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| − | [[Image:Josephstalin.jpg|thumb|325px|right|Roosevelt, a long-time advocate of [[Fascism#Beliefs|corporate statism]], was a great friend of [[Soviet]] leader [[Joseph Stalin]], despite the latter's war crimes and use of genocide as a political tool. Upon meeting him face-to-face for the first time at the [[Yalta Conference]], he greeted him warmly: 'I am glad to see you. I have tried for a long time to bring this about'.<ref>http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/AD_Issues/amdipl_6/stefan.html</ref> ]]
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| − | '''Franklin Delano Roosevelt''' was the 32nd [[President of the United States of America]], 1933-45, leading the U.S. from the darkest days of the [[Great Depression]] to victory over Germany and Japan; he built the '''New Deal Coalition''' which dominated American politics into the 1960s, and is still fondly remembered by liberals. His [[New Deal]] was a very large, complex interlocking set of programs designed to produce relief (which meant jobs for the unemployed), recovery (of the GDP), and reform (by which he meant regulation of Wall Street and the economy), as well as reelection (in 1936, 1940 and 1944) and realignment of the political system. Conservatives strongly opposed many, but not all, of the New Deal programs. Conservatives abolished most of the relief programs when unemployment practically ended in the 1940s. 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 program is [[Social Security]], which Roosevelt passed in 1935.
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| − | Conservatives at the time denounced his bids for presidential power, including building a national political machine through the [[WPA]] (it lasted from 1935 to 1943), attempting to take control of the Supreme Court by adding new liberal judges (an attempt which failed, 1937), and trying to purge the Democratic party of conservative congressman (an attempt which failed in 1938). The failures of those attempts can be attributed to the [[Conservative Coalition]].
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| − | After 1938 FDR turned his attention to [[World War II]]. he was a strong advocate of support for China against Japan; most conservatives agreed. He also was a strong supporter of military aid to Britain. Conservatives split on that, with the "isolationists" opposed, and others like [Henry Stimson]] in favor. Once Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into the war, conservatives strongly supported the war effort and generally approved his military leadership, although highly critical of his close cooperation with [[Stalin]] and the Soviet Union.
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| − | He was the first and only President to be elected four times, breaking the traditional two-term-limit precedent established by [[George Washington]].<ref> Tradition was restored by the 22ndAmendment in 1947.</ref>
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| − | Roosevelt's health failed rapidly in 1944-45, even as he ran for reelection. He died On April 12, 1945. Despite polio which crippled him starting in the early 1920s, he exuded a sense of confidence and hope for the future that made for a charismatic personality.
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| − | Conservative scholars have argued that some relief efforts actually helped to prolong the [[Great Depression]].
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| | {{President | | {{President |
| | |image=509px-FDR in 1933.jpg | | |image=509px-FDR in 1933.jpg |
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| | |religion=[[Episcopalian]] | | |religion=[[Episcopalian]] |
| | }} | | }} |
| | + | '''Franklin Delano Roosevelt''' was the 32nd [[President of the United States of America]], 1933-45, leading the U.S. from the darkest days of the [[Great Depression]] to victory over Germany and Japan; he built the '''New Deal Coalition''' which dominated American politics into the 1960s, and is still fondly remembered by liberals. His [[New Deal]] was a very large, complex interlocking set of programs designed to produce relief (which meant jobs for the unemployed), recovery (of the GDP), and reform (by which he meant regulation of Wall Street and the economy), as well as reelection (in 1936, 1940 and 1944) and realignment of the political system. Conservatives strongly opposed many, but not all, of the New Deal programs. Conservatives abolished most of the relief programs when unemployment practically ended in the 1940s. 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 program is [[Social Security]], which Roosevelt passed in 1935. |
