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Eisenhower: Becoming the Leader of the Free World
In this engaging, fast-paced biography, Louis Galambos follows the career of Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower, offering new insight into this singular man who guided America toward consensus at home and a peaceful victory in the Cold War.
The long-time editor of the Eisenhower papers, Galambos may know more about this president than anyone alive. In this compelling book, he explores the shifts in Eisenhower's identity and reputation over his lifetime and explains how he developed his distinctive leadership skills. As a career military officer, Eisenhower's progress was uneven. Galambos shows how Ike, with the help of Brigadier General Fox Conner, his mentor and patron, learned how to profit from his mistakes, pivot quickly, and grow as a military and civilian leader. On D-Day, Eisenhower guided the largest amphibian force in history to a successful invasion of France and a decisive victory. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, he turned to politics and was elected president in 1952.
While today's fiercely partisan political climate makes it difficult to imagine a president forging consensus in Washington, that's exactly what Eisenhower did. As America's leader in an era of profound postwar changes at home and abroad, President Eisenhower sought a middle way with compromise and coalition building. He provided his country with firm-handed leadership, bringing prosperity and peace to the American people in the dangerous years of the Cold War--an accomplishment that made him one of the most influential men of the twentieth century.
Destined to be the best short biography of the 34th president of the United States, Eisenhower conclusively demonstrates how and why this master of the middle way became the successful leader of the free world.
The long-time editor of the Eisenhower papers, Galambos may know more about this president than anyone alive. In this compelling book, he explores the shifts in Eisenhower's identity and reputation over his lifetime and explains how he developed his distinctive leadership skills. As a career military officer, Eisenhower's progress was uneven. Galambos shows how Ike, with the help of Brigadier General Fox Conner, his mentor and patron, learned how to profit from his mistakes, pivot quickly, and grow as a military and civilian leader. On D-Day, Eisenhower guided the largest amphibian force in history to a successful invasion of France and a decisive victory. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, he turned to politics and was elected president in 1952.
While today's fiercely partisan political climate makes it difficult to imagine a president forging consensus in Washington, that's exactly what Eisenhower did. As America's leader in an era of profound postwar changes at home and abroad, President Eisenhower sought a middle way with compromise and coalition building. He provided his country with firm-handed leadership, bringing prosperity and peace to the American people in the dangerous years of the Cold War--an accomplishment that made him one of the most influential men of the twentieth century.
Destined to be the best short biography of the 34th president of the United States, Eisenhower conclusively demonstrates how and why this master of the middle way became the successful leader of the free world.
296 pages, Hardcover
Published January 20, 2018
16 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Louis P. Galambos
23 books2 followersThe former editor of the 21-volume Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Louis Paul Galambos is professor emeritus in history and at Johns Hopkins University, where he has worked since 1971. Galambos earned a B.A. in history (1955) from Indiana University, an M.A. in history (1957) and Ph.D. (1960) from Yale University. He previously served as an Assistant Professor (1960-1966), Associate Professor (1966-1969), and Professor (1969-1970) at Rice University, as well as Professor (1970-1971) at Rutgers University.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 21, 2018
I have been looking to read a recently released presidential biography for quite some time and when I paired this with my desire to learn a bit more about Dwight D. Eisenhower, what better to way to fulfill this than by reading the recently released "Eisenhower: Becoming the Leader of the Free World" written by a history instructor from Johns Hopkins University that has done years of research on Eisenhower as chronicled in his editing of "The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower." Unlike plenty of presidential biographies I have read, where it is a complete biography that pays special attention to a particular detail, this biography brings about the many details of his life, but at the same time concentrates on his moments of leadership and the moments of his life that highlight or inspired Eisenhower's leadership traits. This book would be best for a person that is looking to get into a presidential biography that concentrates on one president, but at the same time knows general information about the president at hand (for instance, you will not be informed about how Dwight D. Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890, died on March 28. 1969, or any great details about how he and his wife, Mamie Dowd, met one another).
