Who is Franklin D. Roosevelt?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd American president. Roosevelt, as he was often called, led the United States through the Great Depression and World War II and greatly expanded the powers of the federal government through a series of programs and reforms known as the New Deal. Stricken by polio in 1921, Roosevelt spent most of his adult life in a wheelchair. An entire generation of Americans grew up without knowing another president as Roosevelt served an unprecedented four terms. Roosevelt's social programs redefined the role of government in American life, and his presidency during World War II established United States leadership on the world stage.
Starting conditions
Many years of practice convincingly prove that not everyone succeeds in the political field.
To make a career in politics, a person must have certain character traits, intelligence and appropriate upbringing. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 into an intelligent and wealthy family. At that time, my parents lived in one of the fashionable areas of New York. His father owned several farms and coal mines. Mother was the daughter of a famous and wealthy businessman. The father was 26 years older than his mother, who was already his second wife. Franklin received an excellent education and an aristocratic upbringing. First of all, he was taught to respect people who achieve success through their work. During his childhood, he traveled a lot with his family to different countries of the world and mastered several foreign languages. Until the age of fourteen he was educated at home. Then he went to a prestigious private school, from which he graduated with honors. Following the instructions of his parents, Roosevelt entered the law department of Columbia University.
Early life and education
Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. Born into a wealthy family, he was the only child of James Roosevelt and Sarah Ann Delano Roosevelt, and a distant relative of President Theodore Roosevelt. The Roosevelts had been famous for generations, making their fortune in real estate and commerce, and lived at Springwood, their estate in New York's Hudson Valley.
Roosevelt's childhood was surrounded by privilege and a sense of self-worth. Until the age of 14, he was raised by governesses and the entire family revolved around him, with his mother being the dominant figure in his life even into adulthood. His upbringing was very different from the common people he would later defend. In 1896, Roosevelt attended Groton School for Boys, a prestigious Episcopal preparatory school in Massachusetts. This experience was difficult for him as he did not fit in with the other students. Grotonians excelled in athletics, but Roosevelt did not. He was eager to please adults and took to heart the teachings of Groton's principal, Endicott Peabody, who encouraged students to help the less fortunate through public service. After graduating from Groton in 1900, Roosevelt entered Harvard University determined to achieve something. Although he was only a "C" student, he was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, editor of the Harvard Crimson, and received his degree in just three years. However, the general consensus among his contemporaries was that he was underwhelming and average.
Roosevelt went on to study law at Columbia Law School and passed the bar exam in 1907, although he did not receive a degree. For the next three years, he practiced corporate law in New York City, living a typical upper-class life. But Roosevelt found the practice of law boring and restrictive. He set his sights on big things.
The result of swimming in ice water
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (abbreviated FDR) was born in 1882 in the state of New York, on the Hyde Park estate.
Father - entrepreneur James Roosevelt Sr. or First. Mother - Sarah Roosevelt, née Delano, a housewife. The Hudson River flowed next to the estate, and it was generally a completely different world, known to us from adventure literature, and not from family legends.
Sarah Delano Roosevelt holds her 3-month-old son Franklin. Photo from the Franklin Roosevelt Museum website fdrlibrary.org
The family had enough money. European travel, vacations on the islands, passion for philately and yachts. The boy grew up absolutely healthy, and the terrible diagnosis was still very far away.
Until the age of 14, Frank was educated at home. Then he entered Groton School, one of the most prestigious boarding schools. In 1904 he graduated from Harvard (BA). Then Columbia University Law School and a respectable office on the legendary Wall Street.
Franklin is 25 years old, successful, handsome, energetic and confidently looking into his seemingly serene future.
14 years pass. During this time, the young lawyer became seriously interested in politics, and his achievements were impressive. In 1910 he became a senator from the Democratic Party. Two years later, he actively participates in the presidential elections - he supports the Democratic candidate Thomas Woodrow Wilson. And again victory - Wilson sits in the presidential chair, and Franklin Roosevelt himself accepts the portfolio of Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
Franklin Roosevelt in his youth. Photo from fdrlibrary.org
He is active, he is strong in polemics, he seeks serious financial injections into strengthening the country's defense capability in general and in the development of the military fleet in particular.
