Abridged Presidential Histories with Kenny Ryan

Ep. 39.B of APH is now available!‬

‪ When unemployment and inflation began to rise side by side in the 1970s, nobody knew what to do. Economic theory suggested it should have been impossible, and yet the numbers couldn't be denied. Stanford Historian Jennifer Burns, author of Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative, discusses how American presidents of the 70's tried and failed to curb stagflation, what led Carter to Paul Volcker, and how Volcker's medicine may have saved the economy, but doomed Carter's presidency in the process..‬

Log in to Buzzsprout Log in to your Buzzsprout account.

Ep. 39A of APH is now available!‬

Jimmy Carter was elected with an overwhelming Democratic majority in Congress. Why then was his relationship with Congress so poor and his agenda so challenged? Author Jonathan Alter discusses how Carter’s outsider status propelled him to the presidency and undermined his administration.

39.A) Jimmy Carter, the outsider, an interview with Jonathan Alter - [Abridged] Presidential Histories When Jimmy Carter won the presidency, his Democratic party held a 61-37 majority in the Senate and a 292-143 majority in the House. Why then, with such a clear governing majority, were his relations with Congress so poor, and his agenda so challen...

Ep. 39 of APH is now available!‬

‪Jimmy Carter may have been the luckiest presidential candidate and unluckiest president in American history. Seeking the highest office after Watergate, Carter's outsider message was the right note at the right time. But once in office, a combination of economic headwinds and international disasters doomed his administration. From Plains, Georgia, to the White House and back, follow along as Carter navigates southern politics and national disenchantment to try and set the nation on a path for the future.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/15013965-39-jimmy-carter

Thank you for the 5-⭐️ review, Sir Knee!

Ep. 38 of APH is now available!‬

‪Gerald Ford is the only person in US history to become VP & President without being elected to either post. Despite this, he was a popular president - for 1 month. But then he pardoned Nixon and the national backlash put his agenda and his political future in peril.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/14701842-38-gerald-ford-1974-1977

It didn't take long for Richard Nixon to earn the nickname "Tricky Dick," but was he really any more tricky than the typical politician? You bet he was!

John Farrell, author of Richard Nixon, The Life, discusses the many campaigns of Richard Nixon, from the red scare tactics that swept him to office, to the southern strategy that changed America's political map forever.

38.B) The campaigns of Richard Nixon, an interview with John Farrell - [Abridged] Presidential Histories It didn't take long for Richard Nixon to earn the nickname "Tricky Dick," but was he really any more tricky than the typical politician? You bet he was! John Farrell, a long-time journalist and author of numerous books on political leaders, includ...

I just wrapped up a great interview with John Farrell, author of “Richard Nixon, The Life,” on the conflicting altruistic and competitive drives behind Nixon’s political career, the campaigns that made him “Tricky Dick,” and the development and legacy of Nixon’s Southern Strategy.

My goal is to turn this around and publish it by Monday. It’ll be a good one!

Has any president since Richard Nixon signed as much progressive legislation as Richard Nixon? Historian Luke Nichter joins me to discuss the surprising domestic achievements of Richard Nixon

[Abridged] Presidential Histories From Yorktown to the Civil War, Pearl Harbor to 9/11, discover the pivotal moments that defined each president's life and legacy and the lessons we can draw from them. New episodes available the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month.

No new episode tomorrow, but there will be one next Monday and the Monday after that!

There might be a bit of a gap before the next episode of APH. Two historian interviews had to cancel due to health concerns. Figuring out if / when they’ll be available and how to shuffle content.

Ep. 37 of APH is now available!‬

‪Richard Nixon's desire to win at any cost earned him the name "Tricky Dick" & carried him from Whittier, CA, to the Presidency of the United States, but it also proved his undoing. From Alger Hiss to Checkers, from the Chenault Affair to China & Watergate, we will dive into the remarkable rise and fall of the only American to resign the presidency, Richard Milhouse Nixon.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/14523861-37-richard-nixon-1969-1974

A new episode of APH is out today!

We argue about immigration a lot these days, but what did one of our greatest presidents think of it? A discussion on Lincoln and Immigration with Harold Holzer, author of the new book “Brought Forth on this Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration” out now!