This particular biography on Dwight D. Eisenhower is split into three parts:
The first part talks about Eisenhower's upbringing, his childhood, and the effect that his parents and siblings had on his attitude. It then advances into his college days and attendance at West Point, as a coach, and while he was in the army. We learn how his father's inability to maintain a practical sense of authority, his mother's great, but pacifist nature, and his older brother Edgar's competition that serves as the equivalent in which Edgar (Big Ike) was the Steelers and Dwight (Little Ike) was the Browns (in other words, his brother always won and was always right) instilled a sense of distaste on Dwight Eisenhower's behalf on (what he felt was) authority for the sake of control, the expectation of obedience, or based on your position alone. We learn about how Eisenhower did not want to be constrained and the instance where he began to develop and admire an authoritative figure in General Fox Conner.
The second part concentrates on Eisenhower's response to his participation in the Second World War. He did not have the personality and aggressive nature that George S. Patton had, but he was able to develop a sense of either admiration of respect from those in power, such as General Douglas MacArthur, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Chief of Staff George Marshall. We follow Eisenhower through his triumphs in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and ultimately in France during The Battle of D-Day that came to a great head on June 6, 1944 (and it is outrageous how the Germans were delayed a day on the idea that they did not want to wake up Adolf Hitler from his sleep). This part gets a bit more technical as it is bound to when it comes to tactics and military strategies that took shape.
The third part concentrates on Eisenhower's venture into politics and ultimately the presidency. Eisenhower was viewed as a presidential candidate beginning with the 1944 election, but his concentration remained on a victory for the Allies. Following World War II, Eisenhower served as the Chief of Staff, as President of Columbia University, overseeing NATO, and finally decided to run for President of the United States in 1952, where he won decisively. Galambos discusses Eisenhower's decision to take a more moderate approach to political issues with a lot of partisan pressure on both sides. In a way, though, this gave Eisenhower an even greater interest and determination to become president.
One of the greatest strategies that Galambos took in putting this book together was making Eisenhower a relatable and multi-dimensional individual using factual information and events that took place in his life in order to flesh him out. Right from the beginning did I feel a great sense of connection to Eisenhower and his desires and accomplishments. This book did an outstanding job putting us in the moment. While it is not a common attribute in works of this nature, Galambos does interject himself as his thoughts into the text as he will sometimes refer to himself as "I" or mention how he thinks *insert theory.* There are areas where this book takes greater concentration, specifically Eisenhower's centrist decisions and efforts to be bipartisan and fair when making decisions, but there are some details that are not mentioned, specifically Eisenhower's efforts with the interstate highways in the United States.
This is the first biography I have read about Dwight D. Eisenhower, so the only comparisons I can make are with general biographies in collections about all of the presidents. I will say that once you get a great sense of general information about Eisenhower and want to know more about how his demeanor in leadership was instilled, this would be a good biography to pick up.
You can find my video review of this book here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-N3h...
This particular biography on Dwight D. Eisenhower is split into three parts:
The first part talks about Eisenhower's upbringing, his childhood, and the effect that his parents and siblings had on his attitude. It then advances into his college days and attendance at West Point, as a coach, and while he was in the army. We learn how his father's inability to maintain a practical sense of authority, his mother's great, but pacifist nature, and his older brother Edgar's competition that serves as the equivalent in which Edgar (Big Ike) was the Steelers and Dwight (Little Ike) was the Browns (in other words, his brother always won and was always right) instilled a sense of distaste on Dwight Eisenhower's behalf on (what he felt was) authority for the sake of control, the expectation of obedience, or based on your position alone. We learn about how Eisenhower did not want to be constrained and the instance where he began to develop and admire an authoritative figure in General Fox Conner.
The second part concentrates on Eisenhower's response to his participation in the Second World War. He did not have the personality and aggressive nature that George S. Patton had, but he was able to develop a sense of either admiration of respect from those in power, such as General Douglas MacArthur, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Chief of Staff George Marshall. We follow Eisenhower through his triumphs in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and ultimately in France during The Battle of D-Day that came to a great head on June 6, 1944 (and it is outrageous how the Germans were delayed a day on the idea that they did not want to wake up Adolf Hitler from his sleep). This part gets a bit more technical as it is bound to when it comes to tactics and military strategies that took shape.
