Between Guns and Butter

Jeremy L. Strickler is associate professor of political science at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

"In an era in which so many associate social welfare with national weakness, Jeremy Strickler's briskly told history of the 'warfare-welfare nexus' in the twentieth century US is a much needed reminder of the ways in which presidential articulation of 'reform-as-strength' was crucial to forging and sustaining New Deal liberalism. Between Guns and Butter is a must-read not only for students of the presidency and American political development but for all citizens wishing to understand and perhaps even recover a once compelling vision of 'welfare-as-national security'." - Richard Ellis, author of Lincoln 82 7 s Last Card: The Emancipation Proclamation as a Case of Command "Jeremy L. Strickler's Between Guns and Butter is scholarship at its best, challenging a widely shared view of presidential power from an entirely original perspective. Strickler sees the 'warfare-welfare nexus' as the appropriate lens through which to examine presidential power, challenging the 'two presidencies' model of a domestic president operating independently of the foreign policy presidency. Strickler rightly contends that matters of war and welfare are deeply intertwined in the modern presidency. This first-rate work combines the best of political science with political history, contesting much of the conventional wisdom surrounding five prominent 20th century presidents and the politics of 82 guns and butter." -Stephen F. Knott, author of Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy "Upending the conventional understanding that the demands of warfare and welfare are innately antagonistic, the fabled tension between 82 guns versus butter, Jeremy L. Strickler argues convincingly that beginning with Franklin Roosevelt, American presidents sought to promote public welfare along with robust national security commitments. Through meticulous research and careful analysis, Strickler shows how presidents from FDR to LBJ endeavored to circumvent seemingly intractable tradeoffs. Between Guns and Butter is a significant contribution to the study of American foreign and domestic policy in the mid-2 th century." -Spencer D. Bakich, author of The Gulf War: George H. W. Bush and American Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War Era