Ep 21- The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century with Benn Steil

Henry Wallace was one of the most consequential American figures of the 20th century as the world looks entirely different if he was Vice President when FDR died in 1945.In this episode of Books in 5, the author of "The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century" joins us to highlight Henry's early career before he entered politics, how he was guided by a progressive worldview that was out of step with the majority of the establishment in Washington DC and the events of his life as he navigated the halls of power in pursuit of his own agenda.Henry Wallace believed in his mission to transform his country and the world around him and the book showcases just how he operated as a political figure during the decades he was in the limelight.Benn Steil is senior fellow and director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War, winner of the New York Historical Society’s Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American History and the American Academy of Diplomacy’s Douglas Dillon Award. His previous book, the prizewinning Battle of Bretton Woods: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White, and the Making of a New World Order, was called “a triumph of economic and diplomatic history” by the Financial Times, “a superb history” by The Wall Street Journal, and “the gold standard on its subject” by The New York Times. He lives in New York with his two boys.https://www.cfr.org/book/world-wasnthttps://x.com/BennSteilhttps://www.cfr.org/expert/benn-steil