In a period of American history marked by congressional primacy,
presidential passivity, and hostility to governmental action,
Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson became iconic presidents
through activist leadership. Peri Arnold, a leading presidential
scholar, goes beyond the biographers to explain what really set
Roosevelt apart from his predecessor William McKinley, how Wilson
differed from his successor Warren G. Harding, and how we might
better understand the forgettable William Howard Taft in between.
This is the first comparative study of the three Progressive Era
presidents, examining the context in which they served, the
evolving institutional role of the presidency, and the personal
characteristics of each man. Arnold explains why Roosevelt and
Wilson pursued activist roles, how they gained the means for
effective leadership in a role that had not previously supported
it, and how each of the three negotiated the choppy crosscurrents
of changing institutions and politics with entirely different
outcomes.
Arnold delineates the American political scene at the turn of
the twentieth century, one characterized by a weakening of party
organizations, the rise of interest groups and print media, and
increasing demands for reform. He shows how the Progressive Era
presidents marked a transition from the nineteenth century's checks
and balances to the twentieth's expansive presidential role, even
though demands for executive leadership were at odds with the
presidency's means to take independent action.
Each of these presidents was uniquely challenged to experiment
with the office's new potential for political independence from
party and Congress, and Arnold explains how each had to justify
their authority for such experimentation. He also shows how their
actions were reflected in specific policy case studies: the
Northern Trust and naval modernization under Roosevelt, tariff
reform and the Pinchot/Ballinger debate over conservation under
Taft, and the Federal Reserve and Federal Trade Commission under
Wilson.
Ultimately, Arnold shows how the period's ferment affected both
the presidency and its incumbents and how they in turn affected
progressive politics. More important, he helps us better understand
two presidents who continue to inspire politicians of differing
stripes and relates their leadership styles to the modern
development of the presidency.
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