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| | + | Conservatives at the time denounced his bids for presidential power, including building a national political machine through the [[WPA]] (it lasted from 1935 to 1943), attempting to take control of the Supreme Court by adding new liberal judges (an attempt which failed, 1937), and trying to purge the Democratic party of conservative congressman (an attempt which failed in 1938). The failures of those attempts can be attributed to the [[Conservative Coalition]]. |
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| | + | After 1938 FDR turned his attention to [[World War II]]. he was a strong advocate of support for China against Japan; most conservatives agreed. He also was a strong supporter of military aid to Britain. Conservatives split on that, with the "isolationists" opposed, and others like [Henry Stimson]] in favor. Once Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into the war, conservatives strongly supported the war effort and generally approved his military leadership, although highly critical of his close cooperation with [[Stalin]] and the Soviet Union. |
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| | + | He was the first and only President to be elected four times, breaking the traditional two-term-limit precedent established by [[George Washington]].<ref> Tradition was restored by the 22ndAmendment in 1947.</ref> |
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| | + | Roosevelt's health failed rapidly in 1944-45, even as he ran for reelection. He died On April 12, 1945. Despite polio which crippled him starting in the early 1920s, he exuded a sense of confidence and hope for the future that made for a charismatic personality. |
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| | + | Conservative scholars have argued that some relief efforts actually helped to prolong the [[Great Depression]]. |
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| | ==Early life== | | ==Early life== |
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| | == Election of 1932 == | | == Election of 1932 == |
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| | The Democrats made Government non-intervention under the Hoover administration an issue in the campaign of 1932, charging that Hoover's laissez faire approach was not working. After Roosevelt had taken office, former Democratic New York Governor Al Smith, saw Roosevelt's ultimately expansive policies as a departure from the ideals of Conservatives and supported Republican candidates in subsequent elections. | | The Democrats made Government non-intervention under the Hoover administration an issue in the campaign of 1932, charging that Hoover's laissez faire approach was not working. After Roosevelt had taken office, former Democratic New York Governor Al Smith, saw Roosevelt's ultimately expansive policies as a departure from the ideals of Conservatives and supported Republican candidates in subsequent elections. |
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| | == First Term == | | == First Term == |
| | ===Foreign policy=== | | ===Foreign policy=== |
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| | On November 16, 1933, when the Roosevelt administration granted diplomatic recognition to the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]], the USSR pledged itself to refrain "from interfering in any manner in the internal affairs of the United States." This occurred three weeks after the founding of the [[Comintern]] affiliated [[American League for Peace and Democracy]]. The process of Communist “influence” in American life was accelerated. This “influence,” as described by [[Communist party]] defector [[Louis Budenz]], was to “infiltrate key government posts, undermine the patriotism of well meaning people in strategic or confidential positions, and win over those whose words, spoken and written, have an effect on American [[public opinion]];” it was checked “partially during the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop pact|Hitler-Stalin alliance]], it went all out in the course of the [[Second World War]]."<ref>Men Without Faces, The Communist Conspiracy in the U. S. A., By Louis Budenz, New York Harper & Brothers, 1950, [http://americandeception.com/index.php?action=downloadpdf&photo=//PDFsml_AD/Men_Without_Faces-Louis_Francis_Budenz-1950-315pgs-POL.sml.pdf&id=238&PHPSESSID=03d3557b41f249f71349e6d730cc8498 pg. 2] pdf.