The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election

by Zachary Karabell

Book Overview

It was the last presidential campaign in which Americans truly had a choice across the ideological spectrum, from the far Right to the far Left. And the winner, according to pundits and pollsters... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375700773
• ISBN13: 9780375700774
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A great book about a great campaign.

Looking at the 1948 election one always wonders how Harry Truman did it. Not only did the polls show him way behind, not only did the Republicans as usual have more money, but Truman's party was split three ways. Zachary Karabell not only makes Truman's victory make sense, but he does so in a very readable way. First of all, the Wallace and Thrumond movements probably helped Truman much more than they hurt him. Wallace was so far left that Truman was able to move himself far enough to the left to take back most of Wallace's voters while still looking like a moderate to most voters in comparison to Wallace. Thurmond and his Dixiecrats actually suprised Truman and his staff. They had assumed Truman could push for civil rights and that the south would grumble and complain but in the end would have no choice but to support Truman. Still, the black votes Truman picked up ended up being far more important to Truman than the few votes Thurmond actually took from him. Black voters were still not a block that could be counted on for Democrats in 1948. In the long run however, those people in the south who voted for Thurmond in 1948 found that voting against the Democratic candidate was fairly easy and the "solid south" would in a few decades be solidly Republican.Truman and his staff decided the polished Harry wasn't working so it was decided to let Truman be Truman. Being a Missouri farmer there was a lot of populism in Truman and it came out in 1948. People then and Karabell now accuse Truman of promoting class conflict. In 1948 and today that is always the charge against anyone who dares to attack the greedy few who run Wall Street and for the most part, the country. I am always proud when one of our leaders tries to point out to the average American what is really being done to them and find myself at odds with Karabell on this point but it does not hurt the overall book and the reader should make up his on mind about Truman's populism.Dewey carried scars from the 1944 campaign into 1948. In '44 he had attacked Roosevelt, probably too much and was convinced that was what cost him the election. So, in 1948 he refused to attack Truman at all. No matter what Truman said about him Dewey said nothing. Dewey in fact was probably the first candidate of the television era. He said nothing that might offend anyone. By the end of the campaign there were warning signs of a Truman come back but Dewey and his people refused to notice. One of Dewey's top backers, E. F. Hutton tried to warn Dewey that if he didn't start to respond to Truman's attacks he was going to get beat. This book is well worth five stars for this one line. "E.F. Hutton spoke, but no one listened."Buy this book. When someone complains that today's milk toast campaigns are too dirty hand them this work and tell them to read it. We need more campaigns like 1948 where there is a clear choice for the voter. Our system is drowning in Dewey like candidates who refuse to offend

Wonderfully written history, full of charm and insight......

More than a mere summary of Truman's upset victory, this book wisely includes detailed accounts of all the presidential campaigns; Republican Thomas Dewey, Progressive Henry Wallace, and Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond. Consequently, we are given new insight as to how Truman pulled off his magnificent victory. Still, the main thrust of the book (how 1948 was the last year for so many things political), is infinitely fascinating and makes this a book impossible to put down. Truman's style of tough talk and fierce rhetoric (which the author believes opened the door for Republican-led attacks in Truman's second term) captured the nation that year, but would soon give way to the bland and inoffensive platitudes of Dewey. Because 1948 was the last presidential election not to have significant television coverage, candidates could focus more on the issues at hand without be as concerned with image and polite pronouncements. The year 1948 also witnessed the last relevant convention, when the candidate was decided after more than one ballot. As the author states, conventions are now "public spectacles for mass consumption" rather than smoke-filled halls of debate, negotiation, and last-minute surprises (could we even imagine a dark horse candidate today?) Finally, 1948 gave voters the last real choice from the ideological spectrum. While Truman and Dewey were similar in their centrist views, Wallace and Thurmond added much-desired views at the extremes. While the two fringe candidates never seriously challenged for the White House, they did receive substantial coverage and for a time, many thought Thurmond might force the election into the House. And, in something unimaginable in today's reactionary landscape, Truman actually veered Left in order to win! Author Zachary Karabell writes with a lively pen and even though this is a serious historical study, he never fails to add a dash of humor or even a pointed remark. From the campaign trains to the deluded pollsters; from Dewey's "relaxed" evenings at home (in a stiff suit and tie, no less) to Thurmond's shameless flirting at various beauty contests, this book is revealing, intelligent, and always a great read.

Fascinating

I have always been fascinated by the 1948 Presidential election and Karabell's account did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. This is an EXCELLENT narrative about a pivotal election in an era before television, the Cold War and political "reforms" combined to alter (some would say "dilute") the process permanently. Karabell's is a balanced chronicle. He points out the virtues and flaws in all the candidates. We learn that Truman gave them more than "hell" during the famed whistle stop campaign, and that Dewey's passivity and aloof demeanor probably caused his downfall. The impact of the Dixiecrat revolt and the Wallace insurgency are also captured in detail.This book captures a bygone era when politics was truly riveting.

Readable and Informative

Karabell's "The Last Campaign" is a great book for political junkies and history buffs. The title refers to 1948 being the last presidential campaign waged before televison began to have a "shrinking effect" on campaigns. The book explodes some of the myths about the election and shows how Truman used "lowball" tactics against Dewey, who refused to respond. This was also the first campaign to be affected by the emerging Cold War, which helped torpedo the hopes of the Progressive candidate, Henry Wallace. It also saw the beginnings of the civil rights backlash in the South personified by candidate Strom Thurmond. Overall, this is a well-written history book that is very readable.

Informative, detailed, insightful, comprehensive reading.

The Last Campaign is an in-depth survey of how Truman won the 1948 election tells of a race in which Americans had the choice from a far Left to a far Right candidate. Truman's chances seemed doomed by Wallace's left-wing party and Thurmond's right ring party: this focuses on how his staff developed a reelection plan with a radical strategy - which succeeded.