The Life of Roosevelt

Author: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features:
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." —From his inaugural address during the Great Depression
"I never let my left hand know what my right hand is doing." —A witty remark on political tactics
"We are now in a war, not for conquest, not for revenge, but for a world in which our nation and all it stands for will be safe for our children." —From his war declaration speech after Pearl Harbor
"We cannot live alone in a world that is becoming increasingly interdependent. Our own safety is dependent on the well-being of others. We have learned that we must live as men, and not as ostriches or as dogs in a corner." —From his fourth inaugural address
"The only thing standing between us and our ideals is fear." —From his speech on Jefferson Day
"He overturned more precedents than anyone else, he shattered more old structures than anyone else, and he changed the face of America more swiftly and radically than anyone else. Yet it was he who most deeply believed that the American structure, as a whole, was fundamentally good." —From the observations of a famous American journalist, Johnson
"If he had not made the decision to aid Britain and Europe at the critical moment of our own experience, humanity would have been plunged into a terrible situation, and the entire future of mankind would have sunk into humiliation and disaster." —From Winston Churchill
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, is one of the greatest presidents in the hearts of the American people, alongside the nation's founding father, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, who turned the tide of the Civil War. As the only U.S. president to serve four terms, he led the nation for 12 years from March 1933 to April 1945, pulling the United States out of the shadow of the Great Depression and reviving the economy on the brink of collapse. During World War II, he led the U.S. to abandon its isolationist mindset and join the anti-Fascist war, ultimately securing victory. Through the war's triumph and the establishment of the United Nations, he solidified America's global influence. It can be said that without Roosevelt, there would be no America's current international standing. How did he achieve all this? At the age of 49, polio nearly ended his political career, yet he rose again and turned the world from his wheelchair. When the nation almost uniformly adhered to isolationism and feared war, how did he gradually inspire the people's fighting spirit? As a visionary statesman, what strategic means did he employ to shape the post-war world order? In this book, Conrad Black delves into the real Franklin D. Roosevelt behind his legendary achievements—his complex personality, his career ideals, his vision, and his relationships with many prominent figures of his time.