And in 1921 it all ends. At the next presidential election, the Democratic Party is inferior to the Republican Party, and Roosevelt himself is transferred from the comfortable chair of the big boss to another, disabled one.
Poliomyelitis is a contagious disease. The polio virus attacks the bone spinal cord. Then the muscles decrease in volume and the person becomes paralyzed. As a rule, this disease occurs in childhood, but exceptions are possible.
Franklin Roosevelt was just such an exception. Politicians communicate a lot. Picked it up somewhere.
It is believed that the disease was caused by swimming in ice water. However, it doesn't matter now. In any case, Frank decided not to give up. Several hours a day - gymnastics, swimming. Unfortunately, I was able to recover only from the waist up. The wheelchair is here to stay.
Franklin Roosevelt with Thomas Wilson. Photo from fdrlibrary.org
Roosevelt did not make a secret of his illness, and it would hardly have been possible. But he didn’t flaunt his illness. Returning to work (that is, back to politics), he tried, if possible, not to move around in public. And sitting at the table, the politician looked very impressive.
And at the same time, he tried in every possible way to live so that his illness did not make him special, he demanded from those around him: not a drop of leniency. They say that he climbed the fire escape to the desired floor on his own hands simply because he did not have the opportunity to use the usual steps.
New York State Senate
In 1910, at the age of 28, Roosevelt was invited to run for the New York State Senate. He ran as a Democrat in a district that has voted Republican for the past 32 years. Through persistent campaigning and the help of his name, he won a seat in the Democratic Union. As a state senator, Roosevelt opposed elements of the Democratic political machine in New York. This earned him the wrath of party leaders, but brought him national fame and valuable experience in political tactics and intrigue.
During this time, he formed an alliance with Louis Howe, which would shape his political career for the next 25 years. Roosevelt was re-elected to the state Senate in 1912 and served as chairman of the Agriculture Committee, passing farm bills, labor bills, and welfare programs.
During the 1912 Democratic National Convention, Roosevelt supported presidential candidate Woodrow Wilson and was rewarded with an appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Navy—the same job that Theodore Roosevelt used to catapult him to the presidency.
Roosevelt was an energetic and effective administrator. He specialized in business operations, working with Congress to approve budgets and modernize systems, and he founded the United States Naval Reserve. But he was restless as "second chairman" to his boss, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, who was less enthusiastic about maintaining a large and efficient naval force.
Franklin Roosevelt's politics
Roosevelt's first success came in 1910, when he became the Democratic candidate in the New York State Congress. He constantly traveled throughout the state with speeches, pushing people to go to the polls with his speeches. His performances were a huge success. The very next year he becomes a member of the Masonic lodge.
The talented young man was noticed in the office of future President Woodrow Wilson and was invited to take part in organizing the elections. After Wilson's victory, Roosevelt becomes the country's Secretary of the Navy. However, he did not give up trying to get into Congress - in 1914 he ran for office again, but lost.
Without despair, Franklin continued to work in the military field, traveling around the country: visiting military bases, battlefields of the US Navy, as well as factories where special equipment was created to strengthen naval potential.
In 1920, Roosevelt again tried to break into the highest echelons of power - he nominated himself for the post of vice president. But he lost again.
It should be noted that during this period the Democratic Party was going through hard times: the president was paralyzed and could not fully participate in the life of the United States. The Republicans were attracting more and more people.
But trouble does not come alone - in 1921, Roosevelt rested on the shores of the Atlantic and swam several times in very cold water. As a result, polio developed, which confined the 39-year-old politician to a wheelchair. Of course, there were physical education classes, massages, and medications, but it was never possible to achieve a complete recovery - without a wheelchair, Franklin could practically not move. Because of this problem, I had to leave the political arena for 8 years.
In 1928, elections for governor of New York took place, in which Roosevelt finally won. He holds this post for two terms, which indicates his high authority. In addition to his main activities, Franklin is also involved in other responsibilities, for example, he was a member of various organizations associated with the navy, the geographical society and many others.
It is with his name that a black page in US history is associated - the economic crisis that began in 1929. As a governor and a wealthy man, Roosevelt tried to do everything possible to ensure that people in trouble could survive difficult times.
