The unknown story of the election that set the tone for today's fractured politics A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2023: Politics "The book is a delightful demolition of the many political myths that continue to muddy our understanding of that election year. . . . Nichter's book stands out for its clear, direct prose and the scrupulous research on which it's based."-Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal The 1968 presidential race was a contentious battle between vice president Hubert Humphrey, Republican Richard ...
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The unknown story of the election that set the tone for today's fractured politics A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2023: Politics "The book is a delightful demolition of the many political myths that continue to muddy our understanding of that election year. . . . Nichter's book stands out for its clear, direct prose and the scrupulous research on which it's based."-Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal The 1968 presidential race was a contentious battle between vice president Hubert Humphrey, Republican Richard Nixon, and former Alabama governor George Wallace. The United States was reeling from the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy and was bitterly divided on the Vietnam War and domestic issues, including civil rights and rising crime. Drawing on previously unexamined archives and numerous interviews, Luke A. Nichter upends the conventional understanding of the campaign. Nichter chronicles how the evangelist Billy Graham met with Johnson after the president's attempt to reenter the race was stymied by his own party, and offered him a deal: Nixon, if elected, would continue Johnson's Vietnam War policy and also not oppose his Great Society, if Johnson would soften his support for Humphrey. Johnson agreed. Nichter also shows that Johnson was far more active in the campaign than has previously been described; that Humphrey's resurgence in October had nothing to do with his changing his position on the war; that Nixon's "Southern Strategy" has been misunderstood, since he hardly even campaigned there; and that Wallace's appeal went far beyond the South and anticipated today's Republican populism. This eye-opening account of the political calculations and maneuvering that decided this fiercely fought election reshapes our understanding of a key moment in twentieth-century American history.
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Add this copy of The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in to cart. $28.96, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2023 by Yale University Press.
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Fine. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 396 p. Contains: Illustrations. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in to cart. $115.96, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2023 by Yale University Press.
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New. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 396 p. Contains: Illustrations. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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HARDCOVER Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name-GOOD Standard-sized.
Add this copy of The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in to cart. $24.86, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Yale University Press.
Add this copy of The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in to cart. $24.86, fair condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Yale University Press.
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Fair. HARDCOVER Acceptable-This is a significantly damaged book. It should be considered a reading copy only. Please order this book only if you are interested in the content and not the condition. May be ex-library. Standard-sized.
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Add this copy of The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in to cart. $31.71, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Yale University Press.
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Fine. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 396 p. Contains: Illustrations. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Great read filled with new details from new source
How do you take the story of a major political event that is seemingly known through and through and upend all that we thought we knew and shed new light on the story revealing far greater detail and correcting false assumptions at the same time? Research. Through diligent research, and by reaching out to new sources of information, Luke Nichter has once again shed new light on a topic of political and historical significance, correcting misconceptions, and added new details to a period of time that was not nearly as well known or understood as previously thought. This is what historical research is all about: finding new sources, and adding those new sources to the story we already know to add to the accuracy of the story.
Luke Nichter has done this to the highest degree. Utilizing sources previously unused such as the notebooks of Billy Graham (which in part reveal the unique and complex relationship between LBJ and Nixon), the recorded phone conversations during the 1968 election (including those between LBJ, Nixon, Humphreys, and Wallace as well as those related to the alleged role of Anna Chennault in the prevention of South Vietnam agreeing to a peace arranged through LBJ) and the numerous personal interviews conducted over the years, Luke Nichter has been able to paint the picture of the complex 1968 election with more detail and more depth than previously thought possible.
The inclusion of the notebooks from Billy Graham are quite revealing. The degree to which Reverend Graham relayed messages between Richard Nixon and LBJ was quite interesting and revealing. Through the notebooks of Billy Graham we are able to see how the connection between Nixon and LBJ grew, and how that relationship would continue on beyond 1968. It also shows Graham as a person of influence wanting to help an ailing nation return to a less volatile path. The remarks from Graham on this subject help the reader to see the importance of the election of 1968 from an angle beyond that of mere politics and reveals the importance of making the transition from the LBJ administration to that of his successor as smooth as possible. That smooth transition and the growing relationship between LBJ and Nixon proved to be the most interesting part as it sheds new light on why the events of Nixon�s first term unfolded as they did and suggests LBJ�s role up until his death may have been more critical to the Nixon administration than previously thought.
For those who have not yet studied the politics of the election of 1968, and for those who thought they knew all there was to know, this book is a must read. It adds depth and clarity to a period of U.S. history that was very complex and pivotal, and does so in a way that a researcher and an armchair historian can both use and enjoy. This work will be a key reference on the topic for decades to come.
Michael W. Cotten, M.A.
Historical Research Consultant
