Illustrated Guide to Modern American Presidents

From Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama, this is a presidential roll call from 1901 to the current day. This title provides an overview of the memorable figures who have made their mark on American political history including Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Barack Obama. It includes an analysis of each leader as politician, statesman and private individual, setting each president in the context of major social, political and economic developments, and discussing their influence on the course of history. It charts the momentous social and economic history of the times, including the building of the Panama Canal, the San Francisco earthquake, the Wall Street Crash, silent movies, radio, television, space travel and the internet, as well as the rise of popular culture. It analyzes the implications and lasting legacies of war including World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf Wars, the Iraq War and the war on terror, as well as international crises that have altered the course of world diplomacy. The 20th century proved to be one of immense and rapid social and economic change for the United States of America. This illustrated encyclopedia of the presidents from 1901 presents a factual account of each of the presidents who have stood for office, and sets them within context of the times in which they each presided. Many have become synonymous with domestic and international events, such as Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal, Richard Nixon and Watergate, Ronald Reagan and Star Wars, and Jimmy Carter and the Iranian hostage crisis. Alongside each of the presidential portraits are snapshots of industrial, economic, social and political developments that have changed the world, such as Henry Ford and the mass production of the motor car, the invention of the atomic bomb, the collapse of communism and international terrorism. More than 240 photographs, facsimile newsreel images, maps and fine art paintings help to provide a visual account of each presidential era, making this book a valuable reference for those interested in America's social and political history.

Professor Jon Roper studied for a BA honours degree in philosophy, politics and economics at St Catherine's College, Oxford. He has edited several books on American political history and contributed to many others.