Customer Reviews

The Politics of Upheaval: 1935-1936, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume III (Vol 3)

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This book - as well as the previous two volumes - are thorough in their review of the national features of the New Deal, with great (perhaps too great) emphasis on the personalities of the New Deal administrators.

The credibility of the series suffers, however, because of its hagiographical undertones, which can be immediately apprehended by the front cover of Volume III. These occasionally bubble up to the surface in the form of patently absurd statements. For instance, on page 575, Schlesinger reviews Roosevelt's preferences for an opponent in the 1936 campaign:

"During 1935 Roosevelt had hoped that Hoover would be his opponent in 1936. This was only partly because he supposed Hoover would make a weak candidate. It was more that he considered Hoover the one Republican leader to possess (in Moley's words) "the massive convictions and intelligence to provide an alternative to the New Deal." With Hoover heading the Republican ticket, the electorate would confront a genuine choice."

The ascription of such high-toned qualities to a candidate in search for a second term is highly questionable, to say the least. Roosevelt wanted Hoover in 1936 because the latter was a political loser with the stain of Depression forever sullying his record. Period. End of sentence. For Schlesinger to suggest that a more dominant consideration for Roosevelt was that Hoover could make the best case against the New Deal is frankly absurd. No politician wishes for the candidate who will offer the most informed and cogent denunciations of his program!

This is one of the more extreme examples of Schlesinger's conceit. But generally speaking, Schlesinger is at pains to ascribe the intentions - the unobservable phenomena in any drama such as this - along highly partisan lines. Those in favor of the New Deal are seen as principled leaders in search of a better world. Those opposed are seen as either being out for glory, reactionary, or - at best, usually in the case of fellow Democrats like Al Smith - confused and misguided. This is not an assertion that is buttressed by empirical evidence - but, as in the case of the above quotation, an a priori assumption that informs the whole perspective of the series.

All in all, this series must be read as the work of a devoted liberal with great faith in the Rooseveltian experiment - one that, I hasten to add, has been abandoned in many respects (e.g. the central planning of the TVA, AAA, and especially the NRA). When understood as the work of a partisan prepared to trumpet the good and apologize for or simply ignore the bad, the series can provide tremendous value. But it cannot be viewed as the work of a historian making great efforts to be comprehensive and objective. Otherwise, one might close Volume III thinking that the 16.7 million souls who had the audacity to vote against Roosevelt in 1936 were either knaves or fools. There is, of course, more to the story, but it is not to be found within the covers of any of Mr. Schlesinger's volumes.

The history of politics in the 20th century is found in these volumes on the life and times of FDR from - populists to the progressives. Rich in analysis with the perspective of distance and time. A must read for any student of 20th century U.S. history.

I just finished all three of Schlesinger's books on FDR and the New Deal... and this one finishes as Roosevelt defeats Landon for a second term. There is a reference within this book to a next volume, but he never wrote it? Additionally, Schlesinger wrote an autobiography that he entitled volume one, describing his life until 1950... and then never wrote the rest of it?

I'm just curious why he did that, since I would love to read the rest of both topics... he was a fabulous writer as well as a dapper character.

I highly recommend these three volumes for a better understanding of where we've come from as a country... I haven't yet read Amity Shlaes' neo-liberal anti-Roosevelt rant, but I plan to, because I can't believe that someone could think like that impassionately... one would have to be a banker or a member of the National Association of Manufacturers....

The Age of Roosevelt - Schlesinger
I. The Crisis of the Old Order, 1919-1933
II. The Coming of the New Deal
III. The Politics of Upheaval

Unique combination of readable but thorough history of FDR and the New Deal. Measures up to scholarly criteria without boring your pants off. Required reading for anyone who wants to understand U.S. politics and economic challenges in the first half of the 20th century.