$4.35 delivery Friday, July 7. Details

Only 1 left in stock - order soon

[{"displayPrice":"$28.89","priceAmount":28.89,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"28","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"89","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"L2z2PEWvshPb7SQ7MpS8yj98f2ebz1vzCGSzXWkAItBxHnU2QlBaOCo8iJ4vRH%2BXh1pHKHn6Rg%2FOqP%2BGLoQyZTXbaCGrNDXjcYR9pZ34PLtU0PWPojeSphoqDHKsqHpwbj3zajtHiIRLfxtecXveATfqa7MtYZeD7%2Fu9%2FA1vfPRNYq7lCxkWxg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0},{"displayPrice":"$8.35","priceAmount":8.35,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"35","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"L2z2PEWvshPb7SQ7MpS8yj98f2ebz1vzixm88R2FSfKiWhsXfD4LzbVBJV4Jj6qfO9Rx4%2Fra1353vok08ZaONRpuKnr9ayNFUXVzQ4dN1KtKfrgKgKYcudJycwZv6WUrROIeVD9%2Fk2ZXVRUnYXUARZAwpe1T0kvg493uRFOzY5kqVQxe9twOcr4doMMdq1AV","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]

$$28.89 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Payment

Secure transaction

Ships from

ApplePieDiscounts

Sold by

ApplePieDiscounts

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Details

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Ships from

ApplePieDiscounts

Sold by

ApplePieDiscounts

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.

Read full return policy

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Friday, July 7 on orders shipped by Amazon over $25

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by gatecitybooks

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$32.83
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: GF Books, Inc.

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Follow the Author

Susan Dunn

Roosevelt's Purge: How FDR Fought to Change the Democratic Party Hardcover – October 15, 2010

by Susan Dunn (Author)

4.3 14 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$16.74

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$28.89

$1.41

Paperback

"Please retry"

$31.00

$15.38

Kindle
$16.74 Read with Our Free App
Hardcover
$28.89

19 Used from $1.41 5 New from $28.89
Paperback
$31.00

8 Used from $15.38 13 New from $31.00

Purchase options and add-ons

In his first term in office, Franklin Roosevelt helped pull the nation out of the Great Depression with his landmark programs. In November 1936, every state except Maine and Vermont voted enthusiastically for his reelection. But then the political winds shifted. Not only did the Supreme Court block some of his transformational experiments, but he also faced serious opposition within his own party. Conservative Democrats such as Senators Walter George of Georgia and Millard Tydings of Maryland allied themselves with Republicans to vote down New Deal bills.

Susan Dunn tells the dramatic story of FDR’s unprecedented battle to drive his foes out of his party by intervening in Democratic primaries and backing liberal challengers to conservative incumbents. Reporters branded his tactic a “purge”—and the inflammatory label stuck. Roosevelt spent the summer months of 1938 campaigning across the country, defending his progressive policies and lashing out at conservatives. Despite his efforts, the Democrats took a beating in the midterm elections.

The purge stemmed not only from FDR’s commitment to the New Deal but also from his conviction that the nation needed two responsible political parties, one liberal, the other conservative. Although the purge failed, at great political cost to the president, it heralded the realignment of political parties that would take place in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. By the end of the century, the irreconcilable tensions within the Democratic Party had exploded, and the once solidly Democratic South was solid no more. It had taken sixty years to resolve the tangled problems to which FDR devoted one frantic, memorable summer.

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Belknap Press
Publication date

October 15, 2010
Dimensions

5.75 x 1 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

0674057171
ISBN-13

978-0674057173
See all details

Susan Dunn
207
Paperback
22 offers from $3.99
Susan Dunn
31
Paperback
102 offers from $1.49

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dunn's examination of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's summer of '38, when he attempted to rid his party of conservative elements, couldn't be more relevant. The author colorfully and thoroughly chronicles the strategies that a once-popular president, who had helped America rise from a debilitating depression, employed when critics within his own party threatened his New Deal legislation. "Roosevelt would fight back - impulsively haphazardly, emotionally, boldly... it was a highly risky venture that had danger signs written all over it." Roosevelt helped manipulate the outcome of democratic primaries and supported liberals who challenged the seats of conservative incumbents. "Reporters branded his tactic a 'purge' - and the inflammatory label stuck." Even though FDR's efforts ultimately failed, costing him political capital and bringing a beating upon Democrats in the midterm elections, the purge was "the precursor of a historic transformation of American political parties" that "colors American Politics to this day." As the past prepares to repeat itself once more, FDR in '38 is a perfect lens through which to view our current climate.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review

