 121

Details

Description
188 pages : illustrations; 21 cm
Summary
"The United States witnessed an unprecedented failure of its political system in the mid-nineteenth century, resulting in a disastrous civil war that claimed the lives of an estimated 750,000 Americans. In his other acclaimed books about the American presidency, Fred Greenstein assesses the personal strengths and weaknesses of presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama. Here, he evaluates the leadership styles of the Civil War-era presidents. Using his trademark no-nonsense approach, Greenstein looks at the presidential qualities of James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln. For each president, he provides a concise history of the man's life and presidency, and evaluates him in the areas of public communication, organizational capacity, political skill, policy vision, cognitive style, and emotional intelligence. Greenstein sheds light on why Buchanan is justly ranked as perhaps the worst president in the nation's history, how Pierce helped set the stage for the collapse of the Union and the bloodiest war America had ever experienced, and why Lincoln is still considered the consummate American leader to this day. Presidents and the Dissolution of the Union reveals what enabled some of these presidents, like Lincoln and Polk, to meet the challenges of their times--and what caused others to fail"--
Subject
  • Presidents > United States > History > 19th century
  • Presidents > United States > Biography
  • Political leadership > United States > Case studies
  • United States > Politics and government > 1783-1865
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-169) and index.
Contents
The Presidential Difference in the Civil War Era -- The Policy-Driven Political Style of James K. Polk -- The Rough and Ready Leadership of Zachary Taylor -- Millard Fillmore and the Compromise of 1850 -- Franklin Pierce and the Kansas-Nebraska Act -- The Disastrous Presidency of James Buchanan -- Abraham Lincoln: Consummate Leader -- What Difference Did the President Make? -- Appendix. Background on the Civil War Era Presidents.
Call Number
IBM 13-4240
ISBN
  • 9780691151991 (hardback)
  • 0691151997 (hardback)
LCCN
2012049032
OCLC
820118800
Author
Greenstein, Fred I., author.
Title
Presidents and the dissolution of the Union : leadership style from Polk to Lincoln / Fred I. Greenstein ; with Dale Anderson.
Publisher
Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2013]
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-169) and index.
Research Call Number
IBM 13-4240
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