Men of Action

1. Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt: Leaders Who Built a Superpower and theModern American PresidencyAlexander ZachosFall 2006Political Science Capstone

2. Men of Action • American Presidency can often be a frustrating office: • Rigid institutions partisan fights, re-election. • Many presidents do not make an impact • TR and FDR left a long-lasting legacies on the presidency and the country. • Each president came into office during very crucial periods of social upheaval and political change. • Both had upper-class origins, confidence, and natural leadership ability combined with Progressive Roots. • They can be politically analyzed, compared, and contrasted in several different traditional political arenas. • Their most important similarity: • They did not allow their decisions to be governed by fear of change.

3. Thesis • TR and FDR were both presidents for whom actions spoke louder than words. They both came to office during times of great political change and crisis. They acted within the Progressive theme of the early 20th century but furthermore, it was their bold action during these times that eventually led to the creation of the modern American presidency and an American superpower. • In accomplishing these endeavors both presidents created and strengthened the presidential roles of: chief of party, chief legislator, chief policy maker, chief administrator, commander-in chief, and chief diplomat.

4. Theodore Roosevelt

5. TR Childhood • Upper-class parents: both sides • Not an ordinary child for 2 reasons one social and one intellectual: • Wealthy • Gifted mind and memory • Childhood dark side: sickness • Severe Asthma, near-sighted, and a nervous digestive system. • Overcoming of sickness creates his sense of heroism • Considers himself a “self-created character” • Metamorphosis from thin sickly boy to model for masculinity. • Commitment to politics and most important views emerged from his youthful struggles. • Obsession with physical prowess showed main insecurity, his youthfulness. • “For Theodore Roosevelt even more than for most people, the child was the father of the man.”

6. Early Political Career • First position was nominated for a Republican seat in the New York Assembly: 1882 • Police Commissioner of New York: 1880s-1890s • Assistant Secretary to the Navy: 1890s • Governor of New York: 1898 • Vice-President of United States: 1900 • Other careers: • Historian (War of 1812) (Winning of the West) • Dakota Rancher and Cattleman • Colonel of the Rough Riders: Answered his prayers and brought him the fame necessary to win the Vice-Presidency.

7. Analysis of TR’s Political Views • New Imperialism: fight for colonies is now based on industrial rivalries and economic interdependence. • Militarism: affected by father’s failure • Rejection of Materialism and calling upon the people to aspire for a higher purpose (paradox: wealth) • American Expansion and Necessary involvement in world affairs. • Anglo-superiority • Expanded federal government to control big business • Progressivism: Idea that society should make social progress and that people’s lives could be improved sometimes at the expense of businessmen. • Conservation of natural resources • Trust-busting • Cultural Advancement

8. First Presidency (1901-1904) • President McKinley assassinated September 1901. • TR spends majority of presidency battling for control of his party from factionalized party bosses. • Thus, actual policy achievement was limited during his first term with some exceptions. • He campaigned for re-election in 1904, in control of his party, promising America a “Square Deal”.

9. Second Presidency (1904-1908) • 1904 re-election, he asserted his proven political power with a rejuvenation of activity and the high point of his presidency. • Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine • Manipulated Congress using three tactics: • Great speeches to counter railway propaganda • Gained support of Capitol Hill by bargaining with the Old Guard Republicans • Played back and forth with the Senate among Progressives, moderates, and Democrats in order to achieve policy goals • He achieved greater success in domestic and foreign policy between 1904 and 1907, but was stymied by his party, congress, and the courts during the last two years of his presidency.

10. TR leaves important legacy and affects FDR • His greatest legacy did not come from his policy successes. • He was a strong, influential, and bold leader. • Experienced and confident politician who brought new dynamics to the presidency: • Instead he pursued social advancement and deeper national loyalty. • He fought class divisions and appealed to minority ethnic and social classes. • He used the “whole government of the United States” to mitigate harsh social and economic conditions of his time. • The most important task of a political leader is to educate the public and create a demand for change. • His legacy left an important imprint on the later Roosevelt President :Franklin D. Roosevelt. • Young FDR mimicked his kinsman’s path: Assembly, Ass. Secretary of the Navy, Governor of NY, then presidency • FDR had talent, wealth, and the experiences of his fifth cousin (“Uncle Teddy”)

11. Atmosphere prior to FDR’s election in 1932 • 1929 Stock Market Crash causes the Great Depression • Besides the Civil War, it is considered to be the worst crisis in American History. • Who is to blame? Obviously the big-businessmen. • The Great Depression turns focus of America “homeward” • Apathy towards world affairs, despite Wilson’s warnings • Isolationism characterizes American sentiments from 1929-1938 • FDR was Governor of NY and promises not to forget “the forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid” • The Nation is in need of bold action, expanded government for relief, and a leader to offer inspiration and strength • FDR rejects all systems and dedicates himself to providing hope and relief for the American working man and American morale.

