Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life
by Robert Dallek
Buy on Amazon"While Robert Dallek's [book takes] a fresh look at the many compelling questions that have attracted all his biographers--How did a man who came from so privileged a background become the greatest presidential champion of the country's needy? How did someone who never won recognition for his intellect foster revolutionary changes in the country's economic and social institutions? How did Roosevelt work such a profound change in the country's foreign relations?--the focus ... is on Roosevelt as a man dedicated to public affairs, a master politician who skillfully and cannily used the presidency to advance a remarkable national agenda"--Provided by publisher.
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"Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life gives the eminent historian Robert Dallek the chance to pull together generations of scholarship and write a through-line narrative for the dominant presidential figure of the 20th century. Dallek recounts the facts and relives the legend, all with the stated mission of showing contemporary Americans “what great presidential leadership looks like.” But he keeps his FDR always in human scale, recounting his failures and flaws along with his gifts and determination. Throughout, Dallek’s emphasis is on how FDR developed and deployed his personal skills to achieve what he wanted – and what he thought the country and the world needed."
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