</ref> | | On November 16, 1933, when the Roosevelt administration granted diplomatic recognition to the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]], the USSR pledged itself to refrain "from interfering in any manner in the internal affairs of the United States." This occurred three weeks after the founding of the [[Comintern]] affiliated [[American League for Peace and Democracy]]. The process of Communist “influence” in American life was accelerated. This “influence,” as described by [[Communist party]] defector [[Louis Budenz]], was to “infiltrate key government posts, undermine the patriotism of well meaning people in strategic or confidential positions, and win over those whose words, spoken and written, have an effect on American [[public opinion]];” it was checked “partially during the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop pact|Hitler-Stalin alliance]], it went all out in the course of the [[Second World War]]."<ref>Men Without Faces, The Communist Conspiracy in the U. S. A., By Louis Budenz, New York Harper & Brothers, 1950, [http://americandeception.com/index.php?action=downloadpdf&photo=//PDFsml_AD/Men_Without_Faces-Louis_Francis_Budenz-1950-315pgs-POL.sml.pdf&id=238&PHPSESSID=03d3557b41f249f71349e6d730cc8498 pg. 2] pdf.</ref> |
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| | ===Taxation=== | | ===Taxation=== |
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| | FDR, in a letter to journalist Roy W. Howard, wrote, | | FDR, in a letter to journalist Roy W. Howard, wrote, |
| | :"What is known as consumer taxes, namely the invisible taxes paid by people in every walk of life, fall relatively much more heavily upon the poor man than on the rich man." <ref>Franklin D. Roosevelt, letter to Roy W. Howard, September 2, 1935. </ref> | | :"What is known as consumer taxes, namely the invisible taxes paid by people in every walk of life, fall relatively much more heavily upon the poor man than on the rich man." <ref>Franklin D. Roosevelt, letter to Roy W. Howard, September 2, 1935. </ref> |
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| | ===Economic growth=== | | ===Economic growth=== |
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| | New capital made available for investment amounted to $348,000,000 in 1935. This was less than 1/10th of the amount available in 1929. By contrast, the British economy had nearly recovered to its 1929 levels by 1935, and the amount available for investment was almost twice as much as the United States. | | New capital made available for investment amounted to $348,000,000 in 1935. This was less than 1/10th of the amount available in 1929. By contrast, the British economy had nearly recovered to its 1929 levels by 1935, and the amount available for investment was almost twice as much as the United States. |
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| | | 666,710,500 | | | 666,710,500 |
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| | ===Congress of Industrial Organizations=== | | ===Congress of Industrial Organizations=== |
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| | By 1935 membership in labor unions had sunk to a low figure as a result of [[unemployment]]. There were men around the President at this time that saw the tremendous possibilities of organizing labor as a political force. An industrial union is one in which all the people engaged in a single industry are included without regard to the type of skills at which they work. The industrial union was the one great instrument by which all labor could be organized and the President was urged to promote this idea as the starting point in building up a powerful political labor movement. There were three large industrial unions at that time, [[John L. Lewis]]’s [[United Mine Workers]] (UMW), the International Ladies Garment Workers Union of David Dubinsky and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of [[Sidney Hillman]]. | | By 1935 membership in labor unions had sunk to a low figure as a result of [[unemployment]]. There were men around the President at this time that saw the tremendous possibilities of organizing labor as a political force. An industrial union is one in which all the people engaged in a single industry are included without regard to the type of skills at which they work. The industrial union was the one great instrument by which all labor could be organized and the President was urged to promote this idea as the starting point in building up a powerful political labor movement. There were three large industrial unions at that time, [[John L. Lewis]]’s [[United Mine Workers]] (UMW), the International Ladies Garment Workers Union of David Dubinsky and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of [[Sidney Hillman]]. |
