Franklin D. Roosevelt

When I began this work , I hoped to analyze a figure of Franklin Delano Roosevelt as an ordinary but determined public servant who started his political career as Assistant Secretary of the United States Navy in 1912 and then after unsuccessful campaign for Vice-President became in 1928 Governor of New York . It was my early impression that Franklin D Roosevelt was not a great Governor , and his successful presidential campaign was to be attributed to his team 's effort . I originally believed that Roosevelt did not exhibit any unusual executive or administrative

abilities , or possess a social or economic program which would have suggested the bold leadership of his presidential administrations . As late as January , 1932 , the famous journalist Walter Lippmann characterized Roosevelt as lacking a firm grasp of public affairs and being without strong convictions . He is , said Lippmann , an amiable man with many philanthropic impulses , but he is not the dangerous enemy of anything . for F .D .R . is no crusader . He is no tribune of the people . He is no enemy of entrenched privilege . He is a pleasant man who , without any important qualifications for the office would very much like to be President (Roosevelt E , 1950 ,

. 252 Certainly Franklin Delano Roosevelt would appear to confirm Lippmann 's observation . But further study of numerous sources showed that FDR 's presidency achievements like holding the nation together during the catastrophe of the Great Depression , reconstruction of a welfare state American-style , and bringing reluctant American citizens to support the embattled nations of Europe , were the firm evidences that heavily influenced my assessment of Roosevelt 's leadership qualities

Roosevelt began his presidency at a time of severe economic crisis . A quarter of American work force was unemployed . Numbers of people suffered from malnutrition disease resulted from the persistent malnutrition in many communities across the country . At the outset of his administration , the new president acted boldly to meet the economic crisis . This period is often referred to as the Hundred Days ' since so much executive activity occurred then (Abbott , 1990

. 72 ) This was the period of New Deal implementation , the general base of which consisted in a reform program . During the reformation period Roosevelt signed into law the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA , which provided for codes of fair industrial competition , minimum wages and maximum hours , and collective bargaining for workers (Abbott , 1990

br 57 ) Another early feature of the New Deal was the Agricultural Adjustment Act , which sought to control the prices of farm products by regulating their production . Farmers were asked to advance agricultural recovery by reducing the number of acres planted , and they received cash payments from the government in return . It is important to note that during much of his first term in office , Roosevelt proved to be a cautious , if not conservative , leader . He truly believed in what he was doing and despite his actions lacked popularity he continued his reforms . The overriding theme during these early months was that of mutual cooperation...