FDR and His Enemies [Hardcover]

Albert Fried (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

Not since the Civil War was America so divided as it was during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. FDR faced fierce challenges by giant figures of the era. Albert Fried brings out the tremendous drama in Roosevelt's ideological and personal struggle with five influential men: ex-New York governor and presidential candidate Al Smith, the enormously popular "radio priest" Charles E. Coughlin. Louisiana's Senator Huey Long, labor champion John L. Lewis, and the universally adored aviator Charles A. Lindbergh. An enthralling story of a critical period in this century's history, this book reveals the intellectual, moral, and tactical underpinnings of a great debate in which Roosevelt always triumphed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starting from the premise that the legacy of a public figure is largely defined by the quality and number of his enemies, Fried (Communism in America, etc.) views the successes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt through the lens of his triumphs over five prominent foes: Al Smith, New York governor and Democratic presidential candidate; Huey Long, Louisiana governor and U.S. senator; hate-filled radio demagogue Father Charles E. Coughlin; United Mine Workers labor leader John L. Lewis; and aviator and political isolationist Charles A. Lindbergh. There is little new about Roosevelt in this book, and little new about his antagonists. Fried's thesis, though, is fresh and yields an interesting way of viewing the political battles Roosevelt had to wage to boost the Depression economy as well as to mobilize the nation's citizenry for a world war. Fried believes Roosevelt prevailed over impressive opposition because he understood the needs of the American populace better than his opponents did. Among the hundreds of books about Roosevelt and his presidency and the numerous books about Smith, Long, Coughlin, Lewis and Lindbergh as individuals, none treats the five men as agroup in quite the way Fried does. His book is a valuable addition to understanding how Roosevelt maintained confidence in the federal government while winning re-election three times. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In the midst of Civil War, Abraham Lincoln upheld America's great experiment in self-government by holding a national election, although the results could have ousted him as president. Likewise, Franklin Roosevelt successfully waged internal war on the Great Depression, then mounted an offense in World War II without curtailing national elections, although Britain suspended them during the same period. Fried (history, SUNY at Purchase), author of more than a dozen books, highlights FDR's democratic character by contrasting him with five major antagonists: Al Smith, Charles E. Coughlin, Huey Long, John L. Lewis, and Charles A. Lindbergh. Fried masterfully weaves a fascinating and important history in prose that reflects the basis for his two previous Pulitzer Prize nominations. Fried's latest work complements Byron W. Daynes's The New Deal and Public Policy (St. Martin's, 1997). Recommended for all public and academic libraries.AWilliam D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312221193
• ISBN-13: 978-0312221195
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,475,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting concept and an equally interesting read., June 3, 2001

By 

"ewilliamsywam" - See all my reviews

This review is from: FDR and His Enemies (Paperback)

It has been said that we can tell a great deal about a man's character by the enemies He makes, And Franklin Delano Roosevelt had more than His share of enemies.Albert Fried attempts to illustrate FDR's character, political skills and His place in history by evaluating His relationships with five of His most implaccable political enemies, An interesting concept that falls short in some areas. Al Smith was one of Roosevelt's earliest political mentors, FDR probably would never have

become president had Smith not virtually blackmailed Him into running for Governor of New York in 1928.After the election Smith felt He was due some deference which He never got. But to blame their alienation envy and resentment on Smith's part is I believe wrong. By 1932 Smith had moved to the right in His ideology as many do as they get older. I believe that He genuinely believed FDR was moving America towards Marxism.Huey Long was said to be the only politician that FDR genuinely feared.Against all logic the author believes the Kingfish would not have run for Presidentin 1936. I believe that Long would almost certainly have run and thatHe might have thrown the election to the Republicans. As William Manchester once wrote; ''Huey Long is one of the few men of whom it can truly be said that had He lived history would have been different''.The least impressive of the enemies is Father Charles Coughlin, a windbag in a clerical collar. John L. Lewis was a Labor leader with dictatorial ambitions who clearly underestimated Roosevelt's popularity with the workers. Charles Lindbergh was the only one of the five who was not originally a Roosevelt ally.Lindbergh was enormously naive, I don''t think He was a Nazi.Fried says that all of these men were living in the past and could not understand that Roosevelt's policies were the wave of the future. I don''t think that could truly be said of either Long or Lewis. And it begs the question of wheather the ideas of the future are always superior to the ideas of the past. Nevertheless a good book.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fast fascinating survey, December 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: FDR and His Enemies (Hardcover)

This is a compellingly readable look at FDR and the way he sized up and snookered four demogogues and an envious former friend, all of whom fatally underestimated his intelligence and will. I wish the informational footnotes had been included on the same pages as the text proper, so that you dont have to go back and forth; some of them are so good, they should have been worked into the text--which at times is too concise for it's own good. You may want to have a copy of Ward's brilliant FDR bio, A First-Class Temperament, and William's definitive bio of Huey Long on hand to get more details, but for a riveting overview of a cast of characters as intriguing as any in Dickens, this volume will keep you reading late into the night.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A man of first-rate enemies, December 27, 2002

By 

J. Gillespie "gettingthere" ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: FDR and His Enemies (Hardcover)

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proved his mettle in how he dealt with his domestic enemies almost as much as in the way he fought Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini. As Professor Albert Fried demonstrates in FDR and His Enemies, the homegrown foes were at times the tougher adversaries.

Fried places on FDR's list a formidable cross-section of American enemies: Father Charles Coughlin, the bombastic radio priest; aviator Charles Lindbergh, who morphed from international hero into Nazi dupe; John Lewis, the labor leader who used people as callously as ashtrays; Al Smith, the first Catholic to run for president who became an ardent opponent of the New Deal; and Louisiana hurricane Huey Long, perhaps the most dangerous and brilliant of the five. How FDR responds to each is based on that individual's strengths and weaknesses. Thus, Lindbergh and Coughlin are marginalized by their own words, Smith and Lewis by their own vanity, and the dynamo Long is co-opted as much as he is battled. FDR's deft approach to each proves impressive.

Unfortunately, the book at times is an apologia for FDR's many excesses and shortcomings. As an example, spurious excuses are offered for horrific civil liberty violations such as the president's indiscriminate use of the FBI wiretaps on domestic foes. In this and many other instances Fried betrays the prejudices of academicians of his era. To such men FDR did no wrong, the facts be damned. Also, in keeping with the style of professors of his background, Fried can't resist showing off his impressive vocabulary. Keep a dictionary handy.

Nonetheless, the book remains eminently readable and brings a unique perspective to an earlier president whose superb political skills often exceeded his discretion and intellectual capacity. Fried is at his acidic best when he directly quotes outrages from Lindbergh and Coughlin, and the book shines when the professor chronicles the seemingly benign but always powerful theatrics of Long and Lewis.

One of the better descriptions of FDR was "a man of first-rate temperament". As Fried proves, FDR had first-rate enemies as well.