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| | Lewis was interested in bringing into existence industrial unions like his own, in which he had always believed. Roosevelt was interested in bringing into American labor unions as many voters as possible and in capturing their leadership to build a powerful labor faction which could control the Democratic party and which he and his allies could control through the vast power of the government and the vast powers of labor leaders, along with the immense financial resources that so great a labor movement would have. The Communists were interested in getting into key positions as union officers, statisticians, economists, etc., in order to utilize the apparatus of the unions to promote the cause of revolution. By the early part of 1938, over three million workers had been organized. Lewis was later to split with FDR. <ref>''Communists and the CIO: From the Soviet archives'', Harvey Klehr and John E. Haynes, Labor History, Volume 35, Issue 3 Summer 1994 , pages 442 - 446. [http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a772103056~db=all?tab=references]</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,788129-4,00.html ''Turning Point?''], Time magazine, Monday, Jul. 12, 1937.</ref> | | Lewis was interested in bringing into existence industrial unions like his own, in which he had always believed. Roosevelt was interested in bringing into American labor unions as many voters as possible and in capturing their leadership to build a powerful labor faction which could control the Democratic party and which he and his allies could control through the vast power of the government and the vast powers of labor leaders, along with the immense financial resources that so great a labor movement would have. The Communists were interested in getting into key positions as union officers, statisticians, economists, etc., in order to utilize the apparatus of the unions to promote the cause of revolution. By the early part of 1938, over three million workers had been organized. Lewis was later to split with FDR. <ref>''Communists and the CIO: From the Soviet archives'', Harvey Klehr and John E. Haynes, Labor History, Volume 35, Issue 3 Summer 1994 , pages 442 - 446. [http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a772103056~db=all?tab=references]</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,788129-4,00.html ''Turning Point?''], Time magazine, Monday, Jul. 12, 1937.</ref> |
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| | == Third Term == | | == Third Term == |
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| | It is fairly certain that early in 1939, if not a little sooner, FDR made up his mind to seek a third election in the [[United States presidential election, 1940|presidential election of 1940]]. FDR realized the political difficulties involved in a third nomination so he wanted to make it appear as a "draft Roosevelt" movement. He discussed other candidates with his aids, among the names were Democratic National Committee Chairman [[James Farley]], whom FDR rejected because he was [[Roman Catholic]]. The name of Paul McNutt was urged; FDR was angry McNutt would even permit his name to be discussed. FDR told Farley: "I consider it bad taste on his part to be letting his name be used when he is still a member of my administration." Roosevelt sent him as High Commissioner to the Philippines and jokingly asked: "Is that far enough?"<ref>''The Roosevelt Myth'', Book 1, Ch. 6, [http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/book/fdrmyth_Chapter_Seven___The_Third_Term.htm ''The Third Term''], John T. Flynn, Fox and Wilkes, 1948.</ref> Historian [[Doris Kearns Goodwin]] in her book ''No Ordinary Time'' explored the decision to seek a third time and concludes FDR probably decided to enter the war at the same time he decided to run again, although he was politically unable to enter the war until the [[Japanese]] [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. | | It is fairly certain that early in 1939, if not a little sooner, FDR made up his mind to seek a third election in the [[United States presidential election, 1940|presidential election of 1940]]. FDR realized the political difficulties involved in a third nomination so he wanted to make it appear as a "draft Roosevelt" movement. He discussed other candidates with his aids, among the names were Democratic National Committee Chairman [[James Farley]], whom FDR rejected because he was [[Roman Catholic]]. The name of Paul McNutt was urged; FDR was angry McNutt would even permit his name to be discussed. FDR told Farley: "I consider it bad taste on his part to be letting his name be used when he is still a member of my administration." Roosevelt sent him as High Commissioner to the Philippines and jokingly asked: "Is that far enough?"<ref>''The Roosevelt Myth'', Book 1, Ch. 6, [http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/book/fdrmyth_Chapter_Seven___The_Third_Term.htm ''The Third Term''], John T. Flynn, Fox and Wilkes, 1948.</ref> Historian [[Doris Kearns Goodwin]] in her book ''No Ordinary Time'' explored the decision to seek a third time and concludes FDR probably decided to enter the war at the same time he decided to run again, although he was politically unable to enter the war until the [[Japanese]] [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. |