16.F.) How Lincoln changed American immigration, an interview with Harold Holzer - [Abridged] Presidential Histories Migrating to the United States used to be as easy as buying a boat ticket. Getting settled was the hard part, and it became far more daunting when the United States was torn asunder by Civil War in 1861. As more and more northerners were conscript...

For scheduling reasons, the next episode of APH will be next Monday instead of today

Then back to the usual cadence

Few presidents have a darker mark on their resume that LBJ's handling of the Vietnam war. Though overwhelmingly popular at first, the war divided the nation and broke Johnson's political power just 4 years later.

How did the United States get into Vietnam? Why didn't LBJ see what the American people saw as public opinion turned against it? And what can we learn from Johnson's handling of the war in Vietnam?

Mark Lawrence, director of the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum in Austin and author of The End of Ambition: The United States and the Third World in the Vietnam Era, discusses the legacy of LBJ's leadership of the Vietnam War.

36.A) LBJ & Vietnam, an interview with Mark Lawrence - [Abridged] Presidential Histories Few presidents have a darker mark on their resume that LBJ's handling of the Vietnam war. Though overwhelmingly popular at first, the war divided the nation and broke Johnson's political power just 4 years later.How did the United States get into ...

New year, new episode of APH!

How did Lyndon Johnson overcome the tragedy of JFK’s assassination to become one of the most legislatively accomplished presidents in American history (Civil rights! Voting Rights Act! Medicare, Medicaid, & more), only to be undone by the war in Vietnam?

Find out! Ep. 36 on LBJ is out today

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/14159122-36-lyndon-baines-johnson-1963-1969

Yeehaw. Thanks for sharing the show with your friends and family this past year.

In 2023, we covered Herbert Hoover, FDR, Truman, Ike, and JFK

2024 will bring us:
• LBJ
• Nixon
• Ford
• Carter
• Reagan
• Bush Sr.
• Clinton
And maybe Bush junior!

It’s going to be a big year. Can’t wait!

Ep. 34 of APH is now available!

Dwight Eisenhower rose to fame as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during WWII. As president, he faced new foes - a Soviet menace abroad and the evils of Jim Crow at home. Victory would require new allies and new ideas.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/13512365-34-dwight-eisenhower-1953-1961

Ep. 33.D. of APH is now available!

As American soldiers demobilized from WWII, most were welcomed home as heroes, but some were attacked by their neighbors. Judge Richard Gergel discusses the act of police brutality that woke Truman to the need for Civil Rights - the blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/13341358-33-d-the-blinding-of-sgt-isaac-woodard-and-the-awakening-of-harry-s-truman-an-interview-with-judge-richard-gergel

Want to read more from Gergel? Find “Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring” online at: unexampledcourage.com/

Ep. 33A of APH is now available!

Senator Harry Truman was a political nobody when he began receiving letters about government waste during the buildup to WWII. The committee he launched to investigate it propelled him to the presidency. Steve Drummond discusses his new book, “The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War Two.”

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/13191655-33-a-the-truman-committee-an-interview-with-steve-drummond

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-watchdog-steve-drummond

Ep. 33 of APH is now available!

Harry S. Truman is the president who dropped the bomb, fired the rogue general who wanted to use it on China, and oversaw the end of a World War and the start of a Cold one. He didn’t seek the job, but it, and the fate of the world, were thrust upon him.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/12978540-32-harry-s-truman-1945-1953

Ep. 32.G of APH is now available!

Eleanor Roosevelt transformed what a first lady can be, but it didn’t come easily. Historian David Michaelis discusses how Eleanor rose from a "Dickensian childhood" to become the champion of millions.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/13014025-32-g-eleanor-roosevelt-an-interview-with-david-michaelis

Want to read more from Michaelis? Pick up “Eleanor” at your favorite bookstore or the link below:

https://www.davidmichaelis.com

Ep. 33.F of APH is now available!

