Roosevelt, Franklin D(elano)

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32nd president of the USA 1933–45, a Democrat. He served as governor of New York 1928–33. Becoming president during the Great Depression, he launched the New Deal economic and social reform programme, which made him popular with the people. After the outbreak of World War II he introduced lend-lease for the supply of war materials and services to the Allies and drew up the Atlantic Charter of solidarity.

Born in Hyde Park, New York, of a wealthy family, Roosevelt was educated in Europe and at Harvard and Columbia universities, and became a lawyer. In 1910 he was elected to the New York state senate. He held the assistant secretaryship of the navy in Wilson's administrations 1913–21, and did much to increase the efficiency of the navy during World War I. He suffered from polio from 1921 onwards but returned to politics, winning the governorship of New York State in 1928. When he became president in 1933, Roosevelt aroused a new spirit of hope with his skilful ‘fireside chats’ on the radio and his inaugural-address statement: ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ Surrounding himself by a ‘Brain Trust’ of experts, he immediately launched his reform programme. Banks were reopened, federal credit was restored, the gold standard was abandoned, and the dollar devalued. During the first 100 days of his administration, major legislation to facilitate industrial and agricultural recovery was enacted. In 1935 he introduced the Utilities Act, directed against abuses in the large holding companies, and the Social Security Act, providing for disability and retirement insurance. The presidential election of 1936 was won entirely on the record of the New Deal. During 1935–36 Roosevelt was involved in a conflict over the composition of the Supreme Court, following its nullification of major New Deal measures as unconstitutional. In 1938 he introduced measures for farm relief and the improvement of working conditions.

In his foreign policy, Roosevelt endeavoured to use his influence to restrain Axis aggression, and to establish ‘good neighbour’ relations with other countries in the Americas. Soon after the outbreak of war, he launched a vast rearmament programme, introduced conscription, and provided for the supply of armaments to the Allies on a ‘cash-and-carry’ basis. In spite of strong isolationist opposition, he broke a long-standing precedent in running for a third term; he was re-elected in 1940. He announced that the USA would become the ‘arsenal of democracy’. Roosevelt was eager for US entry into the war on behalf of the Allies. In addition to his revulsion for Hitler, he wanted to establish the USA as a world power, filling the vacuum he expected to be left by the break-up of the British Empire. He was restrained by isolationist forces in Congress.

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