Bancroft Prize
1 appearances
Walter Fredrick LaFeber
ウォルター・フレドリック・ラフェバー
Worutā Furedorikku Rafēbā
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1933-08-30 （Walkerton, Indiana, U.S.）
- Died
- 2021-03-09 （Ithaca, New York, U.S.） age 87
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Walkerton, Indiana (birthplace) → Hanover, Indiana (college) → Madison, Wisconsin (graduate study) → Ithaca, New York (Cornell University)
Career
- Occupations
- Professor of History, Historian, Academic
- Active Years
- 1959-2006
- Affiliations
- Cornell University
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (member; served as president in 1999)
- Influenced By
- William Appleman Williams, Fred Harvey Harrington, Thomas A. Bailey, Philip D. Curtin
- Influenced
- Stephen Hadley, Sandy Berger, Eric Alterman, Andrew Tisch, Thomas Downey, Derek Chollet, Dwight L. Bush Sr.
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover College | — | — | BA | 1951–1955 | United States |
| Stanford University | — | — | MA | 1955–1956 | United States |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | — | Department of History | PhD | 1956–1959 | United States |
Hanover College
Degree:
BA
Period:
1951–1955
Year of Graduation:
1955
Country:
United States
Liberal arts undergraduate; participated in varsity basketball and choir.
Stanford University
Degree:
MA
Period:
1955–1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
United States
Studied under Thomas A. Bailey.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Department of History
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1956–1959
Year of Graduation:
1959
Country:
United States
Dissertation: 'The Latin American Policy of the Second Cleveland Administration'. Studied with Fred Harvey Harrington.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Beveridge Award | The New Empire (expanded from his dissertation) | — | American Historical Association | winner |
| — | Bancroft Prize | The Clash | — | Columbia University (Bancroft Prize) | winner |
| — | Ellis W. Hawley Prize | The Clash | — | Organization of American Historians | winner |
| — | Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award | Inevitable Revolutions | — | Gustavus Myers Center | winner |
| 1966 | Clark Distinguished Teaching Award | — | — | Cornell University | winner |
| 1989 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | fellow |
| — | Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Sciences | elected |
| 2013 | American Historical Association Award for Scholarly Distinction | — | — | American Historical Association | winner |
Beveridge Award
Work:
The New Empire (expanded from his dissertation)
Organization:
American Historical Association
Result:
winner
Bancroft Prize
Work:
The Clash
Organization:
Columbia University (Bancroft Prize)
Result:
winner
Ellis W. Hawley Prize
Work:
The Clash
Organization:
Organization of American Historians
Result:
winner
Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award
Work:
Inevitable Revolutions
Organization:
Gustavus Myers Center
Result:
winner
Clark Distinguished Teaching Award
1966
Organization:
Cornell University
Result:
winner
Guggenheim Fellowship
1989
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
fellow
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result:
elected
American Historical Association Award for Scholarly Distinction
2013
Organization:
American Historical Association
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion, 1860–1898
1963 History / Diplomatic historyAn expanded version of his dissertation; an influential reinterpretation of American expansion emphasizing economic and market-driven factors.
imperialismeconomic motivesAmerican expansion
America, Russia and the Cold War, 1945–1966
1967 Diplomatic history / Cold War historyA reinterpretation of the Cold War; widely used in classrooms and revised through many editions.
Cold Warforeign policyimpact of domestic politics
The Panama Canal: The Crisis in Historical Perspective
1978 Diplomatic history / Regional historyA historical examination of U.S.–Panama relations and the Panama Canal; influenced elite opinion and debate over the Panama Canal Treaty.
Panama CanalU.S.–Latin America relationspolicy influence
Inevitable Revolutions: The United States in Central America
1984 Diplomatic history / Latin American studiesPresents a variant of dependency theory (neo-dependency) examining corporate interests and U.S. policy in Central America.
dependency theorycorporate interestsCentral America
The Clash: U.S.-Japanese Relations Throughout History
1997 Diplomatic history / U.S.–Japan relationsA sweeping survey of U.S.–Japan relations from the nineteenth century through the 1990s; highly regarded and prize-winning.
U.S.–Japan relationstrade and diplomacylong-term perspective
Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism
1999 Cultural history / Globalization studiesAn unconventional study linking basketball, Michael Jordan, and the rise of global capitalism and media industries.
sports historyglobalizationmedia and capital
The Deadly Bet: LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election
2005 Modern history / U.S. political historyAn analysis of the Johnson administration, the Vietnam War, and the 1968 election.
Vietnam Wardomestic politicselectoral history
Bibliography
- The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion, 1860–1898 (1963)
- John Quincy Adams and American Continental Empire: Letters, Papers and Speeches (ed., 1965)
- America, Russia and the Cold War, 1945–1966 (1967; later editions)
- The Panama Canal: The Crisis in Historical Perspective (1978; rev. ed. 1990)
- Inevitable Revolutions: The United States in Central America (1984; rev. ed. 1992)
- The Clash: U.S.-Japanese Relations Throughout History (1997)
- Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism (1999; expanded ed. 2002)
- The Deadly Bet: LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election (2005)
- Other edited volumes and numerous articles and chapters
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- empirically groundedeconomics- and market-focused interpretationslecture-driven, clear prose aimed at students
- Recurring Motifs
- emphasis on the role of individualslinking economic interests to foreign policyanalysis of American expansion and imperialism
Legacy
Walter LaFeber was a leading scholar of U.S. foreign relations and a legendary teacher. His economics-focused reinterpretations and celebrated lectures influenced generations and contributed substantially to academic and public debates.
Academic Societies
- American Historical Association
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR)
Archives
- Cornell University Archives (materials related to Walter F. LaFeber)
In Popular Culture
- His work on Michael Jordan and global capitalism is cited in discussions at the intersection of sports culture and economics.
Quotes
-
Finally, I must add that I have been profoundly impressed with the statesmen of these decades. ... All this, however, is not to deny that the decisions of these men resulted in many unfortunate consequences for their twentieth-century descendants.
Source: Preface to The New Empire (1963)
Trivia
- Lifelong Chicago Cubs fan.
- Star basketball player in high school (6 ft 2 in).
- His Cornell course 'History of American Foreign Relations' achieved legendary status among students.
- Gave a farewell lecture at the Beacon Theatre in 2006 to nearly 3,000 people.