A special relief fund was even created. With such a broad gesture, he wanted not only to help people, but also to earn points for future elections. And he turned out to be right - potential voters developed great sympathy for him.
National politics
In 1914, Roosevelt decided to run for the US Senate from New York State. The proposal was doomed from the start because it lacked the support of the White House. President Wilson needed a democratic political machine to carry out his social reforms and secure his re-election. He could not support Roosevelt, who had made too many political enemies among New York Democrats. Roosevelt was soundly defeated in the primary elections and learned a valuable lesson that national authority cannot defeat a well-organized local political organization. However, Roosevelt entered politics in Washington and found his career flourishing as more personal relationships developed. At the 1920 Democratic National Convention, he accepted the vice presidential nomination as running mate of James M. Cox. The pair were soundly defeated by Republican Warren Harding in the general election, but the experience gave Roosevelt national fame.
Roosevelt restored his relationship with the New York Democratic political machine. He appeared at the 1924 and 1928 Democratic National Conventions to nominate New York Governor Al Smith for President, increasing his national fame.
Political activity
Roosevelt, having formulated very clearly his goals and set priorities, immediately began to move towards their implementation. At the same time, he was not at all interested in jurisprudence, which he was actively involved in at that time. Perhaps in the context of politics, because it was in this that, following the example of Theodore Roosevelt, he imagined himself.
The beginning of the professional political career of the future president can be considered in 1910 - it was then that he accepted the offer of the American Democrats and, having secured their support, won the battle for the post of senator in the New York State Legislature. Just two years later, Roosevelt received another offer - this time he was given the opportunity to take the post of Assistant Secretary of the Navy, which he took advantage of without delay, and already in 1914 he tried to get a seat in the US Congress, however, he lost.
The beginning of the 20s became a real test for many politicians, and for Roosevelt this stage was doubly difficult. First, President Wilson, who had been so actively supported by Roosevelt and who had given him a position in the Navy Department, was paralyzed, and the Democratic Party was in decline. The Republicans came to power, and Roosevelt, who remained “overboard,” had to change course - from a politician, he retrained as a businessman and opened his own law firm on Wall Street. However, what happened next could not be compared with any political strife - Franklin Roosevelt was struck down by a terrible illness - polio, which did not leave him until the end of his days. However, the illness not only did not break the politician, but also forced him to gather all his will into a fist and move forward by leaps and bounds - first in the world of business, and then in the political arena. Again.
So in 1928, he became a participant in the race for the governor's seat of New York - according to his idea, this position was to become a springboard to the White House. A well-designed (and financed, which is no less important) election campaign did its job - Roosevelt was elected governor in the 28th year, and then in the 30th year. Victory in this battle meant much more to Roosevelt than it might seem at first glance - this undoubted triumph meant his victory over an illness that the politician did not want to put up with. He hated it when people felt sorry for him and did not allow anyone to carry him from the wheelchair, from which he was now inseparable - whenever he needed to get up or take a couple of steps, Roosevelt preferred crutches to anyone’s help.
As governor, Roosevelt paid special attention to social issues of society, day after day increasing the army of fans of his own style of government. Everything was going well, but time dictated its conditions - the Great Depression, which overtook the state in 1929, took everyone, including politicians, by surprise: businesses closed, crime on the streets spread, hunger flourished. While Roosevelt's colleagues could not recover from the magnitude of the disaster, he began to act and one of his first steps was the creation of a special commission on unemployment, thanks to which citizens of New York State were soon able to receive payments. Although the amounts were meager, such an action made people understand that Roosevelt, unlike the federal authorities, was thinking about the common people.
Polio and paralysis
In 1921, at the age of 39, Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio while vacationing on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada. Initially refusing to accept that he was permanently paralyzed, Roosevelt tried numerous treatments and even purchased the Warm Springs resort in Georgia in search of a cure.
Despite all his efforts, he never learned to use his legs. He later founded a foundation in Warm Springs to help others and established the March of Dimes program, which eventually funded an effective polio vaccine. Roosevelt's "Little White House" in Warm Springs is now a Georgia State Park and National Historic Landmark. For a time, Roosevelt accepted the fact that he had become a victim of polio, believing that his political career was over. But his wife Eleanor and political confidante Louis Howe encouraged him to continue.
