Comments on: Why Franklin D. Roosevelt was a Great President http://www.blog4history.com/2010/02/why-franklin-d-roosevelt-was-a-great-president/ Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:26:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: concerned http://www.blog4history.com/2010/02/why-franklin-d-roosevelt-was-a-great-president/comment-page-1/#comment-18394 concerned Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:47:16 +0000 http://www.blog4history.com/?p=1338#comment-18394 FDR was an awful president. The primary reason, though there are a number of others, is that his elitist, socialist policies extended the Great Depression for at least half a decade longer than it needed to run, causing incalculable misery. While the rest of the world recovered, the US remained mired in the Great Depression, thanks to FDR, until WWII pulled us out. FDR is one of the worst presidents in US history. His ability to successfully condescend to the US populace is no mitigation of his wrongdoing. Hitler did the same in that regard in Germany with even worse results. FDR was an awful president. The primary reason, though there are a number of others, is that his elitist, socialist policies extended the Great Depression for at least half a decade longer than it needed to run, causing incalculable misery. While the rest of the world recovered, the US remained mired in the Great Depression, thanks to FDR, until WWII pulled us out. FDR is one of the worst presidents in US history. His ability to successfully condescend to the US populace is no mitigation of his wrongdoing. Hitler did the same in that regard in Germany with even worse results.

]]> By: Think4Myself http://www.blog4history.com/2010/02/why-franklin-d-roosevelt-was-a-great-president/comment-page-1/#comment-17570 Think4Myself Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:16:11 +0000 http://www.blog4history.com/?p=1338#comment-17570 Why does everyone seem to forget that FDR authorized Japanese interment camps with executive order 9066.  In an era where our former president has been widely criticized for holding terrorist suspects in GB, I find it absurdly hypocritical that many people can disregard this blatant violation of the rights regarding people who were in fact American citizens.   And yes I realize FDR did many great things for this nation, but i wanted to point out what seems to be the most overlooked event of his presidency. Why does everyone seem to forget that FDR authorized Japanese interment camps with executive order 9066.  In an era where our former president has been widely criticized for holding terrorist suspects in GB, I find it absurdly hypocritical that many people can disregard this blatant violation of the rights regarding people who were in fact American citizens.  

And yes I realize FDR did many great things for this nation, but i wanted to point out what seems to be the most overlooked event of his presidency.

]]> By: Michael Schack http://www.blog4history.com/2010/02/why-franklin-d-roosevelt-was-a-great-president/comment-page-1/#comment-15180 Michael Schack Sun, 30 May 2010 16:02:24 +0000 http://www.blog4history.com/?p=1338#comment-15180 I was attending a conference concerning the new deal period. A Lawrence Hurwitz from City College of New York presented this idea that FDR was concerned about the depression and how it might trigger enough anger to cause the government to be crippled or even collapse. In 1933 strikes became a tool headed by the communists, socialists and Trotskyites. There was a concern that the economy and the government were under attack. So Programs as the C.C.C. had the purpose of putting people to work. Additionally the C.C.C. sent urban young and mostly males t work in the woods. Out in the woods this large group of people would have greater difficulty organizing themselves. Plus be dogged tired at the end of each day. Although I found it difficult to accept this idea I did find iit interesting. I was attending a conference concerning the new deal period. A Lawrence Hurwitz from City College of New York presented this idea that FDR was concerned about the depression and how it might trigger enough anger to cause the government to be crippled or even collapse. In 1933 strikes became a tool headed by the communists, socialists and Trotskyites. There was a concern that the economy and the government were under attack. So Programs as the C.C.C. had the purpose of putting people to work. Additionally the C.C.C. sent urban young and mostly males t work in the woods. Out in the woods this large group of people would have greater difficulty organizing themselves. Plus be dogged tired at the end of each day. Although I found it difficult to accept this idea I did find iit interesting.

