In the rousing and animated style he's known for, acclaimed historian Paul Johnson offers here a succinct and fascinating biography of this incredible man, focusing particularly on his formative years as a rising general and his two terms as President of the United States.

Acclaimed historian Paul Johnson s lively, succinct profile of Dwight D. Eisenhower explores his life and enduring legacy

In the rousing style he s famous for, Paul Johnson offers a fascinating biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower, with particular focus on his years as a five-star general and his two terms as president of the United States. Johnson chronicles Ike s modest childhood in Kansas, his West Point education, and his swift rise through the military ranks, culminating in his appointment as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces during World War II. Johnson then paints a rich portrait of Eisenhower s presidency, many elements of which speak to American politics today: his ability to balance the budget, his mastery in managing an oppositional Congress, and his prescient warnings about the military-industrial complex. This brief yet satisfying portrait will appeal to biography lovers as well as enthusiasts of presidential and military history alike.

8220;A concise biography of the five-star general and two-term president.”

— USA Today, a “New and Noteworthy” pick

“Johnson deftly sketches Eisenhower’s political profile . . . Inviting.” 
— The Boston Globe

“[E]ssential rather than exhaustive. Johnson gives the basic facts, but always with the aim of illustrating a salient point about Ike's character. . . . [Eisenhower] looks better than ever.”
— The Denver Post

“An ideal primer for novices or those looking to brush up on America's thirty-fourth president . . . a satisfying snapshot of a life dedicated to public service.”
— Booklist

“Accomplished historian and biographer Johnson . . . covers all the major facets of Eisenhower's career, beginning with his boyhood in rural Kansas and ending with his tenure as president of the United States . . . with an emphasis on his personality and character, including his flair for public relations. Johnson's contribution will serve as a great introduction to 'Ike' the man.”
—Publishers Weekly

“[An] admiring, opinionated account by veteran British journalist and historian Johnson. Johnson astutely points out that Eisenhower enjoyed being president since, unlike generals Washington, Jackson and Grant, his best qualities were not those of a warrior but a staff officer: efficiency, administration, economy and flexibility.”
—Kirkus 

“[T]he life of Dwight David Eisenhower was one of steady, uninterrupted success — five-star general, supreme commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, 34th president of the United States, elected twice, both times by landslides, and still popular when he left office. . . . His critics, Johnson writes, got things exactly wrong . . .  [A] genuine leader, Eisenhower did not insinuate. He issued commands. He led from above.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer

Autorentext

PAUL JOHNSON is the author of the bestselling books Napoleon and Churchill, among others. He lives in London.

Klappentext

Acclaimed historian Paul Johnson's lively, succinct profile of Dwight D. Eisenhower explores his life and enduring legacy

In the rousing style he's famous for, Paul Johnson offers a fascinating biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower, with particular focus on his years as a five-star general and his two terms as president of the United States. Johnson chronicles Ike's modest childhood in Kansas, his West Point education, and his swift rise through the military ranks, culminating in his appointment as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces during World War II. Johnson then paints a rich portrait of Eisenhower's presidency, many elements of which speak to American politics today: his ability to balance the budget, his mastery in managing an oppositional Congress, and his prescient warnings about the military-industrial complex. This brief yet satisfying portrait will appeal to biography lovers as well as enthusiasts of presidential and military history alike.

Zusammenfassung
Acclaimed historian Paul Johnson’s lively, succinct profile of Dwight D. Eisenhower explores his life and enduring legacy

In the rousing style he’s famous for, Paul Johnson offers a fascinating biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower, with particular focus on his years as a five-star general and his two terms as president of the United States. Johnson chronicles Ike’s modest childhood in Kansas, his West Point education, and his swift rise through the military ranks, culminating in his appointment as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces during World War II. Johnson then paints a rich portrait of Eisenhower’s presidency, many elements of which speak to American politics today: his ability to balance the budget, his mastery in managing an oppositional Congress, and his prescient warnings about the military-industrial complex. This brief yet satisfying portrait will appeal to biography lovers as well as enthusiasts of presidential and military history alike.

Leseprobe

PART ONE

Evolution of the Perfect Staff Officer

Dwight David Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890, the third son, out of a total of seven sons, of David Jacob Eisenhower and Ida Elizabeth Stover. His place of birth was Denison, Texas, but when he was one, his family moved to Abilene, Kansas. This is the place where he grew up and went to school, where he is buried and where all his documents are stored in the splendid Eisenhower Presidential Library.

The Eisenhowers, who were of German origin (the name means “iron hewer”), had come to what is now the United States in 1741. They were Mennonites, an Anabaptist sect that fled European militarism and practiced the austere virtues of primitive Christianity. The father, David, received 160 acres and $2,000 from his family, but lost it all when his business failed, an event that had a powerful impact on all his boys. He was deeply religious and read the Bible in Greek, but he ruled with a stick. When Ike, as he was always known, was asked at a press conference in July 1954 about his pacifist background, he replied, laughing, “There was nothing pacific about my father.” His mother, on the other hand, who played the piano and taught the boys hymns, was a passionate pacifist who wept when Ike went away to West Point, though she accepted it as God’s will. His brother Milton recalled: “I never saw my mother cry until Ike became a cadet.”

Ike’s father worked at an Abilene creamery on Mennonite land. The family read the Bible, morning and evening, on their knees. But Ike, as an adult, never belonged to a church until he became president, when he was baptized at the Washington, D.C., National Presbyterian Church, “to set an example.” But his life was always conducted within highly disciplined channels. As a boy he rose at five a.m. to lay and light the fires. Throughout his adult life his diaries record that he habitually rose at six, and on many days worked till eleven p.m. “Seven hours’ sleep is plenty,” he would say. Abilene was a community that encouraged personal industry. A former cow town with a colorful past, it prided itself on being self-policing, having no crime and all its males gainfully employed. Its four thousand inhabitants were Christians of European descent, most of whom voted Republican and conformed to Norman Rockwell patterns.

Ike had blue eyes, light brown hair, an infectious grin, which was his hallmark throughout …