In 1938, when FDR tried to 'purge' conservative members of Congress who were running for reelection, he also hoped to transform the Democratic Party into a more progressive force for change. Dunn's beautifully written, deeply researched book shows how and why he failed to do so. Her history of this pivotal failure has lessons for those in our own time who might wish to do the same. (James. T. Patterson, author of Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945–1974)

How the most masterful presidential politician of the last century badly miscalculated in his bid to impose discipline on his party makes for a richly detailed and riveting narrative in Dunn's superb new book. Hers is a resonant tale for today--a sharp reminder of the ideological and regional barriers confronting any president who harbors the ambition to transform American politics. (Bruce Miroff, author of The Liberals' Moment: The McGovern Insurgency and the Identity Crisis of the Democratic Party)

Dunn portrays one of the most dramatic episodes in the development of the American party system. FDR's assault on conservative Democrats in the midterm elections initiated changes that would eventually transform the Democratic Party--and American politics. This engagingly written book is must reading for those who wish to probe the deep roots of contemporary partisan rancor. (Sidney M. Milkis, author of The President and the Parties)

In the most authoritative, absorbing, and deeply researched account we now have of Roosevelt's intriguing and little-understood battle to remake the Democrats into a more consistently ideological party, Dunn shows how a master politician sought to break the deadlocks of his own time, suggesting many lessons that deserve our urgent attention today. (Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage and The Conquerors)

Dunn delves into a fascinating and overlooked aspect of the FDR presidency: Roosevelt's brazen effort to assert control over his own party in the summer of 1938. Dunn has written an engaging story of bare-knuckled political treachery that pits a president at the peak of his popularity against entrenched congressional leaders who didn't like where he was taking the country and their party. FDR tried to use the power of the White House, and his personality, to run his opponents out of the Democratic Party. He failed miserably. (Jonathan Karl Wall Street Journal 2010-10-13)

Dunn's examination of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's summer of '38, when he attempted to rid his party of conservative elements, couldn't be more relevant. The author colorfully and thoroughly chronicles the strategies that a once-popular president, who had helped America rise from a debilitating depression, employed when critics within his own party threatened his New Deal legislation...Roosevelt helped manipulate the outcome of Democratic primaries and supported liberals who challenged the seats of conservative incumbents...Even though FDR's efforts ultimately failed, costing him political capital and bringing a beating upon Democrats in the midterm elections, the purge was "the precursor of a historic transformation of American political parties" that "colors American Politics to this day." As the past prepares to repeat itself once more, FDR in '38 is a perfect lens through which to view our current climate. (Publishers Weekly 2010-10-18)

[An] engrossing book. (Sam Rosenfeld American Prospect 2010-11-08)

Dunn does an excellent job of putting this purge attempt into historical as well as political context, and demonstrates that the method to FDR's madness can be seen in his effort to bring greater ideological consistency not only to the Democratic Party, but to the two-party system as well...Dunn's book is clearly argued and well written, and gives a glimpse of the inner workings of the Roosevelt White House and the Roosevelt mind. It sheds light on not only presidency studies but also the FDR era. (M. A. Genovese Choice 2011-05-01)

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Belknap Press; First Edition (October 15, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674057171
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674057173
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,047,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,337 in Political Parties (Books)
- #2,236 in United States Executive Government
- #8,734 in History & Theory of Politics

Customer Reviews:
4.3 14 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Susan Dunn

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

14 global ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Ed in Pa.

The title was, all in all, more interesting ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

The title was, all in all, more interesting than the book, although that is not the author's fault. Had the "purge" worked, it might have stood as the first effective effort to nationalize a US "off-year" election. But the title's purge didn't work. Roosevelt's 1938 effort to secure congressmen and senators more in accord with his big government liberal policies and plans comes across as half-hearted, disorganized, slapdash and less than fully thought out. It was also willful in that it was prompted in no small part by FDR's failure the prior year to "pack" the US Supreme Court, despite overwhelming Democratic Party majorities in both houses of Congress. The book shows that some of the "purge's" flaws were structurally inherent in American government - political parties weren't (and to a lesser degree, still are not) ideological; Senators and Congressmen have their own supporters, bases and issues. In that sense, it is perhaps an example of the aphorism "All politics is local." At least in 1938 Democratic primaries it was predominantly that way.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

John S.