The third part concentrates on Eisenhower's venture into politics and ultimately the presidency. Eisenhower was viewed as a presidential candidate beginning with the 1944 election, but his concentration remained on a victory for the Allies. Following World War II, Eisenhower served as the Chief of Staff, as President of Columbia University, overseeing NATO, and finally decided to run for President of the United States in 1952, where he won decisively. Galambos discusses Eisenhower's decision to take a more moderate approach to political issues with a lot of partisan pressure on both sides. In a way, though, this gave Eisenhower an even greater interest and determination to become president.
One of the greatest strategies that Galambos took in putting this book together was making Eisenhower a relatable and multi-dimensional individual using factual information and events that took place in his life in order to flesh him out. Right from the beginning did I feel a great sense of connection to Eisenhower and his desires and accomplishments. This book did an outstanding job putting us in the moment. While it is not a common attribute in works of this nature, Galambos does interject himself as his thoughts into the text as he will sometimes refer to himself as "I" or mention how he thinks *insert theory.* There are areas where this book takes greater concentration, specifically Eisenhower's centrist decisions and efforts to be bipartisan and fair when making decisions, but there are some details that are not mentioned, specifically Eisenhower's efforts with the interstate highways in the United States.
This is the first biography I have read about Dwight D. Eisenhower, so the only comparisons I can make are with general biographies in collections about all of the presidents. I will say that once you get a great sense of general information about Eisenhower and want to know more about how his demeanor in leadership was instilled, this would be a good biography to pick up.
You can find my video review of this book here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-N3h...
January 27, 2018
Louis Golambos’ new biography Eisenhower: Becoming the Leader of the Free World (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018, 296 pages, $23.65, 25.58) presents a picture of Dwight David Eisenhower, the thirty-fourth President of the United States, from the perspective his career as it prepared him for becoming Supreme Allied Commander of American forces in Europe during World War II, which propelled him into the presidency, succeeding Harry Truman in 1952 and serving as President until 1960. As a general, during World War II, he was widely, and justly, credited with having used superior organizational and political skills to coordinate allied efforts towards ultimate and complete victory, while garnering the recognition and popularity to achieve a huge electoral victory in 1952. As president, he again balanced a variety of national and international interests to lead America back towards peace while establishing the military might that staved off war with Soviet Russia. Furthermore, he coordinated efforts to bring the Korean conflict to its lingering conclusion, despite never being able to broker more than an armistice there. Most prominent in the biography is Golambos’ emphasis on Eisenhower’s preparation for and assumption of leadership, while his domestic and personal life is downplayed.
Golambos emphasizes the development of Eisenhower’s character growing up in relative poverty in Abilene, Kansas where his father was an angry, disappointed smart person who never achieved the social or economic position he thought he deserved, leading to an often violent approach to discipline with his six sons. Meanwhile his mother, Ida, was a deeply religious, warm, effective mother who dealt lovingly and thoughtfully with her developing sons. According to Golumbus, Ike’s early career at West Point and in the Army was dominated by the conflict between his two contrasting parents, leading to a strong and effective leadership style with his subordinates but to his having a difficult time dealing with authority at West Point and later which, in his early Army career, retarded his advancement.
His slow rise in the post war Army was worsened by his resistance to authority, often showing a temper he sought throughout his career to control. Early, he showed himself to be a prescient analyst of the future needs and directions of the Army, often rejected by superior officers trained in the pre-war environment of horses and then trench warfare. Eisenhower understood and promoted the importance of the tank as the coming major offensive weapon against the resistance of his superior officers, leading the retarding of his advancement. His assignments often emphasized training positions which also allowed him to coach football, but kept him as a staff officer. Meanwhile Douglas MacArthur and others who had earned combat stars, moved up the Army hierarchy.
