Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945) was the 32nd president of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. The only American president elected to more than two terms (he was elected to four but only served three full terms, dying in his fourth term), he was often referred to by his initials, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt won his first of four presidential elections in 1932, while the United States was in the depths of the great depression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's combination of optimism and economic activism is often credited with keeping the country's economic crisis from developing into a political crisis. he led the United States through most of world war ii, and died in office of a cerebral hemorrhage shortly before the war ended.

In his first term (1933–37) Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched the new deal, a very large, complex interlocking set of programs designed to produce relief (especially government jobs for the unemployed), recovery (of the economy), and reform (by which he meant regulation of wall street, banks and transportation). The conservative coalition that formed in 1937 prevented his packing the Supreme Court or passing much new legislation; it abolished most of the relief programs when unemployment practically ended during World War II. Most of the regulations on business were ended about 1975-85, except for the regulation of Wall Street by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which still exists. The major surviving general welfare clause program is social security (United States), which congress passed in 1935.

As World War II loomed after 1938, with the Japanese invasion of china and the aggressions of Nazi Germany, Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave strong diplomatic and financial support to china and Britain, while remaining officially neutral. His goal was to make America the "arsenal of democracy"--supplying the munitions while others did the fighting. In March 1941, Roosevelt, with congressional approval, provided lend-lease aid to the countries fighting against Nazi Germany, with Great Britain. he secured a near-unanimous declaration of war against Japan after the Japanese attack on pearl harbor on December 7, 1941, calling it a "date that will live in infamy." he supervised the mobilization of the us economy to support the allied war effort, taking criticism for fumbles early on, but saw unemployment evaporate and the industrial economy soar to heights no one ever expected. Roosevelt dominated the American political scene, not only during the twelve years of his presidency, but for decades afterward. He orchestrated the realignment of voters that created the fifth party system. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's new deal coalition united together labor unions, big city machines, white ethnics, welfare recipients, African Americans and rural white southerners. Roosevelt's diplomatic impact also resonated on the world stage long after his death, with the United Nations and Bretton Woods as examples of his administration's wide-ranging impact. Roosevelt is consistently rated by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. presidents.

State senator

In the state election of 1910, Roosevelt ran for the New York state senate from the district around Hyde Park in Dutchess County, which had not elected a democrat since 1884. he entered the Roosevelt name, with its associated wealth, prestige, and influence in the Hudson valley, and the democratic landslide that year carried him to the state capital Albany. Roosevelt took his seat on January 1, 1911. He became the leader of a group of "insurgents" who opposed the Tammany machine which dominated the state democratic party. The U.S. senate election which began with the democratic caucus on January 16, 1911, was deadlocked by the struggle of the two factions for 74 days. On March 31, James A. O'Gorman was elected, and Roosevelt had achieved his goal: to upset the Tammany machine by blocking their choice William F. Sheehan. Roosevelt soon became a popular figure among New York democrats. he was re-elected for a second term in the state election of 1912, but resigned from the New York state senate on march 17, 1913, to accept his appointment as assistant U.S. secretary of the navy.

Assistant secretary of the navy

Franklin Delano Roosevelt as assistant secretary for the navy. Franklin d. Roosevelt was appointed assistant secretary of the navy by Woodrow Wilson in 1913. He served under secretary of the navy Josephus Daniels. In 1914, he was defeated in the democratic primary election for the United States senate by Tammany hall-backed James W. Gerard. As assistant secretary, Roosevelt worked to expand the navy and founded the United States navy reserve. Wilson sent the navy and marines to intervene in Central American and Caribbean countries. In a series of speeches in his 1920 campaign for vice president, Roosevelt claimed that he, as assistant secretary of the navy, wrote the constitution which the U.S. imposed on Haiti in 1915.

Roosevelt developed a life-long affection for the navy. Roosevelt negotiated with congressional leaders and other government departments to get budgets approved. He became an enthusiastic advocate of the submarine and of means to combat the German submarine menace to allied shipping: he proposed building a mine barrier across the North Sea from Norway to Scotland. In 1918, he visited Britain and France to inspect American naval facilities; during this visit he met Winston Churchill for the first time. With the end of World War I in November 1918, he was in charge of demobilization, although he opposed plans to completely dismantle the navy. In July 1920, overshadowed by the Newport sex scandal and its coverage in the providence journal and New York Times, Roosevelt resigned as assistant secretary of the navy to run for vice president.