12. The Great Depression

13. Analysis of FDR’s Political Views • He had a keen ability to reject rigid political systems whenever necessary. • His technique for liberal government was pragmatism. • He respected clear ideas, accepted them, and used them but was always skeptical about their relationship to reality. • The battle between New Nationalism versus New Freedom divided American Liberalism: • FDR’s New Deal had elements of both • Schlesinger quoted, “He had no philosophy save experiment, which was a technique; constitutionalism, which was a procedure; and humanity, which was a faith.” • People began to believe in the free, welfare state, with economic stability, and social justice.

14. Franklin D. Roosevelt

15. First Phase of FDR’s Presidencies • FDR’s four presidencies can be divided into two major phases of different emphasis: one domestic and one foreign • His first phase from 1932 to around 1937 was characterized by a desperate need for action on the domestic front: • First New Deal and First Hundred Days • Characterized by a high rate of activity, although courts struck down most of the legislation, the social effects of the New Deal are immeasurable. • Later New Deal • Social Security Act of 1935 • FDR versus the Courts and Congress • Conservative strict-constructionist Supreme Court largely undid most of the New Deal’s policy • Republican resurgence in Congress in the 1938 elections, primarily blocked his reform attempts and this brought an end to his New Deal and the First Phase of his Presidency. • Foreign Policy • Isolation is the word

16. Second Phase of FDR’s Presidencies • Rise of Fascism in Europe: Hitler and Mussolini rise up to power in Germany and Italy during a time of American Isolation. • By 1938, Hitler had taken over most of Europe without firing a shot. • FDR. • Shift away from isolationism between 1938 and 1941 is gradual. • Panay crisis • Increased armaments • Britain put on the defensive, new emphasis on America’s role • Revision of the Neutrality act. • It was indeed Pearl Harbor that completely blew Americans out of complacency, on December 7, 1941. • Sharp criticism for “the architect of victory”, along with high compliment

17. FDR’s Domestic and Foreign Legacies • Unlike Theodore Roosevelt, FDR has many pivotal policy legacies that are worth noting: • Domestic: • Pluralism- intellectual idea emerged in 1920s to influence approaches to organization and problem solving. It favored widespread decision-making and constant improvisation. He wanted a flexible and democratic federal branch, best fitted to solve social problems • Foreign: • “Principally influenced by Pearl Harbor, which destroyed isolationist contentions about American invulnerability to attack, and by the country’s emergence as the world’s foremost Power, the nation ended the war ready to shoulder substantial responsibilities in foreign affairs.”-Robert Dallek • Evident by bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: • FDR tried to show the world, by action, that the United States would be the hegemonic leader in a New World Order.

18. Analysis of TR and FDR as “Chief of Party” • TR was a progressive Republican who had to wrestle control of his party from Old-Guard Republican bosses like Mark Hanna of Ohio. • He never really united the party, but he achieved some of his goals through manipulation of Old Guard Congressmen. • After he announced that he would not run for a third term in 1908, his party treated him as a lame duck and his relations with them soared to the point of open hostility. • FDR, on the other hand, united his party and created a new Democratic constituency made up of Northern industrial workers, ethnic minorities, and the farm bloc. • Cooper says, “ The international crisis at the end of the 1930s, which renewed his lease on the Theodore Rooseveltian role of transcendent national leader, was what furnished (FDR’s) opportunity to fulfill the Wilsonian role of party leader.”

19. Analysis as “Progressives” • It is clear that FDR was affected by TR and Wilson’s Progressivism. • TR’s social and economic Progressivism was characterized by moral advancement of society. • Pure Food and Drug Act (Upton Sinclair The Jungle ) • FDR’s New Dealers were not concerned with the moral advancement of society, but rather economic progress. • Both presidents came into office during times that necessitated change. • The movement following the Industrial Revolution was named the Progressive Movement: • Government regulation of big-business • Labor reforms and consumer protection • FDR’s Progressivism was classified by the need for: • Worker’s economic relief • Government’s control of economics

20. Opposition: TR versus Congress and Party • TR and Congress were destined to be opposed • He came into office when decades of legislative supremacy were ending. • The decline in legislative strength did not please elders on Capitol Hill. • They would have resisted the increase of presidential power under any president. • He played delicate games of cat and mouse to achieve his goals. • TR usually won the battle for public opinion versus Congress; however, this was achieved at some cost to his legislative record later on. • TR was always fighting and manipulating the Conservative Republicans for control of his own party, and it was they who blocked most of his important objectives.

21. Opposition:FDR versus the Supreme Court • Conservative Supreme Court strikes down the NIRA, the AAA, and the repudiation of the gold clause. • FDR decides to retaliate in 1936 by “packing the court” • He claimed the overworked and overage judges were a detriment and proposed to be able to appoint as many as six new judges. • This measure failed and lost him support in his party and Congress. • While they were able to defeat the large part of his New Deal, FDR was responsible for the famous “switch in time that saved nine”. • FDR was able to nearly replace every justice on the Supreme Court during his four terms. • He drastically affected the future of the Supreme Court.

22. FDR and TR with the Media • TR’s popularity came from his love affair with the media and the American people. • First presidential career to be conducted within the era of the “modern journalistic press” • Rough Rider publicity • TR used the journalistic media to strengthen his office, and began to build a power base apart from party organizations • FDR used the press to achieve his goals: • He learned reporters’ names, read their stories, and created news for them • FDR and the Press Conference • Held weekly press conferences that allowed him to speak for himself and somewhat control public opinion • FDR press policy fit the democratic ideal of an informed public.

23. Policy AnalysisTheodore Roosevelt • TR: Domestic Policy • 1902, Northern Securities prosecution- sought strict federal regulation over private business. • Bureau of Corporations- Provided needed information about structure, operations, and work conditions in America’s corporations. • Bureau of Labor- Provided similar information about Labor and its organization. • TR: Foreign Policy • Venezuela Crisis 1902- Acts boldly but uses great diplomacy in dealing with Wilhelm II • Creation of the Panama Canal- very important for trade routes • Arbitration of the Russo-Japanese War-Wins the Nobel Peace Prize • Jamaica Incident of 1907 and Anglo-American Relations- Upholds the honor of America, while realizing that Anglo-American relations would be important in the near future. • Role as Chief Diplomat- perhaps the first president to truly represent this role. • Failures: Stemmed from Several Sources • Boasted he had dissolved a Plutocracy • Spoke against materialism “Swimming against the strongest tide in American Politics” • Announcement in 1904, that he would not run again in 1908 • Even if he intended not to run, he could have delayed the announcement to achieve the illusion of future power.

24. FDR :Domestic Policy Analysis • FDR Domestic Policy: • First New Deal and First Hundred Days • Banking Reform- Holiday is a term that comforts everyone “Banking Holiday” • AAA and Wallace’s Farm bill- aimed to deal with depressed prices and great surpluses. • NIRA- Industrial recovery is key. Put people back to work. • Hugh Johnson negotiates codes with major industries. • It was to raise purchasing power of labor and elevate labor standards. • Sources of trouble were shortage of working capital and demand. • Important legacy is social and psychological rather than economic or political. • Social Security Act 1935- withstood court purging. • Failures: Complex explanations: • “Court Packing” incident • Last Republican Redoubt- 1938 • Too much control of NIRA codes was given to private business rather than the government.

25. FDR Foreign Policy Analysis • Isolation due to American paradigm in 1930s • FDR Foreign Policy: • Panay Incident- FDR and nation are upset, war is averted due to Japan’s willingness to apologize. • WWII- “architect of victory” for the Allied Nations • Yalta- toward the end of his life, slightly criticized for giving too much concession to Stalin • Hiroshima and Nagasaki- Truman carries out FDR’s initiative: to avoid a “conditional” surrender of Japan, and to show the world that America will be the new superpower. • FDR role as Chief Diplomat: He exemplified this traditional conception. • Criticisms: Neutrality during the 1930s, misjudgment in : • Nazi victories: 1938-1941 • Caution toward the genocide of European Jews • American Wartime containment of Japanese-Americans

26. “Trust Busting” versus NIRA • TR and FDR differed in their approach and intentions toward big-business. • While both personally despised big business men, each had a different approach for dealing with them: • TR prosecutes Northern Securities and many other trusts • His goal is government regulation and consumer protection at the expense of large private businessmen. • FDR, in the wake of the Depression, seeks to revive big business • NIRA • He believes that involving private business in the grand economic scheme is a major objective to restore the economy. • TR perhaps sought to regulate too much private business; however, FDR’s Hugh Johnson did not put enough regulation on NIRA codes and this was a primary cause of their failure.

27. Imperialism versus Isolationism • The mood toward foreign affairs was much different in TR’s America than it was in FDR’s America. • TR in the wake of the Spanish American War • Writings of historians affected the mood of people who begin to believe in American imperialism and a future superpower • Frederick Jackson Turner (frontier) • Henry Adams and Brooks Adams( Anglo-superiority) • FDR in the wake of WWI, the corrupt 1920s, and the Stock Market Crash. • National mood is centered on domestic recovery of the economy • Americans sit idly and watch fascism spread over Europe • Until around 1938-1939, Americans and Congress will hear nothing of international involvement. • Hitler takes Europe without firing a shot • Many see his demands as justified (Unified German nation and “living space” • FDR knows better, but is handcuffed by Congress and the public opinion

28. Unhealthy Adult versus Unhealthy Child • Each man’s character was strengthened by overcoming of physical disability. • TR’s frail, sickly youth led him to seek heroism in every encounter • FDR paradoxically, was struck down by polio at the age of 39 and paralyzed. • Strength of character led to a certain arrogance and yearn for power. • TR became the model for masculinity with his “bully pulpit” and “big stick diplomacy” • FDR led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II while being paralyzed from the waist down. • Having become strong men, it was natural for both to become strong presidents and create a strong nation.

29. Creation of the Modern Presidency • Long history of Leadership Theory • Plato • Machiavelli • Modern American Presidential Theory is made up of several components: • Imperial Presidency (Arthur Schlesinger) • “Especially in the twentieth century, the circumstances of an increasingly perilous world as well as of an increasingly interdependent economy and society seemed to compel a larger concentration of authority in the presidency.” • Rhetorical Presidency (Jeffrey Tulis) • Tulis believes that beginning with Theodore Roosevelt, the use of rhetoric has formed a crucial tool for modern presidents. • Post-Modern Presidency (Richard Rose) • The modern presidency was created by TR and FDR as an “active” president. However, the post-modern president is an active president who can no longer dominate the international system. Other nations can now affect the White House.

30. TR and the Modern Presidency • Right Place and Right Time • Period of Congressional Supremacy ending. • The worldwide rise of New Imperialism led to a need for a powerful leader, capable of responding to a increasingly perilous world. • Presidential pre-occupation with foreign affairs (George W. Bush), during times of international instability. • Domestically, TR expanded the Federal Branch and created legislation to organize the new institution. • “Bully pulpit”- used the presidency to achieve his agenda and ensured that he expanded the presidency so that it was capable for other presidents to do the same. • Demanded that the president be responsible to the people, in the tradition of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln.

31. FDR and the Modern Presidency • Founder of the Modern American Presidency • Wilsonian Model of party leader, and united the Democratic Party. • New coalition of people who had been traditionally ignored. • Introduced Pluralism in government. • Demanding times called for pragmatism and not rigidity. • Leadership became facilitative rather than directive. • Press Conference and “Fireside chats” • People felt as if they knew him personally. • Followed TR as “transcendent national leader” • Increased the Executive branch more than any other president • President should use the Federal government to directly help people’s lives. • President as the wartime leader.

32. Roosevelt Presidents Created An American Superpower • During TR’s presidency, a young industrial American nation flexed its muscles around the world. • TR and FDR contrasted many of the traditional roles of the modern president, but shared one theme in common: • Expansive use of office and liberal use of power • U.S. emerges from WWII as the greatest superpower in the world. • Both national leaders sought to create a balance of power among the leading nations of the world. • Both presidents created the modern idea that the United States had to play a pivotal role in world affairs. • “Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency strengthened the office and the nation, and it was this that enabled Franklin D. Roosevelt to convert an economic and industrial superpower into a political and military one also.”-Al

33. Conclusion • “Fortune favors the bold.”- Virgil • “It is not the critic who counts . . .the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . .who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, atleast he fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”- Theodore Roosevelt • “. . .the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”- Franklin Delano Roosevelt. • TR and FDR were men who did not fear change, and a leader who expanded the political power of the presidency, and the international bargaining power of the United States. • They did so operating within many similar themes, but contrasted their use of the traditional roles of the president. Though certain of their methods and roles may be different, their goals were similar: • Achieve personal political power • Expand the role of the Presidency and Federal Government • Create an International superpower.

34. THE END