He was lucky to be noticed by General Fox Connor who became his and Patton’s mentor. Conner mentored Ike as his Chief of Staff in Panama. He had the qualities to teach Ike how to manage the bureaucracy above him by attention to detail while developing confidence in his own ability to lead. He gained greater responsibility and was assigned to training tank troops under George S, Patton who was in Pershing’s command. Sent to train tank officers in Gettysburg, he continued to rise, but without distinction. He was deemed by his superiors to treat “others with respect and gave careful attention to their needs. He demanded discipline without being petty.” A pretty good description of the parenting he had received from his mother. Ike’s rise in the Army depended upon insights from two mentor/sponsors who recognized in him qualities not readily apparent to others. Fox Conner during the period between WWI and WWII and General George C. Marshall’s appointing him to be the top general in the planning for the invasion of Europe, which, at the time seemed to be a “stunning” move on Marshall’s part.
This book contains important lessons about leadership within a bureaucracy that rising or potential leaders should learn if they are to succeed. The book has significant relevance to those who would seek advanced leadership in any setting – business, schools, politics, or the military. The progress of Ike’s career and the Golumbus’ account of his weaknesses and strengths point to skills which should be emphasized in leadership programs in graduate school as well as learned by potential mentors and those seeking leadership themselves. Golumbus’ skill in relating these lessons to the historical herky-jerky prograss of Ike’s career is carefully structured and presented in such a way as to make it palatable to all the but the most heedless people who find themselves stymied in their ambitions.
At the close of the war Eisenhower accepted the presidency of Columbia University, a role he was totally unsuited for, while preparing for his run at the presidency. In assessing Ike’s role as president, Golumbos points to his achieving world peace and insuring American prosperity, while developing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to resist Soviet expansion in eastern Europe. Eisenhower’s entire career path had prepared him to use guile, charm, and power in equal proportions to maintain the U.S. at the top of world influence. He spent lavishly on retaining military strength while campaigning ceaselessly for peace, all with his world famous Eisenhower grin.
The book contains only one mention of Ike’s relationship to his driver Kay Summersby, but there’s a longer and more useful note that helps redress that oversight. Also, his deteriorating relationship with his wife, Mamie, who became a difficult alcoholic as she aged, is hardly discussed in the text, which focuses very successfully on Ike’s developing leadership skills, his ability to work across a wide range of personalities, organizational goals, and systems to achieve what Golambos calls a “middle way.”
Louis Golumbos is professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins University. He edited The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, a massive twenty-four volume collection.
Eisenhower is often seen as a plodder who emerged from a very long development period, rising to the demands of command during World War II and then rode his fame to two terms as President. He is revealed, in this very thorough account of his professional military and political life, as a talented leader, able to encourage subordinates to obtain the best from them with a vision far greater than he is often given credit for having. Almost one third of the text is devoted to references and extensive notes. Golumbos has made a substantial contribution to understanding of this important military and political leader of the second half of the twentieth century. I read the book as an electron pre-publication copy provided by the publisher by Edelwiess: Beyond the Treeline. I read it on my Kindle app.
Golambos emphasizes the development of Eisenhower’s character growing up in relative poverty in Abilene, Kansas where his father was an angry, disappointed smart person who never achieved the social or economic position he thought he deserved, leading to an often violent approach to discipline with his six sons. Meanwhile his mother, Ida, was a deeply religious, warm, effective mother who dealt lovingly and thoughtfully with her developing sons. According to Golumbus, Ike’s early career at West Point and in the Army was dominated by the conflict between his two contrasting parents, leading to a strong and effective leadership style with his subordinates but to his having a difficult time dealing with authority at West Point and later which, in his early Army career, retarded his advancement.
His slow rise in the post war Army was worsened by his resistance to authority, often showing a temper he sought throughout his career to control. Early, he showed himself to be a prescient analyst of the future needs and directions of the Army, often rejected by superior officers trained in the pre-war environment of horses and then trench warfare. Eisenhower understood and promoted the importance of the tank as the coming major offensive weapon against the resistance of his superior officers, leading the retarding of his advancement. His assignments often emphasized training positions which also allowed him to coach football, but kept him as a staff officer. Meanwhile Douglas MacArthur and others who had earned combat stars, moved up the Army hierarchy.
