Fifties the Book the Fifties

Fifties

The book the Fifties by David Halberstam has as its purpose the description of all, or at least most of, the events during this decade in the United States. Indeed, it appears that the author has included as many as possible of both important social and political events, as well as occurrences that are simply interesting or entertaining. The lengthy work of 800 pages long indeed focuses on important political figures such as the American Presidents and other political leaders, and important events such as the Korean War and the Civil Rights Movement. In addition, the reader is treated to entertaining facts about figures such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. In summary, the author's main purpose seems to be making the 1950s as accessible and interesting as possible to readers.

2.

Civil Rights Movement

A.

Halberstam gives quite a large amount of attention to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. One pivotal event during this time was the story of Rosa Parks, which ahs be come iconic of the struggle for equal rights during this period. Rosa Parks was a black woman who boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955. After she took her seat, she was ordered to move the section in the back of the bus, designated as the "colored section." When she refused to do this, she was arrested.

The result of this was a mobilization of the civil rights community in Montgomery to boycott public transportation in the state. Significantly, this was also the first major event in which Reverend Martin Luther King became involved as a young man. He was the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery at the time. Although the protest was lengthy, with the boycott lasting more than a year, it finally served its purpose. On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court Ruled the segregation law as unconstitutional, and the boycott could finally end.

B.

Another event that Halberstam describes in his book occurred at the Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. A decision in the Brown v. Board case required the High School to integrate black students into its student body. Plans to this effect were to be implemented during September 1957, and involved nine black high school students to attend the school. The Arkansas governor, Oval Faubus, despite promises to comply, arranged for the Arkansas National Guard to keep the black students from entering the school premises. Known as the "Little Rock Nine," the students were then met by an angry crowd on the day of their arrival.

In response to this act of defiance, President Dwight Eisenhower commanded troops from the 101st Airborne to Little Rock for the protection of the students. Furthermore, he also federalized the National Guard in Arkansas, and sent them to the south. This was the first time since Reconstruction that federal troops were subject to such orders. Also, this event marked the first of several governor refusals to oversee a peaceful integration process. Each time, the President of the United States was obliged to take action.

3.

Korean War

A/B.

Like the civil rights movement, the Korean war is another major event that influenced general thought during the 1950s. As such, Halberstam also included it in his book, as a book regarding the decade would hardly be complete without it. One of the events taking place during the Korean war was the decision by President Truman to dispatch the United States Seventh Fleet to the Taiwan Strait on June 27, 1950. The reason for this decision was to protect the Nationalist Republic of China from the PRC -- the People's Republic of China.

Mao Zedong also played a major role during this time. As a result of a series of communications by the politician, the Politburo authorized the intervention of China in Korea o October 2, 1950. On October 8, Mao created the Chinese People's Volunteer army for the purpose of fighting against the United States for the cause within Korea. During a meeting on October 15, General MacArthur told President Truman that there was little likelihood that the Chinese would intervene in Korea, based on the fact of a strong U.S. air force. However, the first attack on the U.S. military by the Chinese was made on November 1 in North Korea. A large army of Chinese soldiers attacked the U.S. 8th Cavalry Regiment from the north, northwest, and west. This forced the retreat of UN forces.

C.

General Matthew Ridgway took over after General Walker's death on December 22. The former was the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division in Wold War II. Ridgway received command of all the forces serving in Korea, along with relative freedom to act as he saw fit. Although his initial aim was to undertake an offensive in Korea, he soon realized that the army was not in sufficient shape to accomplish this. Instead, General Ridgway undertook to rebuild the army. After a successful Chinese attack on New Year's Day, the Allied forces had to withdraw to the "D line," extending from Pyongtaek to Samchok. Here, they were able to nurse their wounds and stabilize under Ridgway's leadership.

4.A.

In the book, one thing I particularly liked was Halberstam's language of description. Too often in works of this nature, authors tend to be either overly academic or they lack the depth of description that would do justice to their subject matter. In Halberstam's case however, it appears that his considerable experience as journalist combined well with a sense of depth and insight. This resulted in an excellent balance between entertainment and depth, each with an appropriate focus on subject matter.

In short, his choice of language makes Halberstam's work entirely accessible to a very wide audience. Those with a passing interest in the 1950s for example will not make a mistake when reading this book. It provides sufficient material for thought and entertainment. Those with more academic interests will also find the book highly educational and informative.

A second thing I particularly like about the book is also its structure. The structure combines well with the language in providing a seamless integration of the entertaining with the more serious types of subject matter in the work. This seamless integration appears entirely logical throughout the book, while also contributing to the balance mentioned above. The book achieves an important balance and thus caters to a widely diverse audience.

B.

Although there are not many things one can dislike about this book, I do feel that the length of the book -- 800 pages - is somewhat excessive. Today's culture of Internet users and speed readers may for example find a book of this length somewhat daunting, even for all its entertaining and informative content. Furthermore, the Information Age tends to require a large amount of information in as little space as possible. Halberstam's work does not appear to be written with this in mind. However, it must also be said that, even with this flaw, those who would give the book the chance to entertain and inform will find that it does its length justice.