Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932 (American Presidential Elections) (Hardcover)

by Donald A. Ritchie (Author)
Key Phrases: White House, New Deal, Franklin Roosevelt (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A wonderful history of that moment in November 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and modern liberalism was born." Gary Gerstle, coeditor of The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order "A lively and vivid account of a crucial election we take for granted today, though it was very much up for grabs at the time." Allan M. Winkler, author of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America "The best account of the most important presidential campaign of the twentieth century. Holds some surprising lessons for today's presidential candidates." Patrick J. Maney, author of The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR "A triumph and gem of historical storytelling." Gil Troy, author of See How They Ran: The Changing Role of the Presidential Candidate"

Product Description
With the landmark election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932, decades of Republican ascendancy gave way to a half century of Democratic dominance. It was nothing less than a major political realignment, as the direction of federal policy shifted from conservative to liberal--and liberalism itself was redefined in the process.

Electing FDR is the first book in seventy years to examine in its entirety the 1932 presidential election that ushered in the New Deal. Award-winning historian Donald Ritchie looks at how candidates responded to the nation's economic crisis and how voters evaluated their performance. More important, he explains how the Democratic Party rebuilt itself after three successive Republican landslides: where the major shifts in party affiliation took place, what contingencies contributed to FDR's victory, and why the new coalition persisted as long as it did.

Ritchie challenges prevailing assumptions that the Depression made Roosevelt's election inevitable. He shows that FDR came close to losing the nomination to contenders who might have run to the right of Hoover, and discusses the role of newspapers and radio in presenting the candidates to voters. He also analyzes Roosevelt's campaign strategies, recounting his attempts to appeal to disaffected voters of all ideological stripes, often by altering his positions to broaden his popularity.

With the advent of the New Deal, Americans came to enjoy a wide federal safety net that provided everything from old age pensions to rural electricity--government innovations so embraced by voters that even later conservative presidents recognized their importance. Ritchie traces this legacy through the Reagan and Bush years, but he relates how FDR in 1932 was often vague about the specifics of his program and questions whether voters really knew what they were in for with the New Deal.

As pundits, politicians, and citizens eye the upcoming 2008 campaign, Electing FDR reminds incumbents not to take their party support for granted or to underestimate their opponents--and reminds students of history that understanding the New Deal begins with the 1932's transformative election.

This book is part of the American Presidential Elections series.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 274 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Kansas (November 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700615504
• ISBN-13: 978-0700615506
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #642,145 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable history of a surprising complicated election, December 11, 2007

By	Brian Adams (Saint Paul) - See all my reviews

Donald A. Ritchie's description of the 1932 Presidential race is one of an election more interesting than I had assumed. Political insiders failed to recognize the landslide the Depression would bring. Franklin Roosevelt had to survive a convention battle to receive the nomination. President Roosevelt campaigned on sometimes contradictory pledges, and main points of the New Deal were solidified only after the election.

The first quarter of the book is an excursive background covering the election of 1920 and Herbert Hoover's early career among other things. Dr. Ritchie spends comparatively many pages on President Hoover's press relations and surprisingly few on the economics of the Depression. The middle half focuses on the 1932 election. The final chapter covers Hoover's post-election attempts at collaboration, Roosevelt's presidency and later elections, and the legacy of both men.

Dr. Ritchie's writing is clear and quickly readable. The book contains both interesting antidotes and important points. It draws on a large number of sources, though many are press accounts or secondary histories.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Change Election, March 21, 2008

By	Jon Hunt "musician, teacher" (Old Greenwich, Ct. USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Much has been made of the fact that 2008 is a "change" election year, a rarity in our nation's history. "Electing FDR", a terrific and revealing look at the election of 1932, is a good comparison to today...it ushered in the most profound transformations of the twentieth century, many of which are still in evidence. The passing of the baton from Herbert Hoover to Frankin Delano Roosevelt has almost no equal and author Donald Ritchie captures it wonderfully.

Ritchie begins with the reminder that on the eve of some presidential elections, national polling pronounces the race very close, only to have voters witness a landslide, as was the case in Reagan v. Carter in 1980. He then goes on to offer up a crisp and well-paced narrative, largely contrasting the personalities and views of Hoover and Roosevelt. Clearly, Ritchie sides with history as the feckless President Hoover can do no right, not only during his four years in office but for years afterward. If "pariah" could ever be used so successfully as a description of a former president, Herbert Hoover owned it and he bore that moniker for the three decades he lived after leaving the White House.

Not only is the 1932 campaign covered diligently here, but Ritchie has a flair for describing the times. Hoover's administration was truly the last one before "big government" entered the picture, never to leave again. Indeed, President Hoover long fought any attempts by the government to ease the country's financial burdens, believing that the private sector and the natural ebb and flow of the economy would, in time, correct itself. Hoover's dour personality, his bad relations with the Washington press corps and his rigidity all lead to a catastrophic failure on Hoover's part, paving the way for the New York governor to roll up his sleeves and begin to fix things.

Roosevelt, for his part, had more than a few enemies...many within his own party...who thought he was somewhat of a "dilettante". The simmering feud Roosevelt had with former governor and 1928 presidential nominee Al Smith, is one of the highlights of the book. If Hoover was colorless, Al Smith was just the opposite and Roosevelt had to negotiate a path between each of them, from time to time. One other aspect of this change election, Ritchie points out, is historic...in 1932 three out of four African-Americans cast their vote for Hoover. Four years later the same number voted in the reverse...for Roosevelt. That shift has remained true to this day, of course.

Ritchie finishes with a chapter on the ramifications of the Roosevelt presidency and the legacy that he left. That politicians of today still invoke Roosevelt's name as good and Hoover's as bad, underscores the depth of depression-turned-prosperity, which began over the course of the 1932 election cycle. "Electing FDR" is a superb book and I highly recommend it for its historical depth and its excellent narrative style.

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story with many lessons for today, December 25, 2008

By	Bookman (Baton Rouge, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This is an outstanding book -- captivating, extremely well written and thoroughly researched. It's a story that George Bush and John McCain should have read before our current financial crisis set in. The parallels to today's politics are uncanny and too frequent to mention.

The book should serve as a cautionary tale for all our leaders. One of it's messages should be that taking care of the corporate fat cats at the expense of the average guy (as did Hoover as the Great Depression set in) is a sure-fire route to political oblivion. Since Mr. Ritchie is the associate historian of the U.S. Senate, I hope he's managed to get his fine book into the hands of every member of Congress.

More than anything, it's just a great story about how one of our greatest presidents came to power.