Franklin Delano Roosevelt, otherwise known as "FDR", was the thirty-second president of the United States. The only president in American history to be elected four terms, Roosevelt executed his influential occupation with excellence. Despite further criticisms by historians that his liberal policies were too forward for a nation in an economic crisis, and eventually in the Second World War, he did what was best. In analyzing significant points in his career, such as his representation of a "Lion" and a "Fox", the New Deal, foreign policy, and overall leadership, one can clearly decipher if his presidency proved to be beneficial to American history.
Roosevelt is often represented by historians as a "Lion" or a "Fox", depending on which side supported his policies. To all, a lion symbolizes majesty and pride, a leader beyond all others, the true "king of the jungle". Roosevelt may be characterized as a lion because he is a majestic leader, close to the power of a king, due to his superior handling of the Great Depression and World War II. Also, because he was diagnosed with polio, many considered him to be a lion because he hid his condition from the public to show that he was not weak. On the other hand, a fox is sly, sneaky, and cunning. Some question that Roosevelt's socialist policies were only meant to benefit him, to make the executive branch more powerful. However, this theory seems too unreasonable. Roosevelt is truly a lion, and he never meant to trick anyone while he sought to help America and its economic hardships.
The New Deal, perhaps one of Roosevelt's greatest achievements during his presidency, brought immediate relief to families whose life savings had vanished overnight on Black Tuesday. In Roosevelt's first 100 days as president, Congress passed a series of bills, such as the Emergency Banking Act, which allowed for the reopening of banks with supervision by the Treasury. In addition, Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which would insure deposits in banks up to $5,000. To help farmers, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) was founded, to maintain the number of crops farmers were allowed to grow, to prevent prices from falling due to overproduction. The greatest achievement in promoting business, the National Recovery Administration (NRA), promoted regulation of prices and production, to help unemployed people receive jobs and be able to afford basic necessities. Although it was criticized for reducing competition and making it too expensive to hire employees, it recognized the legality of unions. To also help cut unemployment, The Public Works Administration (PWA) was established to create jobs needed to build public works. The 21st amendment, the prohibition of alcohol, was also repealed to unify the nation and promote more jobs for unemployed people. Although many criticize Roosevelt for making the power of the federal government stronger and intervening in the economy, he restored hope to many who believed that the depression was the end, created labor unions, and saved capitalism.
To discuss foreign policy, one would have to remember the failure of Congress to authorize the League of Nations treaty in 1919. For his first term, Roosevelt continued America's isolationist policy it had conducted since the "Roaring Twenties". Roosevelt also adopted the Good Neighbor Policy, pulling troops out of Haiti and ending the status of Cuba and Panama as protectorates. In December 1933, Roosevelt signed the Montevideo Convention, renouncing his right to interfere in the affairs of Latin American countries. With the rise of Hitler to power in Germany, Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1935, to prevent the United States from trading with any nations in combat. However, when the Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937 between Japan and China, the public favored China, due to propaganda showing Japan's brutal invasion of China. After Germany had conquered Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, Roosevelt realized Britain was vulnerable to invasion, and began secret correspondence with Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Britain. Roosevelt also sent aid to China, and cut the sale of oil to Japan when they refused to withdraw from French Indochina. The official entrance of the United States into World War II would result from the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, when the United Sates declared war on Japan. Roosevelt allied with Churchill, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, and Chiang Kai-shek of China to attack Germany, Italy, and Japan on the eastern and western fronts of Europe, and in the Pacific. After numerous victories, it was definite that Germany and Italy would eventually succumb to the Allied forces. Roosevelt met with both Churchill and Stalin at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 to discuss the organization of Europe after the war. Even though Roosevelt was wrong for giving the Soviet Union control over Eastern Europe, which would eventually lead to the Cold War, Roosevelt should be commended for receiving support from Stalin to attack Japan in the Pacific, which helped save many American soldiers from dying in the war.
Leadership, which also links to the distinction of Roosevelt as a "Lion" or as a "Fox", is important in understanding the true legacy of our 32nd president. Stepping in as commander-in-chief during a time when there was no hope, Roosevelt stood for capitalism, bringing the United States back from the shadows it faced during the Great Depression, while enacting socialist principles that still exist in modern society. He also stood for freedom, defending our nation when it was attacked by the might of the Axis powers. In addition, because he was a victim of polio proved his strength alone. Hiding his condition gave Americans a reason to hope that their president would lead them away from their troubles. Overall, his actions in both the Great Depression and World War II make him a very influential and popular figure in American history, next to the legacies of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
