FDR: A New Political Life

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is considered one of the greatest Presidents of the United States in the country’s history. His four election victories (1932, 1936, 1940, 1944) were unprecedented and haven’t been duplicated. However, his ascent to Governor of New York, and later, standard bearer of the Democratic Party, was nearly derailed primarily due to his battle with Polio. Roosevelt and his advisers’ ability to conceal the extent of his illness greatly assisted him at the polls during the election season. The successes that have been attributed to him while President primarily concern his New Deal legislation and his wartime leadership. However, as author David T. Beito skillfully shows, many of the New Deal programs only prolonged the economic woes, while his Lend-Lease Act skirted neutrality and his intransigence towards Japan hastened the hostilities that began with Pearl Harbor.

FDR: A New Political Life is a thorough reassessment of the political career of the 32nd President of the United States. Author David T. Beito has written an exemplary biography of a consummate politician who was never truly magnanimous; a leader often inclined to prevaricate on difficult decisions. Beito’s valuable work demonstrates how a cult of personality can be deconstructed.