]]> By: A.E.C. http://www.blog4history.com/2010/02/why-franklin-d-roosevelt-was-a-great-president/comment-page-1/#comment-15147 A.E.C. Wed, 26 May 2010 12:42:04 +0000 http://www.blog4history.com/?p=1338#comment-15147 It is certainly true that the New Deal did not manage to completely solve the Great Depression, but that in my opinion is to miss the point of the vital role that it played nonetheless. If the actions taken by Roosevelt had successfully gotten the US out of the depression in the early stages of his administration, then it is likely that he would never have been able to pass nearly as many of the reforms as he later was able to do that continue to have a forceful effect in the lives of Americans today through their legacy. Furthermore, while I largely agree with this article, I would say that a mistake is made in seperating the two vital functions that Roosevelt fulfilled as "Doctor New Deal" and "Doctor Win the War". I would argue that Roosevelt, insofar as we can tell (and it is always hard to tell exactly what such a secretive man was thinking) did not see them as seperate, but actually impacted each other vitally. Of the major political figures of the period, FDR was unique in that he was probably the first one to see WWII and the evils of Hitler coming, some argue as early as 1932. Roosevelt hoped to avoid war, but also anticipated that should war come it would serve well to completely banish the depression and boost American economic prosperity to heights that it had never before reached. In his vision the New Deal would serve to lift America back up to a position from which it was capable of functioning as it did in the war, and the process of that functioning would then complete the process that he had begun in 1933. Without the New Deal, the United States could never have peformed as it did in WWII, and it was WWII that finished the process of the New Deal. The two are inextricably linked and equally important to each other. It is certainly true that the New Deal did not manage to completely solve the Great Depression, but that in my opinion is to miss the point of the vital role that it played nonetheless. If the actions taken by Roosevelt had successfully gotten the US out of the depression in the early stages of his administration, then it is likely that he would never have been able to pass nearly as many of the reforms as he later was able to do that continue to have a forceful effect in the lives of Americans today through their legacy. Furthermore, while I largely agree with this article, I would say that a mistake is made in seperating the two vital functions that Roosevelt fulfilled as “Doctor New Deal” and “Doctor Win the War”. I would argue that Roosevelt, insofar as we can tell (and it is always hard to tell exactly what such a secretive man was thinking) did not see them as seperate, but actually impacted each other vitally. Of the major political figures of the period, FDR was unique in that he was probably the first one to see WWII and the evils of Hitler coming, some argue as early as 1932. Roosevelt hoped to avoid war, but also anticipated that should war come it would serve well to completely banish the depression and boost American economic prosperity to heights that it had never before reached. In his vision the New Deal would serve to lift America back up to a position from which it was capable of functioning as it did in the war, and the process of that functioning would then complete the process that he had begun in 1933. Without the New Deal, the United States could never have peformed as it did in WWII, and it was WWII that finished the process of the New Deal. The two are inextricably linked and equally important to each other.

]]> By: Adamson Wheeler http://www.blog4history.com/2010/02/why-franklin-d-roosevelt-was-a-great-president/comment-page-1/#comment-14534 Adamson Wheeler Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:53:18 +0000 http://www.blog4history.com/?p=1338#comment-14534 I often wonder why people still doubt the greatness of one of the finest presidents of The United States of America. If it had not been for Roosevelt’s politics and policies, it would be almost impossible to imagine the world we live in today without them. Let’s not forget that <a href="http://www.shmoop.com/franklin-d-roosevelt-fdr/" rel="nofollow">Franklin D Roosevelt</a> assumed the presidency at the darkest hour of history – the Great Depression. Right out the outset, while accepting the Democratic Party nomination for President in 1932, Roosevelt made a promise. `I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people.’ And it is this New Deal that permanently changed the American society and created many structures that maintained prosperity after World War II ended. Find all this a little tough to handle? I do too and that’s why I always go to Shmoop.com for help. I found an interesting fact in connection with this. When Roosevelt raised the top marginal tax rate to 79% for incomes above $5 million a year in the Wealth Tax of 1935, there was only one individual who occupied this tax bracket at the time. You guessed it! It was John D. Rockefeller. I often wonder why people still doubt the greatness of one of the finest presidents of The United States of America. If it had not been for Roosevelt’s politics and policies, it would be almost impossible to imagine the world we live in today without them. Let’s not forget that Franklin D Roosevelt assumed the presidency at the darkest hour of history – the Great Depression. Right out the outset, while accepting the Democratic Party nomination for President in 1932, Roosevelt made a promise. `I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people.’ And it is this New Deal that permanently changed the American society and created many structures that maintained prosperity after World War II ended. Find all this a little tough to handle? I do too and that’s why I always go to Shmoop.com for help. I found an interesting fact in connection with this. When Roosevelt raised the top marginal tax rate to 79% for incomes above $5 million a year in the Wealth Tax of 1935, there was only one individual who occupied this tax bracket at the time. You guessed it! It was John D. Rockefeller.

]]>