Over the next few years, Roosevelt worked to improve his physical and political image. He learned to walk short distances wearing braces. And he was careful not to be seen in public in a wheelchair.
Childhood and youth
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York Franklin's father, James Roosevelt , belonged to the Dutch family of Rosenfelds . He was the owner of several coal mining companies and was engaged in farming. Mother - Sarah Delano , belonged to the family of French Huguenots. Franklin's father and mother were 26 years . Franklin has a half-brother from his father's first wife.
With mom Sarah
Until the age of 14, the young man was educated at home, then studied for 3 years at the Groton School in Massachusetts and received a higher education at Harvard.
In youth and youth
Presidential elections
After the stock market crash of 1929, Republicans were blamed for the Great Depression. Sensing an opportunity, Roosevelt began his campaign by calling for government intervention in the economy to provide relief, recovery, and reform. His optimistic, positive approach and personal charm helped him defeat incumbent Republican President Herbert Hoover in November 1932.
When Roosevelt ran for a second term in 1936, he was re-elected to office on November 3, 1936, defeating Alfred Landon, governor of Kansas.
In early 1940, Roosevelt did not publicly announce that he would seek an unprecedented third presidential term. But privately, in the middle of World War II, with German victories in Europe and Japan's growing dominance in Asia, Roosevelt felt that only he had the experience and skills to lead America through such difficult times.
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Roosevelt beat out all challengers and won the nomination. In November 1940, he defeated Republican Wendell Willkie in the presidential election.
As the end of Roosevelt's third term approached, the United States was deeply involved in the war, and there was no doubt that he would seek a fourth term. Roosevelt selected Missouri Senator Harry S. Truman as his vice presidential candidate, and together they defeated Republican candidate Thomas E. Dewey in the 1944 presidential election, winning 36 of 48 states.
Political career
F. Roosevelt's political activity began in 1910, when he accepted an offer from the Democratic Party. His path began as a candidate of this party for the New York State Legislature. The future head of government was so inspired by the new and interesting business that he happily traveled around the entire district, communicated with voters and ultimately won the election. In 1911, Roosevelt, while serving as governor, joined the Masonic lodge.
He first won the presidential election in 1933, receiving a landslide majority of the popular vote.
The second victory in 1936 was more grandiose. This period of his tenure as President of the United States is associated with bold proposals in matters of government regulation, social protection of the population, etc.
In 1940, he decided to leave his position, but all members of the Democratic Party nominated Franklin again as a candidate for President and he agreed. The 4th election victory took place in 1944, at the height of World War II. He won again and directed his efforts to preserve the integrity of the country.
New course
Within the first 100 days of taking office in March 1933, Roosevelt called for a New Deal for Americans, proposing sweeping economic reforms to combat the Great Depression. The greatest crisis in American history since the Civil War, 13 million Americans were left unemployed and hundreds of banks were closed. Roosevelt ordered all banks to be temporarily closed to stop the run of depositors.
He formed a "Brain Trust" of economic consultants who developed "alphabet agencies" such as the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration) to support agricultural commodity prices by reducing agricultural production through subsidies; CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) to recruit young, unmarried men to work restoring public lands and national parks; and the NRA (National Recovery Administration), which regulated wages and prices.
Other agencies insured bank deposits, regulated the stock market, subsidized mortgages, and provided assistance to the unemployed.
By 1936, the US economy showed signs of improvement, with gross national product rising by 34% and unemployment falling from 25% to 14%. But Roosevelt faced criticism for increased government spending, unbalanced budgets and what some perceived as a move toward socialism. In the mid-1930s, the Supreme Court ruled several New Deal acts unconstitutional. Roosevelt retaliated by proposing to pack the court with judges more favorable to his reforms.
Many in Congress, including some Democrats, rejected the idea. By 1938, negative publicity, a continuing sluggish economy, and Republican victories in the midterm elections effectively made it impossible for Roosevelt to pass more reform legislation.
