Franklin D. Roosevelt, consensus choice as one of three great presidents, led the American people through the two major crises of modern times. This volume analyses that leadership in combating the Great Depression; its successor explains how he became the leader of the Free World as well. The first volume of an epic two-part biography, Franklin D. Roosevelt: Road to the New Deal, 1882-1939 presents FDR from a privileged Hyde Park childhood through his Depression-era presidency to the ominous buildup to global war. Roger Daniels revisits the sources and closely examines Roosevelt's own words and deeds to create a twenty-first century analysis of how Roosevelt forged the modern presidency. Daniels's close analysis yields new insights into the expansion of Roosevelt's economic views; FDR's steady mastery of the complexities of federal administrative practices and possibilities; the ways the press and presidential handlers treated questions surrounding his health; and his genius for channeling the lessons learned from an unprecedented collection of scholars and experts into bold political action.

Reappraising the rise of a political titan and his impact on the country he remade

About the Author
Roger Daniels is the Charles Phelps Taft Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Cincinnati. His many books include Prisoners without Trial: Japanese Americans in World War II.

Reviews
"An unparalleled portrait. Written with verve, refreshingly free of jargon, and deftly weaving acute analysis into clear narrative, it manages both to tell the remarkable story of the most influential president since Lincoln while conducting an ongoing conversation with historians and biographers who have come before."--Max Paul Friedman, author of Rethinking Anti-Americanism: The History of an Exceptional Concept in American Foreign Relations
"A deeply researched and finely crafted biography and history of the greatest American president of the twentieth century. . . . In these times, when FDR's and our parents' and grandparents' memory and legacy are under siege, we should all read Daniels's new work and consider what we need to do today."--Harvey J. Kaye, author of The Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great
"This is a huge and important account of FDR's presidency, based on a prodigious amount of work, largely in the public record, in newspapers, memoirs, and related materials, but with close attention to all of the relevant secondary literature."--Allan M. Winkler, author of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America



Book Information
ISBN 9780252039515
Author Roger Daniels
Format Hardback
Page Count 568
Imprint University of Illinois Press
Publisher University of Illinois Press
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 156mm * 51mm