In the Time of the Americans by David Fromkin

by David Fromkin

Coming of age during World War I and attaining their finest hour in World War II and the Cold War, these men -- FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Marshall, MacArthur -- transformed America from an isolated frontier nation into a global superpower. As he tells their stories, Fromkin, author of A Peace to End All Peace, shows how this generation not only made America great but largely succeeded in making it a force for good.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Biography, American History, World War II, American

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

David Henry Fromkin was an American historian, best known for his interpretive account of the Middle East, A Peace to End All Peace (1989), in which he recounts the role European powers played between 1914 and 1922 in creating the modern Middle East. The book was a finalist for both the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Fromkin wrote seven books, ending in 2007 with The King and the Cowboy: Theodore Roosevelt and Edward the Seventh, Secret Partners.

Reviews

[CoachJim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of the American leaders who defined America’s role in the international politics of the twentieth century: Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Marshall, MacArthur, and their contemporaries. I see them as forming a coherent generation, shaped by shared experiences that brought them to see events from a common point of view.
(Page xi) The Author’s “Note to the Reader”.

This book opens with the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. During his inauguration speech Kennedy mentions that “The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century.” (Page 4) That is an appropriate comment regarding the change taking place in the government of the United States. The previous generation had been born in an era of candlelight and horse-drawn carriages, and ushered in an era of automobiles, airplanes, electricity and nuclear energy. That generation had held the presidency of the United States for almost 30 years.

This is a historical survey of the politics and international relations of the first 60 years of the twentieth century. It is a broad history and is not a deep historical analysis. The author states in his “Note to the Reader” that this is not a full-scale history of the period. “It is focused uniquely—and in that sense narrow—on the changing views about what America’s role in the world ought to be.”

With the ascent of Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency there was a changing of the American mind that the United States had come of age. It had become a world power. His activism as President would be the model for future presidents. In this way both the assassination of William McKinley and the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 altered the future of the world with far-reaching consequences.

This generation received their education in international politics from Woodrow Wilson during the First World War and then tried to apply those lessons when it was their turn to manage the Second World War. In his war address to Congress in April, 1917, he called on the United States to “make the world safe for democracy.” In January, 1918, he introduced his Fourteen Points. These included the concept of national self-determination which would require a dismantling of the European empires. This resulted in a consistent political theme as an opposition to colonialism.

However, at no point was Wilson able to obtain Allied agreement to these American war goals. In part due to the late arrival of American forces in Europe in 1918 and where France viewed herself as the victor in the war, the Paris Peace Conference was a disaster for Wilson. Having been given such high goals for the war, the results were disappointing to Americans. A consequence was that an overwhelming majority of Americans in the 1930s did not want to get involved in another European war.

In 1941 FDR described his Four Freedoms. At the Atlantic Conference with Churchill he obtained a pledge that Great Britain would “respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live.” (Page 427) However, again American forces were too late to stop the Soviets from conquering and controlling Eastern Europe.

At the end of the Second World War Stalin took control of several Eastern European countries and installed his own form of governments. This was contrary to the agreements reached with Roosevelt and Truman at conferences in 1945. This led to the Truman Doctrine.

The Truman Doctrine was meant to restrict Soviet expansion in vital geopolitical areas of the world. The author makes the point that holding South Korea was not a vital interest. Relevant political and military leaders of the Truman administration had all concluded that American forces should not be left in vulnerable areas on the mainland of Asia. Truman may have been under pressure after Republicans accused him of losing China. MacArthur advised Kennedy and later Johnson to never again send U.S troops to fight on the mainland of Asia. (Page 524) Eisenhower had resisted calls for help from the French in Indochina to suppress the revolt led by Ho Chi Minh. He also refused to commit to helping during the Suez Crisis. The subsequent generation failed to follow this and led us into wars with third world countries that were doomed to failure. They focused their strategic attention on areas outside of Europe.

In 1947 Truman and George Marshall saw the need to address the devastation of Western Europe. Here the United States chose to restore these countries to independence. In 1949 Churchill wrote: “Many nations have arrived at the summit of the world but none, before the United States, on this occasion, has chosen that moment of triumph, not for aggrandizement but for further self-sacrifice.” A country that had been so isolationist that it regarded nothing that happened abroad as of vital concern took upon itself responsibility for the whole of the European continent. (Page 546)

Wilson’s children set out to make the world more like the United States. Now people everywhere dress like Americans; they listen to American music and watch Hollywood movies. Political ideas like the women’s rights were invented in America, and the conservation movement initiated by Teddy Roosevelt, are now the new politics of the entire world. The European empires of the nineteenth century have been dismantled and their colonies freed. When Wilson proposed his goals in 1917 he had no idea of how they might be achieved. But by the 1990s much of what he had proposed had come to pass. This was at least a partial result of the generation he had educated and brought into politics.

In the First World War, Wilson had inspired people Franklin Roosevelt’s and Harry Truman’s and Dwight Eisenhower’s age to go out and change the politics of the rest of the planet. It took nearly a century: it was by no means entirely their doing, and for the most part they did not realize where the forces would lead that they were putting in motion—but, in the end, they did it.
(Page 535)

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was not what i expected of course i do not know what i expected. First off it was more about Wilson and TR and the first world war than i expected.I liked that it did not go too much into the military part of the wars but stayed on the political and economical side of them. Learned a great deal. A very impressive work this book was, i simply cannot comprehend how one man was able to do such a work, It must have taken him years to do. Easy to follow but still not a fast read. I think the author was very unbiased, he was not after anyone or out to praise anyone. This is a must read to anyone who wants a better understanding of the first 60 years of the last century.

[Rachel Blom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book in captivating narrative style about some of the greatest men of the 20th century.

[Joseph J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the upcoming publication of Watching Darkness Fell, a superb read about F.D.R.'s ambassadors as Europe catapults toward World War II, I felt compelled to return to this book. The characters are the same in both books, though Fromkin takes the fascinating William Bullitt back to youthful days in services-and betrayal-of Woodrow Wilson. Fromkin locatesall of the main players of the world leading up to the Second World War in their more youthful, formative years. A bit dense, but thorough and informative. And it delves into the persons and events which set the stage for the second half of the 20th. century, and beyond.

[Rebecca The Files of Mrs. E, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fromkin chronicles WWI and the early lives of influential players in WWII to show the the connection between their experiences early in life and how that shaped our handling of WWII and the Cold War. It was fascinating to see how much was a direct result of people's personal experiences, both at an individual and generational level, and an attempt to avoid mistakes made previously. This gives you a deeper understanding of our history and how we got where we are.

[Virginia Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to buy this one. It is such a thorough overview of the wars of the 20th century, and the personalities and influences of its leaders. Personal info is interwoven into events to keep it fun to read. I ate it up, every page. I came away with a much greater understanding of causes of WW1, WW2 and especially the Korean War.

[Jenifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative about the WWI and WWII eras. A deep insight into the administrations of Woodrow Wilson and Franlin D Roosevelt.

[Jon Walgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different kind of U.S. history. Very enjoyable. I found many new facts regarding 1900 to end of WW II.