Foreign policy
In 1933, Roosevelt abandoned the unilateralism of the Monroe Doctrine and established the Latin American Good Neighbor Policy.
After the end of World War I, America pursued an isolationist foreign policy, and by the early 1930s, Congress passed the Neutrality Acts to prevent the United States from becoming embroiled in foreign conflicts. However, as military conflicts arose in Asia and Europe, Roosevelt sought to help China in its war with Japan and declared that France and Great Britain were America's "first line of defense" against Nazi Germany.
The Second World War
In 1940, Roosevelt began a series of measures to protect France and Great Britain from Nazi aggression in World War II, including the Lend-Lease agreement, which Congress passed as the Lend-Lease Act in 1941.
In early 1941, as war raged in Europe, Roosevelt insisted that United States factories become the “arsenal of democracy” for the allies—France, Great Britain, and Russia. As Americans learned more about the atrocities of war, isolationist sentiments waned. Roosevelt took advantage of this by standing firmly against the Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. Bipartisan support in Congress expanded the Army and Navy and increased the flow of supplies to the allies. However, any hope of keeping the United States out of war ended with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Japanese internment
A few months after the declaration of war, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, ordering all persons of Japanese descent to leave the West Coast. As a result, 120,000 people, many of them American citizens, were sent to internment camps located in the interior of the country. Oddly enough, this arrangement did not apply either to Hawaii, where a third of the population was of Japanese descent, or to Americans of Italian or German descent living in the United States. Almost all Japanese Americans on the West Coast were forced to quit their jobs and sell their property and businesses at huge losses. Their entire social order was turned upside down as families were given only a few days to leave their homes and neighborhoods and be sent to internment camps.
Commander-in-Chief
During World War II, Roosevelt was a commander in chief who worked with and sometimes around his military advisers. He helped develop a strategy to defeat Germany in Europe through a series of invasions, first of North Africa in November 1942, then of Sicily and Italy in 1943, and then the invasion of Europe in 1944.
At the same time, Allied forces pushed Japan back into Asia and the eastern Pacific. During this time, Roosevelt promoted the creation of the United Nations.
In February 1945, Roosevelt attended the Yalta Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin to discuss postwar reorganization. He then returned to the United States and to the Warm Springs Sanctuary, Georgia.
Leader and President
On December 7, 1941, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor freed Roosevelt's hands. The President, in accordance with the constitution, assumed all the responsibilities of commander-in-chief in time of war. The next day, war was declared on Japan, followed by Germany and Italy declaring war on the United States.
Roosevelt became a key figure in the anti-Hitler coalition. Unlike Churchill, he knew how to smooth out rough edges and build relationships with Stalin . Thanks to this, the anti-Hitler coalition was formed and strengthened, and the foundations of the United Nations were laid.
Tehran-43. How Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt decided the fate of the world Read more
In 1944, at the height of the war, Franklin Roosevelt was re-elected to the presidency for the fourth time. His authority in the country was enormous, and accusations from political opponents of corruption and “connections with communists” could not shake him.
In February 1945, Roosevelt took part in the Yalta Conference, which discussed the foundations of the post-war world order. The end of the war was already in sight, and previous disagreements, turning into outright hostility, again came to the fore.
Roosevelt showed wisdom and understanding here too. Highly appreciating the role of the Soviet Union in the war, he met Stalin halfway on issues of post-war borders in Europe, receiving in return the USSR's promise to enter the war against Japan 2-3 months after the end of hostilities in Europe. A common language was achieved both in questions about the ideology of the UN and in the creation of a new system for resolving interstate problems.
Death
On the afternoon of April 12, 1945, Roosevelt suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and died. The stress of World War II took its toll on his health, and in March 1944, hospital tests revealed that he had atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and congestive heart failure.
At Roosevelt's side at the time of his death were two cousins, Laura Delano and Margaret Suckley, as well as his former mistress, Lucy Mercer Rutherford (by then a widow), with whom he maintained a relationship.
A few hours after Roosevelt's death, Vice President Harry S. Truman was summoned to the White House, where he took the oath of office. Roosevelt's sudden death shook the American public to its core. Although many noticed that he looked exhausted in photographs and newsreels, no one seemed prepared for his demise.
