2. Kennedy, Johnson and the Politics of the 1960s

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about three important contexts for Johnson’s presidency: (1) the shadow cast by his predecessor, John F. Kennedy; (2) the domestic political context; and (3) the global political context. As we move through the module, we think about: (i) the similarities and differences between Kennedy and Johnson, and the ways in which Johnson attempted to turn the situation to his advantage during his Presidency; (ii) the changing nature of the Democratic Party in the 1960s; (iii) the importance of the Civil Rights Movement; and (iv) the state of the Cold War.

Course

In this course, Dr Thomas Tunstall Allcock (University of Manchester) explores the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69). The first module provides an introduction to Johnson himself, his personality and policies in comparison with the presidents that preceded and followed him – Kennedy and Nixon. In the second module, we think about four important contexts for Johnson’s presidency – three domestic, one international – before turning in the third module to consider the set of domestic reforms known as Johnson’s Great Society. In the fourth module, we consider Johnson’s record on civil rights, before turning in the fifth module to think about the importance of the Vietnam War in assessments of Johnson’s presidency. Finally, in the sixth module, we provide an overview of Johnson’s presidency, thinking about the overall arc of his administration – from early successes to later challenges – his major achievements, his failures, and his longer-term legacy.

Lecturer

Dr Tom Tunstall Allcock is a lecturer in American history at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War, with particular interests in U.S.-Latin American relations, presidential history and diplomacy, and the cultural history of the Cold War.