He was lucky to be noticed by General Fox Connor who became his and Patton’s mentor. Conner mentored Ike as his Chief of Staff in Panama. He had the qualities to teach Ike how to manage the bureaucracy above him by attention to detail while developing confidence in his own ability to lead. He gained greater responsibility and was assigned to training tank troops under George S, Patton who was in Pershing’s command. Sent to train tank officers in Gettysburg, he continued to rise, but without distinction. He was deemed by his superiors to treat “others with respect and gave careful attention to their needs. He demanded discipline without being petty.” A pretty good description of the parenting he had received from his mother. Ike’s rise in the Army depended upon insights from two mentor/sponsors who recognized in him qualities not readily apparent to others. Fox Conner during the period between WWI and WWII and General George C. Marshall’s appointing him to be the top general in the planning for the invasion of Europe, which, at the time seemed to be a “stunning” move on Marshall’s part.
This book contains important lessons about leadership within a bureaucracy that rising or potential leaders should learn if they are to succeed. The book has significant relevance to those who would seek advanced leadership in any setting – business, schools, politics, or the military. The progress of Ike’s career and the Golumbus’ account of his weaknesses and strengths point to skills which should be emphasized in leadership programs in graduate school as well as learned by potential mentors and those seeking leadership themselves. Golumbus’ skill in relating these lessons to the historical herky-jerky prograss of Ike’s career is carefully structured and presented in such a way as to make it palatable to all the but the most heedless people who find themselves stymied in their ambitions.
At the close of the war Eisenhower accepted the presidency of Columbia University, a role he was totally unsuited for, while preparing for his run at the presidency. In assessing Ike’s role as president, Golumbos points to his achieving world peace and insuring American prosperity, while developing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to resist Soviet expansion in eastern Europe. Eisenhower’s entire career path had prepared him to use guile, charm, and power in equal proportions to maintain the U.S. at the top of world influence. He spent lavishly on retaining military strength while campaigning ceaselessly for peace, all with his world famous Eisenhower grin.
The book contains only one mention of Ike’s relationship to his driver Kay Summersby, but there’s a longer and more useful note that helps redress that oversight. Also, his deteriorating relationship with his wife, Mamie, who became a difficult alcoholic as she aged, is hardly discussed in the text, which focuses very successfully on Ike’s developing leadership skills, his ability to work across a wide range of personalities, organizational goals, and systems to achieve what Golambos calls a “middle way.”
Louis Golumbos is professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins University. He edited The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, a massive twenty-four volume collection.
Eisenhower is often seen as a plodder who emerged from a very long development period, rising to the demands of command during World War II and then rode his fame to two terms as President. He is revealed, in this very thorough account of his professional military and political life, as a talented leader, able to encourage subordinates to obtain the best from them with a vision far greater than he is often given credit for having. Almost one third of the text is devoted to references and extensive notes. Golumbos has made a substantial contribution to understanding of this important military and political leader of the second half of the twentieth century. I read the book as an electron pre-publication copy provided by the publisher by Edelwiess: Beyond the Treeline. I read it on my Kindle app.
August 4, 2018
Most presidential bios ascribe to the 'great man' theory, i.e. the person has rare talents that arise at just the time the world needs it.... Not the Ike we meet here. He's a poor, small town fella who saw education as his way out and attended West Point because it was free. He then has a Dilbert kind of career grind - challenges authority, gets typecast as a mid-level manager type, and breaks through because he's awesome at writing memos, is a super bridge builder, but most importantly gets a powerful sponsor or two along the way, without which he'd have returned to Abilene, KS and been a high school football coach.
Quick, fun read that will have you planning your trip to Abilene and his presidential library.
Quick, fun read that will have you planning your trip to Abilene and his presidential library.
Want to read
October 8, 2019Kindle Version. Reading this as part of the iRead activity at Washburn University for Fall 2019.
I didn't get it finished in time to attend the lecture.
I didn't get it finished in time to attend the lecture.
April 6, 2020
3.5: Found this book after traveling through Abilene and wondering how Eisenhower’s path lead him to the White House.
July 17, 2020
Very insightful book about the events in Eisenhower's life that were pivotal in molding his leadership skills.
September 29, 2022
A good history of Eisenhower’s role, and an interesting reflection of his life.
Read
February 5, 2019A rather abbreviated review of the life and career of Dwight Eisenhower, with much more detail paid to his early life than to his presidency.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews