Who is President Franklin D. Roosevelt from Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America and what is their importance? | English & Literature Questions & Answers

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president during the height of the Great Depression. According to his writings and other documents, many historians and scholars feel that FDR had initially been a conservative. However, the monumental issues that faced the country during the years of the economic decline of America coupled with the compassionate heart that FDR had for his fellow man led him to establish what were considered expansive progressive and extremely liberal policies such as Social Security.
Ultimately, FDR brought the nation out of the spiraling economy. There are anecdotal accounts of FDR being surprised when people shouted at him from the street thanking him for saving their jobs and their homes. FDR was much beloved and was reelected three times. There was an account of a man who told his neighbor he was going to FDR's funeral. The neighbor asked if he knew FDR. The man responded, "No, I didn't know President Roosevelt, but he knew me."
When Italy was invaded by Germany, FDR proclaimed that America would not get involved in the European war. However, as the war waged on and England was threatened to go down to the Nazis, FDR was being pressured to get America involved. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, neither the president nor the country he led had any hesitation about becoming involved in the global conflict.
After the war ended, an imposing new enemy faced the democratic world. Roosevelt knew the importance of relations between the US and Russia. The two countries were involved in an on-going stand-off of dangerous proportions, known as the Cold War, for decades. Many historians feel that had FDR lived, he would not have allowed the Cold War to develop.

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