"In this book, Gary Donaldson argues that the 1952 presidential election, which exposed deep internal divisions on the left and the right, set the stage for the current U.S. political landscape. This book will prove an invaluable resource to readers, students, and scholars interested in rooting out the origins of our contemporary political landscape, on the right and the left"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction -- 1. "Background to the Age, and the Scramble to Nominate Eisenhower" -- 2. Stevenson of Illinois -- 3. Eisenhower Decides to Run -- 4. Truman Decides Not to Run -- 5. Democrats on the Periphery: Russell and Kefauver and the Democratic Party Primaries -- 6. The1952 Campaign as the Beginning of the Future of American Politics -- 7. Conventions -- 8. The Campaign -- Election Statistics (Electoral College) 1952.