Worth reading but not keeping.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was satisfied but not impressed by this book. Even though the subject is somewhat narrow the coverage of it still seemed superficial. Not a book I will keep to hand down to my grandchildren but worth reading nonetheless.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 26, 2023

Very readable writing style. Well researched and just detailed enough. FDR was attempting to make over the Democratic Party into a liberal party. It failed for the same reasons his 1937 attempt to re-pack the Supreme Court. Bad planning. Seventy years later our two parties are now oriented around beliefs and not geography.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 29, 2010

FDR managed to win a never to be matched four presidential terms, passed far reaching New Deal legislation and programs including the Fair Labor Standards Act, Civilian Conservation Corps, and Social Security, and help lead the nation to victory in World War II. What he could not do is defeat some incumbent Senators in his own party's primaries in 1938 despite his personal efforts.

Roosevelt's Purge tells the story of FDR's frustration with several conservative Democratic Senators and one conservative House member in states such as Georgia (Home of Walter George), South Carolina (the state that sent Cotton Ed Smith to the Senate), and Maryland (where Senator Millard Tydings was from). In the summer of 1938, FDR traveled the country to support the opponents' of these men (and a few others) and bolster a few incumbents he did support. When the dust settled, most of those FDR sought to defeat remained in office, with the one exception being conservative New Yorker John O'Connor.

Dunn not only tells the story of why FDR was frustrated and his travels, but also some of the broader context it fell into. The Democratic Party coalition was held together for many years past its expiration date due to personalities, as the unhappy alliance between Northern urban liberals and conservative, segregationist southerns came undone. Dunn posits that FDR actually sought a quicker divorce, allowing for two ideologically distinct parties as we currently have. Although FDR did argue for this, it seems he was really expressing personal anger at those who crossed him. Dunn also presents the interesting result that many of FDR's stalwart allies during the economic New Deal were far more isolationist at least in the early going of World War II. While many of those FDR sought to defeat rallied to him, and England, in the late 1930s.

The book does leave some questions however. Did FDR really think he could have his way in such a subtle fashion? One speech in one town where he failed to mention an incumbent was his way of attacking them? I could not help but think that even in that period of more localized politics, FDR could still have affected those races in other ways besides personal appearances such as hurting funding and putting a stop to an incumbent's legislative progress on Capitol Hill. But besides FDR's personal appearances, the book does not discuss what if any efforts were made.

Mid-term elections such as 1938 have, in recent electoral cycles, become largely nationalized affairs. 1998 is defined by the backlash to Clinton's impeachment. 2002 was the first post-9/11 election and defined by Bush's popularity and terror policies. 2006 and 2010 are both viewed as backlash elections to national leaders. Roosevelt's Purge tells of a time where mid-terms elections, or at least their primaries, were far more localized.

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lew Cutler

A brilliant political analysis

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 15, 2011

When FDR set out in 1938 to "purge" the Democratic Party of conservative senators and congressmen who were allying themselves with Republicans to block more New Deal legislation and reforms, his goal was not just personal pique at his political foes but also a vision of a different party system, one that gave voters a clear choice between the two parties at election time and one in which each party was united around core political principles. "An election," FDR said, "cannot give the country a firm sense of direction if it has two or more national parties which merely have different names but are as alike in their principles and aims as peas in the same pod." Roosevelt spent the summer of 1938 zigzagging around the country and speaking out at rallies for liberal candidates who were challenging conservative incumbents. The purge ultimately failed, and it would take six more decades for the parties to realign. And yet, as Dunn's totally engaging and suspenseful book makes clear, it was an exhilarating failure. One of the best political books I've read in years -- brilliant political analysis and a great story about one of our greatest presidents!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	6pm Score deals on fashion brands	AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account

Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Amazon Fresh Groceries & More Right To Your Door	AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally	Home Services Experienced Pros Happiness Guarantee	Amazon Ignite Sell your original Digital Educational Resources	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data	ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics	DPReview Digital Photography	Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting

Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Prime Video Direct Video Distribution Made Easy

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Warehouse Great Deals on Quality Used Products	Whole Foods Market America’s Healthiest Grocery Store	Woot! Deals and Shenanigans	Zappos Shoes & Clothing	Ring Smart Home Security Systems

eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room	Blink Smart Security for Every Home	Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts	Amazon Subscription Boxes Top subscription boxes – right to your door	PillPack Pharmacy Simplified	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust