Party Politics in the Age of Roosevelt

Michael P. Riccards and Cheryl A. Flagg are the co-authors of Woodrow Wilson as Commander in Chief: The Presidency and the Great War.

This study offers a refreshing perspective on well-tilled intellectual territory. This highly readable presentation covers the range of FDR’s life from his family background until 1945. The overriding theme, as reflected in the title, is his interface with the complicated party politics during various stages of his public life. From a reluctant player to the masterful dealer, Roosevelt’s successes are chronicled in light of his interactions—and, importantly, those of his surrogates’ interactions—with the differing party elements of various sections of the country. The net result was the famous Roosevelt coalition. A fascinating note about the later Roosevelt as a war leader concerns FDR’s management of domestic forces as he effectively finessed Churchill’s competing agenda for the conduct of the war. This story is compelling, adds new insights, and is written well.

• IntroductionChapter One: The Roosevelt before FDRChapter Two: The Young FranklinChapter Three: Roosevelt in OfficeChapter Four: Mr. Assistant SecretaryChapter Five: The Years the Locust Ate: The Democratic Party, 1920–1932Chapter Six: The Curse of PolioChapter Seven: Eleanor: FDR’s Eyes, Ears, and LegsChapter Eight: Governor Roosevelt Chapter Nine: The Great Depression and Herbert HooverChapter Ten: The Election of 1932 and the InterregnumChapter Eleven: The One Hundred DaysChapter Twelve: The Early Vote of ConfidenceChapter Thirteen: The Party Splits AsunderChapter Fourteen: The PurgeChapter Fifteen: The New Deal outside the SouthChapter Sixteen: FDR and the Urban BossesChapter Seventeen: The Fight over NeutralityChapter Eighteen: The Election of 1940Chapter Nineteen: The Road to WarChapter Twenty: FDR as Commander in Chief, 1942Chapter Twenty-One: FDR as Commander in Chief, 1943Chapter Twenty-Two: FDR as Commander in Chief, 1944ConclusionAppendix One: Fireside