Books that explain postwar American politics (46 books)

Though many people may not appreciate it, much of American politics today is the product of historical developments dating back decades. To help readers interested in understanding some of these factors, I put together a partial list of books about politics in post-World War II America that explain some of the developments, elections, and events that made American politics what they are today.

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1	The Dixiecrat Revolt and the End of the Solid South 1932-1968 by Kari Frederickson 3.82 avg rating — 45 ratings score: 293, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Anti-Intellectualism in American Life by Richard Hofstadter 4.11 avg rating — 3,606 ratings score: 259, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It by Richard Hofstadter 4.04 avg rating — 1,864 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Liberal Record: How Liberals Changed the World by Marcelo Brazzi 4.20 avg rating — 15 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	American Dreamer: A Life of Henry A. Wallace (Norton Paperback) by John C. Culver 4.33 avg rating — 288 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward 4.14 avg rating — 3,198 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of an American Politician by Roger Morris 4.07 avg rating — 60 ratings score: 191, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Education of Ronald Reagan: The General Electric Years and the Untold Story of his Conversion to Conservatism by Thomas Wiltberger Evans 4.33 avg rating — 43 ratings score: 184, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism, and the Transformation of American Politics by Dan T. Carter 4.21 avg rating — 354 ratings score: 178, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	From Bible Belt to Sunbelt: Plain-Folk Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Conservatism by Darren Dochuk 3.97 avg rating — 241 ratings score: 176, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right by Lisa McGirr 3.78 avg rating — 764 ratings score: 174, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 4.13 avg rating — 24,364 ratings score: 173, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Rise of the Counter-Establishment: The Conservative Ascent to Political Power by Sidney Blumenthal 3.50 avg rating — 40 ratings score: 170, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	George Wallace, Richard Nixon, and the Transformation of American Politics by Dan T. Carter 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 166, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	From George Wallace to Newt Gingrich: Race in the Conservative Counterrevolution 1963-1994 by Dan T. Carter 3.88 avg rating — 94 ratings score: 164, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan by Rick Perlstein 4.24 avg rating — 3,367 ratings score: 159, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Questions Answered: An Introduction to QAnon and the Great Awakening by Pat Quincy 4.03 avg rating — 78 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Scorpions' Dance: The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate by Jefferson Morley really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 267 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler's Men by Eric Lichtblau 4.08 avg rating — 1,847 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Liberal Tradition in America by Louis Hartz 3.62 avg rating — 155 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America by Lizabeth Cohen 3.86 avg rating — 946 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Henry Wallace's 1948 Presidential Campaign and the Future of Postwar Liberalism by Thomas W. Devine 3.79 avg rating — 19 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective by Richard M. Fried 3.23 avg rating — 134 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	A Conspiracy So Immense: The World of Joe McCarthy by David M. Oshinsky 3.97 avg rating — 159 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Master of the Senate (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #3) by Robert A. Caro 4.43 avg rating — 23,909 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality by Richard Kluger (Goodreads Author) 4.44 avg rating — 715 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Parting the Waters: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-63 by Taylor Branch 4.36 avg rating — 10,018 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Warren Court and American Politics by Lucas A. Powe Jr. 4.09 avg rating — 34 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Real Making of the President: Kennedy, Nixon, and the 1960 Election by W.J. Rorabaugh 3.95 avg rating — 38 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	One Man, One Vote: Baker v. Carr and the American Levellers by Gene S. Graham 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person, One Vote" to the United States by J. Douglas Smith 4.15 avg rating — 40 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Dallas 1963 by Bill Minutaglio 4.17 avg rating — 1,121 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus by Rick Perlstein 4.24 avg rating — 4,707 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party by Geoffrey Kabaservice (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 401 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein 4.25 avg rating — 10,790 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	The Selling of the President: The Classical Account of the Packaging of a Candidate by Joe McGinniss 3.87 avg rating — 955 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Stayin’ Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class by Jefferson R. Cowie 4.11 avg rating — 979 ratings score: 72, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families by J. Anthony Lukas 4.32 avg rating — 2,746 ratings score: 71, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Marathon: The Pursuit of the Presidency 1972-1976 by Jules Witcover 4.27 avg rating — 138 ratings score: 69, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Reagan by Lou Cannon 4.06 avg rating — 34 ratings score: 68, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime by Lou Cannon 4.03 avg rating — 2,226 ratings score: 67, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Age of Fracture by Daniel T. Rodgers 3.99 avg rating — 422 ratings score: 66, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Man Who Sold the World: Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America by William Kleinknecht 3.81 avg rating — 266 ratings score: 65, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	What It Takes: The Way to the White House by Richard Ben Cramer 4.42 avg rating — 3,182 ratings score: 64, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Bush v. Gore: Exposing the Hidden Crisis in American Democracy by Charles L. Zelden 3.92 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 63, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Jefferson Rule: How the Founding Fathers Became Infallible and Our Politics Inflexible by David Sehat 3.75 avg rating — 141 ratings score: 62, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars