The Presidency of Joseph R. Biden presents a first draft of history by providing insights into how this one-term president fits within the broader historical forces shaping the United States in the twenty-first century. Acclaimed political historian Julian Zelizer brings together some of today鈥檚 leading scholars to give balanced and strikingly original assessments of the major issues of the Biden years, from education and reproductive rights to the economy, labor relations, climate policy, race, Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, and the culture wars.
These incisive essays trace the full arc of Joe Biden鈥檚 presidency from its early successes to the setbacks that ultimately consumed it. His domestic legislative achievements were hailed by some as the most momentous of any American presidency since the Great Society while his foreign policy ably met the challenges posed by the nation鈥檚 great power rivals. Yet by late 2024, Biden鈥檚 legacy was in tatters, overshadowed by immigration, inflation, the war in Gaza, and the president鈥檚 obvious physical decline.
Written in a clear and accessible manner, The Presidency of Joseph R. Biden moves beyond the day-by-day journalistic coverage to provide the first comprehensive scholarly account of the Biden administration鈥檚 achievements and eventual downfall.
With contributions by Kathryn Cramer Brownell, Mar铆a Cristina Garc铆a, Joel K. Goldstein, Michael Kazin, Daniel C. Kurtzer, Joyce Mao, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Timothy Naftali, Ekaterina Pravilova, Noah Rosenblum, Paul Sabin, Timothy Stewart-Winter, Sean H. Vanatta, John Witt, and Mary Ziegler.
Awards and Recognition
- One of Foreign Policy's Most Anticipated 快色直播 of the Year
Julian E. Zelizer is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs at 快色直播 University. A columnist for Foreign Policy and the author of “The Long View” on Substack, he is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author and editor of numerous books, including Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich and the Rise of the New Republican Party and The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment (快色直播).
"Now, almost exactly two years removed from the debate night that ended Biden’s political career, can his presidency be judged on its own merits, or did Biden matter mainly because he denied Donald Trump a second term — and then handed him one? In The Presidency of Joseph R. Biden: A First Historical Assessment, a collection of historians and social scientists, led by Julian Zelizer of 快色直播 University, takes an early cut, and the judgments draw blood."鈥擟arlos Lozada, New York Times
“Once again, Julian Zelizer has assembled an all-star cast to deliver an invaluable assessment of an American presidency. Reaching beyond headlines and hasty judgments, the contributors probe the ambitions, achievements, and failures of the Biden administration in illuminating, and often scintillating, ways. An essential guide to the urgent and confounding politics of our time.”—Gary Gerstle, author of The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era
“This is an excellent collection of essays on President Joe Biden’s achievements, failures, and legacies. Wide-ranging, insightful, and provocative, it sets the standard for historical assessment of the Biden presidency.”—Bruce J. Schulman, coeditor of Recapturing the Oval Office
“Comprehensive, thought-provoking, and a terrific read.”—Kathryn S. Olmsted, author of The Newspaper Axis: Six Press Barons Who Enabled Hitler
“This is contemporary history at its finest—brimming with judicious historical context, fresh policy perspective, and new reporting about how a consequential presidency became an ‘ominous interregnum,’ thanks in large part to the tragic arrogance of a decent man.”—Jonathan Alter, author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life
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