Niall Palmer – författare

This study examines the peculiar role and history of the New Hampshire primary in American presidential politics, through the 1996 election season. The work reviews the primary's history, analyzes the media's treatment of New Hampshire results, and provides a study of the phenomenon of momentum, and the role played by local media such as the infamous Manchester ^IUnion Leader^R. There is also an examination of the strained relationship between New Hampshire's state parties and their national equivalents and of the efforts of Congress to reform the entire electoral system, with the express purpose of reducing New Hampshire's supposed power in determining nomination outcomes. Finally, the analysis addresses questions of the Granite State's suitability as a benchmark for testing and judging candidates. Is this tiny New England state the last haven for genuine interpersonal campaigning or a relic from a bygone political era which now distorts and oversimplifies candidate choice? And does the New Hampshire primary's increasing unpopularity with journalists and candidates reflect deeper changes in the nation's psyche? This book will be of interest to scholars and students of the American political process and 20th-century American history.

New Hampshire is the subject of Palmer's book precisely because it serves as the first presidential primary every four years. Many critics of the New Hampshire primary fault it for being too arcane, too unrepresentative, and too quixotic to use as a gatekeeper of who becomes President. Palmer went to new Hampshire expecting to gather research that argued against New Hampshire as first primary. As he finished he realized his findings pointed out the opposite, that in fact and deed, New Hampshire was as good a place to start the primary races as any other. No single state is representative. The retail politics that aspirants face in New Hampshire is a very useful winnowing device in which a candidate must actually come face to face with real voters, who more often than not make a study of the issues and policies that they raise in their questions.

This new, revisionist approach to the Twenties in America offers the first balanced account of the history and politics of this much-maligned decade.Focusing on the two Presidents of the 1920s, the book points out key distinctions between the governing styles and political philosophies of Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. It suggests Harding’s executive style and achievements were not as poor as traditional portraits have claimed. Coolidge is presented in terms of his largely successful efforts to distance himself from the financial scandals associated with his predecessor and his encouragement of the major revival of much of the US economy.The author argues that the pace of social and technological change resulted in lines of conflict over poverty, race, religion and employment rights being redrawn as living standards rose, home and working conditions changed and old prejudices were challenged. Consequently, politicians found that old solutions became increasingly irrelevant to new realities.The narrative is placed in the familiar context of the Twenties: the motor car, jazz, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hollywood, mass consumerism and the flapper.Key Features*The only balanced overview of the history and politics of America in the 1920s*Revises the traditional views of the Presidencies of Harding and Coolidge*Places the politics in its social and cultural context

The period from the outset of World War I to the end of World War II was among the most significant in the history of the United States. Twice it was drawn into "foreign entanglements"—wars it initially thought were no concern of its own and of which it tried to steer clear—only to realize that it could not stand aside. With each one, it geared up in record time, entered the fray massively, and was crucial to the outcome. Each war tested the American people and their leaders, and in each case the country came out of the conflagration stronger than before—and even more important—yet stronger relative to other countries than it had ever been. This was the period when the United States became a world leader.The Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy from World War I through World War II relates the events of this crucial period in U.S. history through a chronology, an introductory essay, and over 600 cross-referenced dictionary entries on key persons, places, events, institutions, and organizations.

The period from the outset of World War I to the end of World War II was among the most significant in the history of the United States. Twice it was drawn into "foreign entanglements"— wars it initially thought were no concern of its own and of which it tried to steer clear—only to realize that it could not stand aside. With each one, it geared up in record time, entered the fray massively, and was crucial to the outcome. Each war tested the American people and their leaders, and in each case the country came out of the conflagration stronger than before-and even more important-yet stronger relative to other countries than it had ever been. This was the period when the United States became a world leader.The A to Z of U.S. Diplomacy from World War I through World War II relates the events of this crucial period in U.S. history through a chronology, an introductory essay, and over 600 cross-referenced dictionary entries on key persons, places, events, institutions, and organizations.