A brilliant explanation of how presidents slowly took over Congress's war powers.
The Imperial Presidency: Reader Reviews & Ratings
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Schlesinger brilliantly exposes how the presidency slowly swallowed congressional war powers through historical precedent, making the imperial nature of modern executive authority terrifyingly clear for any reader concerned about democracy today.
This book feels urgent now, explaining why presidents often act without Congress.
Great read.
Schlesinger brilliantly shows how the presidency slowly grew beyond its intended limits, turning constitutional ambiguities into dangerous loopholes that allowed leaders to bypass Congress and wage secret wars without accountability.
Schlesinger explains how the presidency grew too powerful by ignoring the Founders plan for shared power between Congress and the president. He traces how presidents used vague emergencies to start wars without asking Congress first, turning the office into an imperial power that acts alone. The book explains that without clear rules and a willing Congress, presidents keep expanding their power until democracy suffers. This historical analysis helps us understand why recent debates about drone strikes feel so familiar and urgent today.
Schlesinger brilliantly exposes how constitutional ambiguities and national crises allowed the presidency to evolve into an imperial office that bypasses Congress and operates without accountability.
Not perfect.
A powerful warning about unchecked executive power.
Schlesinger clearly shows how presidents slowly took too much power away from Congress over time.
Schlesinger explains how the presidency grew too powerful by ignoring the Founders plan for shared power between Congress and the president.
This book explains why presidents can now start wars without asking Congress, and it makes total sense.
This book explains how the presidency grew too powerful without Congress.
Schlesinger brilliantly shows how the Founders' plan for shared war power slowly crumbled over decades as presidents kept stretching their authority to bypass Congress, eventually creating an imperial office that could launch conflicts without legislative approval or public consent, turning a carefully balanced system into a dangerous reality where the executive branch operated above the law.
Too depressing to read about how easily the Founders' careful balance of power was eroded by presidents and a complicit Congress over time.
The book explains that the Founders feared a king-like president, so they gave Congress the power to declare war. However, later presidents ignored this balance by using vague emergencies to start conflicts without asking Congress first. Schlesinger traces this shift from FDR to Nixon, showing how the presidency became an imperial office that could act alone. He argues that without clear rules and a willing Congress, presidents will keep expanding their power until democracy suffers. This historical analysis helps us understand why recent debates about drone strikes feel so familiar and urgent today.
A stark warning about unchecked executive power in modern democracy.
This book explains how presidents grew too powerful without Congress checking them.
Schlesinger shows how presidents used vague emergencies to start wars without Congress, turning the office into an imperial power that acts alone. He traces this from FDR to Nixon, explaining how the Founders plan for shared power was ignored. The book explains that without clear rules and a willing Congress, presidents keep expanding their power until democracy suffers. This historical analysis helps us understand why recent debates about drone strikes feel so familiar and urgent today.
Schlesinger proves the Founders feared a king in the White House, and the erosion of Congress power through vague crises and executive agreements is a terrifying reality we still face today.