1932 Presidential Election

Roosevelt's strong base in the most populous state made him an obvious candidate for the democratic nomination, which was hotly contested since it seemed that incumbent Herbert Hoover would be vulnerable in the 1932 election. al smith was supported by some city bosses, but had lost control of the New York democratic party to Roosevelt. Roosevelt built his own national coalition with personal allies such as newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, Irish leader Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and California leader William Gibbs McAdoo. When Texas leader John Nance garners switched to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, he was given the presidential nomination.

The election campaign was conducted under the shadow of the great depression in the United States, and the new alliances which it created. Roosevelt and the Democratic Party mobilized the expanded ranks of the poor as well as organized labor, ethnic minorities, urbanites, and southern whites, crafting the new deal coalition. during the campaign, Roosevelt said: "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people", coining a slogan that was later adopted for his legislative program as well as his new coalition economist marriner eccles observed that "given later developments, the campaign speeches often read like a giant misprint, in which Roosevelt and Hoover speak each other's lines." Roosevelt denounced Hoover’s failures to restore prosperity or even halt the downward slide, and he ridiculed Hoover’s huge deficits. Roosevelt campaigned on the democratic platform advocating "immediate and drastic reductions of all public expenditures," "abolishing useless commissions and offices, consolidating bureaus and eliminating extravagances reductions in bureaucracy," and for a "sound currency to be maintained at all hazards." on September 23, Roosevelt made the gloomy evaluation that, "our industrial plant is built; the problem just now is whether under existing conditions it is not overbuilt. Our last frontier has long since been reached." Hoover damned that pessimism as a denial of "the promise of American life… The counsel of despair." the prohibition issue solidified the wet vote for Roosevelt, who noted that repeal would bring in new tax revenues. Roosevelt won 57% of the vote and carried all but six states. historians and political scientists consider the 1932-36 elections a realigning election that created a new majority coalition for the democrats, thus transforming American politics and starting what is called the "new deal party system" or (by political scientists) the fifth party system.

After the election, Roosevelt refused Hoover's requests for a meeting to come up with a joint program to stop the downward spiral and calm investors, claiming it would tie his hands. the economy spiraled downward until the banking system began a complete nationwide shutdown as Hoover's term ended. In February 1933, Roosevelt escaped a possible assassination attempt by Giuseppe Zangara (which killed Chicago mayor Anton Cermak sitting next to him). Roosevelt leaned heavily on his "brain trust" of academic advisors, especially Raymond Moley when designing his policies; he offered cabinet positions to numerous candidates (sometimes two at a time), but most declined. The cabinet member with the strongest independent base was Cordell hull at state. William Hartman Woodin at treasury was soon replaced by the much more powerful Henry Morgenthau, Jr.

First term, 1933–1937

When Roosevelt was inaugurated march 4, 1933 (32 days after Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany), the U.S. was at the nadir of the worst depression in its history. A quarter of the workforce was unemployed. Farmers were in deep trouble as prices fell by 60%. Industrial production had fallen by more than half since 1929. Two million were homeless. Due to the lack of employment, organized crime and outlaws were on the rise, such as John Dillinger. By the evening of March 4, 32 of the 48 states, as well as the District of Columbia had closed their banks. The New York Federal Reserve Bank was unable to open on the 5th, as huge sums had been withdrawn by panicky customers in previous days. Beginning with his inauguration address, Roosevelt began blaming the economic crisis on bankers and financiers, the quest for profit, and the self-interest basis of capitalism: "Primarily this is because rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and have abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men. True they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit they have proposed only the lending of more money. stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored confidence... The money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit. "

Historians categorized Roosevelt's program as "relief, recovery and reform." relief was urgently needed by tens of millions of unemployed. Recovery meant boosting the economy back to normal. Reform meant long-term fixes of what was wrong, especially with the financial and banking systems. Roosevelt's series of radio talks, known as fireside chats, presented his proposals directly to the American public.