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| | === Commander in Chief === | | === Commander in Chief === |
| | + | [[Image:Josephstalin.jpg|thumb|325px|right|Roosevelt, a long-time advocate of [[Fascism#Beliefs|corporate statism]], was a great friend of [[Soviet]] leader [[Joseph Stalin]], despite the latter's war crimes and use of genocide as a political tool. Upon meeting him face-to-face for the first time at the [[Yalta Conference]], he greeted him warmly: 'I am glad to see you. I have tried for a long time to bring this about'.<ref>http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/AD_Issues/amdipl_6/stefan.html</ref> ]] |
| | In August 1939 Stalin made an alliance with Hitler that allowed Hitler to invade Poland; the two divided P{oland and eastern Europe between them, as Germany turned toward France and Britain. With Roosevelt strongly supporting France and Britain, the American Communist Party began attacking Roosevelt in the wildest terms and did so for the next twenty-two months. It used antiwar slogans like "The Yanks Are Not Coming" and "Hands Off." It set up a "perpetual peace vigil" across the street from the White House. Communist party leader Earl Browder announced that FDR, head of the "war party of the American bourgeoisie," was no better than the Communists great enemy, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover.<ref>James G. Ryan, ''Earl Browder: The Failure of American Communism,'' (1997), p. 168. </ref> In the 1940 election, pro-Moscow elements in the CIO forced John L. Lewis to turn against Roosevelt and support the liberal Republican [[Wendell Willkie]]. Roosevelt meanwhile moved right, and brought into top jobs the GOP vice presidential nominee from 1936, Frank Knox (a conservative who became Secretary of the Navy) and conservative Republican lawyer [[Henry Stimson]], who took over the War Department. Rejecting advice from the far left, 90% of CIO members voted for Roosevelt, who was easily elected to a third term. | | In August 1939 Stalin made an alliance with Hitler that allowed Hitler to invade Poland; the two divided P{oland and eastern Europe between them, as Germany turned toward France and Britain. With Roosevelt strongly supporting France and Britain, the American Communist Party began attacking Roosevelt in the wildest terms and did so for the next twenty-two months. It used antiwar slogans like "The Yanks Are Not Coming" and "Hands Off." It set up a "perpetual peace vigil" across the street from the White House. Communist party leader Earl Browder announced that FDR, head of the "war party of the American bourgeoisie," was no better than the Communists great enemy, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover.<ref>James G. Ryan, ''Earl Browder: The Failure of American Communism,'' (1997), p. 168. </ref> In the 1940 election, pro-Moscow elements in the CIO forced John L. Lewis to turn against Roosevelt and support the liberal Republican [[Wendell Willkie]]. Roosevelt meanwhile moved right, and brought into top jobs the GOP vice presidential nominee from 1936, Frank Knox (a conservative who became Secretary of the Navy) and conservative Republican lawyer [[Henry Stimson]], who took over the War Department. Rejecting advice from the far left, 90% of CIO members voted for Roosevelt, who was easily elected to a third term. |
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| | [[John P. Davies]] was assigned to Gen. [[Joseph Stilwell]] as Stilwell's adviser in China. Hopkins made a note at the time: "The President indicated his strong dissatisfaction with the way the whole show was running in China. He stated that Stillwell obviously hated the Chinese and that his cablegrams are sarcastic about the Chinese and this feeling is undoubtedly known to the Generalissimo."<ref>Roosevelt and Hopkin, Sherwood, pg. 739.</ref> Roosevelt and Hopkins biographer [[Robert Sherwood]] wrote that Gen. [[George C. Marshall]] told Hopkins his only serious disagreement with | | [[John P. Davies]] was assigned to Gen. [[Joseph Stilwell]] as Stilwell's adviser in China. Hopkins made a note at the time: "The President indicated his strong dissatisfaction with the way the whole show was running in China. He stated that Stillwell obviously hated the Chinese and that his cablegrams are sarcastic about the Chinese and this feeling is undoubtedly known to the Generalissimo."<ref>Roosevelt and Hopkin, Sherwood, pg. 739.</ref> Roosevelt and Hopkins biographer [[Robert Sherwood]] wrote that Gen. [[George C. Marshall]] told Hopkins his only serious disagreement with |