Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932-1945: With a New Afterword

by Robert Dallek

Book Overview

Since the original publication of this classic book in 1979, Roosevelt's foreign policy has come under attack on three main points: Was Roosevelt responsible for the confrontation with Japan that led to the attack at Pearl Harbor? Did Roosevelt "give away" Eastern Europe to Stalin and the U.S.S.R. at Yalta? And, most significantly, did Roosevelt abandon Europe's Jews to the Holocaust, making no direct effort to aid them?

In a new Afterword...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195097327
• ISBN13: 9780195097320
• Release Date: May 1995
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 688 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.3" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Excellent But With A Qualification

The title of Robert Dallek's FDR & AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY actually describes this book very neatly: it's a comprehensive overview of all US foreign policy during the Roosevelt II Administration -- not just US policy relative to the emerging Axis powers, but also to Latin America and elsewhere. As the title also might suggest, this is basically a scholarly book, not really suitable for readers who haven't obtained a general idea of the broad sweep of American international politics in the era. It's for readers who want to get the nitty-gritty on the matter and it can even be a bit of a slog for them. As scholarly books go, however, it is not extremely long nor particularly dry; but it's not a book for casual reading, either.

An Excellent Account

An excellent account of U.S. foreign policy as waged by the Great Man Roosevelt. There are details in this book which are not found in others. Dallek is not regurgitating other writer's viewpoints. All points are lucidly explained - for instance Roosevelt's dealing's with Chaing Kai-shek and his cabinet member's - Cordell Hull, Sumner Welles... The enormous opposition Roosevelt faced from isolationists is discussed at length. No one can doubt after reading this how short-sighted these people were in relation to the futuristic Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the rare politician who could project into the future. His vision was not just the short-term but the long view. In 1941 he triggered the second version of the United Nations during his meeting with Churchill off of Newfoundland. He was giving the world - like Nazi occupied Europe - an alternate and much more benevolent view. The only omission I found was the Royal visit of the King and Queen of England to Washington and Hyde Park in the summer of 1939 - just prior to the outbreak of war. At the time this was another attempt by Roosevelt to bring Americans closer and more sympathetic to the building conflict in Europe.

Encyclopedic, Bancroft Prize-Winning Book on FDR's Foreign Policy

This encyclopedic book, winner of the Bancroft Prize, is the best single-volume book on Franklin Roosevelt's foreign policy. Roosevelt was a very clever leader and a master poker player. He possessed a large bag of techniques to obtain his goals. He understood the importance of public opinion and shifted from internationalist to nationalist to internationalist to idealist to realist to, ultimately, what Warren Kimball has described as Americanism: Active American foreign policy of American idealism merged with realistic pragmatism. Prior to FDR, America was isolationist. FDR was skillful at seeing what was possible, what was impossible, and then finding a way politically to achieve some very extraordinary results - such as the defeat of Hitler, the end of American isolationism, and the permanent creation of an internationalist superpower America. Dallek describes FDR's methods as that of a kaleidoscope. You may have a hard time seeing the logic to the designs until you open it up and look at how it ingeniously works. FDR's leadership style was fascinating and impressive. This book covers FDR's foreign policy - his aims, means, and results. Some of the highlights include the fact that FDR had to govern in an isolationist nation, which forced FDR to tactfully manage public opinion to deftly lead America out of isolationism and confront Hitler. Another highlight is FDR's close, but shrewd, relationship with Churchill. Another highlight is his effort to bring meaning to the war with his Four Freedoms and several excellent speeches. Another highlight is his Good Neighbor policy. Another highlight is his understanding that only a coalition would bring down Hitler and his deft moves to manage the coalition. Another is his subtle effort to undermine colonialism and forge a better post-war world. Another highlight is the complete and accurate story of his shrewd relationship with Stalin, debunking the Yalta myth. One of Roosevelt's greatest foreign policy achievements was to tactfully bring an isolationist America into the fight against Hitler. He would take two steps forward and then one step back, always careful to never get too far ahead of public opinion, but moving it forward. Resistance to war was very strong after the unsavory aftermath of the First World War. His ingenious Lend-Lease plan gave aid to Britain in a way that the public could accept - although with heated debate. He likened it to lending a hose to a friend with a house fire. He proposed this at great political risk, since opposition was heated and an election was approaching. But he won his policy and it was a landmark moment. Roosevelt then sparred lightly with Hitler in the North Atlantic and semi-covertly ramped up his efforts to prepare for war. He also started getting tough with Japan, imposing tough embargo on Japan. Some have argued that FDR goaded Japan, which may or may not be true. But FDR did NOT know about the attack on Pearl Harbor, which Dallek makes clear. Once Ame

Leadership Style of the 20th Century's Greatest President

In one volume, Robert Dallek has attempted to counter the vast amount of printed material covering Franklin D. Roosevelt's domestic policies during the 1930's and 1940's. The result is a mammoth effort that sheds light on the enormous pressures Roosevelt faced both at home and abroad during the turbulent decades when the world struggled to emerge from the shambles of a Great Depression, and prepare itself for a global conflict. Dallek argues that most historians do not fully understand the nature of Roosevelt's foreign policy. Dallek also claims that researchers tend to focus on FDR's shortcomings without emphasizing the constraints with which he was forced to work. Dallek's main purpose is to highlight the continual dilemmas Roosevelt faced in an effort to always strive for balance and compromise between public opinion and foreign affairs. FDR realized the need to break the country away from isolationism and place it in the global arena, both economically and politically, while at the same time facing the growing threat from the Axis powers. Though Dallek is noted as a gifted narrator, it is Roosevelt's leadership style,criticized as somewhat unorthodox,and the many quandaries in which he prevailed that provides the strength of Dallek's book. Dallek chose a ridged chronological format, which he maintained throughout the book. The chronological methodology in essential to enable the reader to understand the patterns that emerged within Roosevelt's style of leadership. For instance, rather than try to sway public opinion as to why the United States should supply aid to its allies or begin preparing for war, Roosevelt instead would allow the events then taking shape in Europe and Asia to speak for themselves to convince the American public. FDR's early foreign policy (1932-1935) was primarily centered on economic recovery. Roosevelt clearly understood that the Great Depression was a global problem. Roosevelt strove to reduce tariffs, improve trade and stabilize the dollar with foreign currencies. He has been widely criticized for going off the gold standard and blamed for the failure of the London Economic Conference. Dallek states, however, that Roosevelt clearly achieved two very important underlying objectives: First, domestic economic recovery must take priority over foreign affairs This belief was evident in the many Hundred Days policies that FDR implemented. Second, Dallek argues that Roosevelt's main goal was at best to "restore a measure of faith in international cooperation." Roosevelt was always aware of his limitations. Dallek believes that the years 1935-1939 was the most important period in Roosevelt's foreign policy. During this time, Roosevelt faced many obstacles. Dubbed an "Idealist" for his efforts towards disarmament and United States participation in the World Court, FDR was also criticized as being naïve in his reactions to the aggressive actions of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Dallek diligently describes how FDR's han