WW2 was followed immediately by the Cold War, but did it have to be that way? Christopher Nichols and Elizabeth Borgwardt discuss FDR’s evolving grand strategy and the new world order he’d hoped to build.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/12977574-32-f-fdr-american-grand-strategy-an-interview-with-elizabeth-borgwardt-and-christopher-nichols

You can find their latest book, “Rethinking American Grand Strategy,” at: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/rethinking-american-grand-strategy-9780190695675?cc=us&lang=en&

Ep. 32E of APH is now available!

Two months after Pearl Harbor, FDR signed an order allowing the military to intern 120,000 Japanese Americans in prison camps. Paul Sparrow discusses how the policy came to be and what the impact was for its victims.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/12834562-32-d-fdr-s-policy-of-japanese-internment-an-interview-with-paul-sparrow

Ep. 32D of APH is now available!

FDR is the longest-serving president in U.S. history, winning 4 consecutive terms. That doesn't happen without darn good PR. Historian Harold Holzer discusses FDR’s mastery of radio & the press.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/12424431-32-d-fdr-s-mastery-of-radio-the-press-and-persuasion-an-interview-with-harold-holzer

Want to read more from Holzer? Check out “The Presidents vs. the Press: The Endless Battle Between The White House and the Media—From the Founding Fathers to Fake News” and his other books at: haroldholzer.com

Ep. 32C of APH is now available!

FDR had one of the most privileged upbringings of any president. Why was he the one to enact the most radical economic reforms in U.S. history? Historian H.W. Brands discusses how FDR earned the moniker “Traitor to his Class”

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/12424327-32-c-fdr-traitor-to-his-class-an-interview-with-h-w-brands

Want to hear more from H.W. Brands? See him in Ken Burns’ documentary “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” pick up Brands’ book “Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt” or check out any of his 30+ other histories.

Ep. 32B of APH is now available!

FDR was the longest-serving president in US history. How did his sudden death impact the nation? Historians Lindsay Chervinsky & Matthew Costello contrast the reaction to FDR’s loss to Washington, Lincoln, JFK & others.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/12285629-32-b-fdr-s-death-the-history-of-presidential-mourning-an-interview-with-lindsay-chervinsky-matthew-costello

Want to read more from Lindsay and Matthew? Check out their new book, “Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture,” which examines the national reaction to 12 presidential deaths and what we can learn from them.

https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5740/

Ep. 32A of [Abridged] Presidential Histories is now available!

Did the New Deal lift the United States out of the Great Depression? Or was it a failed policy? Historian Eric Rauchway evaluates the New Deal’s impact and its lasting legacy in the United States.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/12232770-32-a-fdr-and-the-new-deal-an-interview-with-eric-rauchway

Want to read more from Rauchway? Check out his books, such as:

• Why the New Deal Matters

• Winter War: Hoover, Roosevelt, and the First Clash Over the New Deal

• The Money Makers: How Roosevelt and Keynes Ended the Depression, Defeated Fascism, and Secured a Prosperous Peace

Ep. 32 of [Abridged] Presidential Histories is now available!

FDR inherited a nation in dire straights. The Great Depression had shaken faith in Democracy. Demagogues threatened on the left and right. And Military dictatorships were on the rise overseas. It was time, FDR said, for a New Deal.

“Mr. President, if your program succeeds, you'll be the greatest president in American history,” an aid told him. “If it fails, you will be the worst one."
"If it fails," FDR replied, "I'll be the last one."

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/12184982-32-franklin-delano-roosevelt-1933-1945

Ep. 31.C of [Abridged] Presidential Histories is now available!

What caused The Great Depression? And why couldn’t Hoover end it? Robert McElvaine argues the very factors that made the 1920's roar were the instruments of its destruction.

https://t.co/fvTNTrM9Gl

Want to read more from McElvaine? Check out any of his many books, including “Down and Out in the Great Depression: Letters from the ‘Forgotten Man’l and “The Great Depression: America, 1929-1941”

New substack published today! Comparing the recent shoot down of a Chinese spy balloon to the Soviet shoot down of a U.S. spy plane in 1960

Check it out, enjoy it, and hit that subscribe button:

Spy balloons and U2's The recent shoot down of a Chinese spy - scratch that, weather balloon - echoes the 1960 Soviet shoot down of a U.S. spy - scratch that, weather plane - on Eisenhower's watch