The Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

by George McJimsey

Book Overview

Elected in hard times and serving throughout a catastrophic global war, Franklin Delano Roosevelt confronted crises of epic proportions during his record twelve-year tenure as our nation's chief executive. George McJimsey now provides a fresh account of his much-debated presidency, describing the successes and failures of FDR's landmark administration and offering a new perspective on the New Deal.

A welcome synthesis of the best modern scholarship...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 070061012X
• ISBN13: 9780700610129
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: University Press of Kansas
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

The best book about Franklin Roosevelt I have read

A wonderful book in which Franklin D. Roosevelt emerges as a pragmatic and astute politician who manages the government with coordinating regional interests. The book conveys Roosevelt's adaptability to use federalism-a division of power between the federal government and local autonomy or grass roots movements-while implementing a massive restructuring of government to alleviate the Depression. Although Roosevelt had much help from advisers, he enforced the New Deal to reform banking, the Agricultural Adjustment Act to aid farmers, the unconstitutional National Recovery Administration, the Public Works Administration, the National Labor Relations Board and many others. Additionally, the author uses the term pluralism to describe Roosevelt's networking of various interest groups in an attempt to coalesce a coherent fiscal policy. Moreover, this book recognizes that competing interests sometimes precluded a successful outcome for New Deal legislation. Nonetheless, the author gives F.D.R. praise for his cautious approach in conducting foreign affairs and, especially, the United States' entry in World War II. The chapter about Eleanor Roosevelt gives the reader a glimpse into her humanitarian concerns for women and African Americans. The excellent bibliography adds a detailed essay about finding out more on this complex historical figure. This book made me feel as if I actually experienced the years during F.D.R.'s presidency and the outstanding writing added to my reading enjoyment.