Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security in America from World War II to the War on Terrorism

Julian E. Zelizer

Basic Books, 2010 - History - 583 pages

It has long been a truism that prior to George W. Bush, politics stopped at the water’s edge—that is, that partisanship had no place in national security. In Arsenal of Democracy, historian Julian E. Zelizer shows this to be demonstrably false: partisan fighting has always shaped American foreign policy and the issue of national security has always been part of our domestic conflicts. Based on original archival findings, Arsenal of Democracy offers new insights into nearly every major national security issue since the beginning of the cold war: from FDR’s masterful management of World War II to the partisanship that scarred John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis, from Ronald Reagan’s fight against Communism to George W. Bush’s controversial War on Terror. A definitive account of the complex interaction between domestic politics and foreign affairs over the last six decades, Arsenal of Democracy is essential reading for anyone interested in the politics of national security.

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Review: Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security--From World War II to the War on Terrorism

User Review  - Patrick Sprunger - Goodreads

Julian Zelizer has compiled comprehensive scholarship of the politics of national security, since 1945. Arsenal of Democracy is not a debate over national security policy, but rather a description of ...

About the author

Julian E. Zelizer is a Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "On Capitol Hill" and "Taxing America, " winner of the Organization of American Historians' Ellis Hawley Prize, as well as several edited books. He has contributed articles to "The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, CNN.com, The Daily Beast, Newsweek, " and Politico. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security in America from World War II to the War on Terrorism
• Author: Julian E. Zelizer
• Publisher: Basic Books, 2010
• ISBN: 0465015077, 9780465015078
• Length: 583 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / 20th Century; History / United States / 21st Century; History / United States / General; Political Science / Security (National & International); Political Science / Terrorism