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Presidential Leadership at the Crossroads : William Howard Taft and the Modern Presidency
Title
Presidential Leadership at the Crossroads : William Howard Taft and the Modern Presidency / Michael J. Korzi.
ISBN
9781623499747
9781623499730
Edition
First edition.
Publication
College Station : Texas A&M University Press, [2021]
Manufacture
Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2022
Copyright Notice Date
©[2021]
Physical Description
1 online resource (282 pages): illustrations (black and white)
Local Notes
Access is available to the Yale community.
Notes
Description based on print version record.
Access and use
Access restricted by licensing agreement.
Summary
"In Presidential Leadership at the Crossroads: William Howard Taft and the Modern Presidency, Michael J. Korzi examines Taft's presidency against the backdrop of early twentieth-century politics, placing particular emphasis on Taft's theory of presidential leadership. Though Taft's legacy is often overshadowed by those of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, his predecessor and successor, respectively, Taft's model of presidential leadership was complex and nuanced, forged in a time of changing expectations, at the crossroads between traditional and modern views of what the role of a president should be. This focus on Taft's leadership adds new dimension to our understandings of the so-called Progressive era and presidential leadership in general. Ultimately, Taft's leadership represented a middle-ground position, one that faced serious challenges from both conservative as well as radical forces, particularly the latter. While embodying some features of the modern presidency, Taft's model also represented a partial challenge to, and critique of, modern presidential leadership. Korzi reveals that Taft was considerably more modern in his leadership aspirations than previously thought and that his shift to traditionalism, or conservativism, only emerged with the threat of a third Roosevelt term on the horizon. Presidential Leadership at the Crossroads makes an important contribution to our understanding of presidents and their leadership. Taft's model is particularly relevant today given the prominence of the modern presidency, and its values and expectations. Taft's moderate, middle-way position provides a foundation for critiquing the excesses of the modern presidency, while offering a vision for strong, if disciplined, presidential leadership"-- Provided by publisher.
Variant and related titles
Project Muse books annual backfile collection 2022.
Format
Books / Online
Language
English
Added to Catalog
July 17, 2023
Series
Joseph V. Hughes and Holly O. Hughes series on the presidency and leadership
Contents
Introduction: William Howard Taft and Presidential Leadership at the Crossroads
The Nomination of 1908: "Will Taft Be a President or a Proxy?"
The General Election of 1908: "So Great Was the Demand for the Candidate"
"Party Faith and Public Obligation": The Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act
Theodore Roosevelt and the New Nationalism: "A Threat That Would Startle Most Conservative Institutions"
"Well, I'm President": Taft's Use and Defense of the Veto in the Sixty-Second Congress
"You Believe in the Rule of Law Rather Than the Rule of Men": Taft and the Challenge of 1912
"Straightening Sticks That Are Bent": William Howard Taft and the Search for Moderate Presidential Leadership
Notes.
Subjects
Genre/Form
History.
Case studies.
Biographies.
Also listed under
Project Muse. distributor
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