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Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt | 
 enlarge | Author: H.w. Brands
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 204
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 896
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 2
ISBN: 0385519583
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.917092
EAN: 9780385519588
ASIN: 0385519583
Publication Date: November 4, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
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Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, November 2008: With Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, H.W. Brands penetrates the clenched grin of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a masterful biography of one of America's most beloved leaders. Though born into the upper crust of society, FDR dedicated his career to fighting for the common good and the ideals of the American Dream. With the same exhaustive research familiar to fans of his biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Jackson, Brands provides a portrait of an unflinching (and often recalcitrant) figure whose unshakable confidence inspired a beleaguered nation. FDR's path may have been unorthodox (evidenced by an unprecedented 12 years spent as commander-in-chief) and arguably illegal (the New Deal didn't always work well with the Constitution), but his shared goal of a stronger America at home and abroad endeared him to voters of varying backgrounds. "We are determined to make every American citizen the subject of his country's interest and concern," proclaimed Roosevelt in 1937. "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." -- -Dave Callanan
Product Description
A sweeping, magisterial biography of the man generally considered the greatest president of the twentieth century, admired by Democrats and Republicans alike. Traitor to His Class sheds new light on FDR's formative years, his remarkable willingness to champion the concerns of the poor and disenfranchised, his combination of political genius, firm leadership, and matchless diplomacy in saving democracy in America during the Great Depression and the American cause of freedom in World War II.
Drawing on archival materials, public speeches, personal correspondence, and accounts by family and close associates, acclaimed bestselling historian and biographer H. W. Brands offers a compelling and intimate portrait of Roosevelt’s life and career.
Brands explores the powerful influence of FDR’s dominating mother and the often tense and always unusual partnership between FDR and his wife, Eleanor, and her indispensable contributions to his presidency. Most of all, the book traces in breathtaking detail FDR’s revolutionary efforts with his New Deal legislation to transform the American political economy in order to save it, his forceful?and cagey?leadership before and during World War II, and his lasting legacy in creating the foundations of the postwar international order.
Traitor to His Class brilliantly captures the qualities that have made FDR a beloved figure to millions of Americans. Exclusive Amazon.com Q&A with H.W. Brands and Jon Meacham On the eve of the historic 2008 presidential election, we were fortunate to chat with historians H.W. Brands and Jon Meacham (author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House) on the similarities of their presidential subjects and how the legacies of FDR and Jackson continue to shape the political world we see today. Amazon.com: One of Andrew Jackson's childhood friends once remarked that when they wrestled, "I could throw him three times out of four, but he never stayed throwed." How emblematic is this of Jackson's career? Meacham: Utterly emblematic. Jackson was resilient, tough, and wily, rising from nothing to become the dominant political figure of the age. He was crushed by his loss in 1824, when, despite carrying the popular vote, he was defeated in the House of Representatives. But, tellingly, he began his campaign for 1828 almost immediately, on the way home to Tennessee. And he won the next time. Amazon.com: What would Jackson think of Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Meacham: I think they would have gotten along famously. It is difficult to imagine men from more starkly different backgrounds?to take just one example, Jackson lost his mother early, and FDR was long shaped by his mother?but they both viewed the presidency the same way: they both believed they should be in it, wielding power on behalf of the masses against entrenched interests. Amazon.com: How important was Jackson's legacy to FDR's Presidency? Brands: Jackson was FDR’s favorite president, and Jackson’s presidency was the one Roosevelt initially modeled his own after. FDR saw Jackson as the champion of the ordinary people of America; he saw himself the same way. He compared Jackson’s battle with the Bank of the United States to his own battle with entrenched economic interests. And just as Jackson had reveled in the enmity of the rich, so did Roosevelt. Amazon.com: Although both were regarded as champions of the people, their backgrounds were drastically different. FDR hailed from a wealthy and politically-connected family, while Jackson was an orphaned son of immigrants. How did each manage to endear themselves to the voters of their day? Meacham: Jackson was in many ways the first great popular candidate. He had “Hickory Clubs,” and there were torchlit parades and barbecues?lots and lots of barbecues. Jackson helped mastermind the means of campaigning that would become commonplace. He also intuitively understood the power of image, and kept a portrait painter, Ralph Earl, near to hand in the White House. Brands: FDR combined noblesse oblige with felt concern for the plight of the poor. His polio had something to do with this?it introduced him to personal suffering, and it also introduced him, in Georgia, where he went for rehabilitation, to poor farmers unlike any he had spent time with before. He came to know them and to feel the problems they faced. He took people in trouble seriously and communicated that seriousness to them. Continue reading this Q&A
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| Customer Reviews:
Another Solid History by H.W. Brands November 23, 2008
12 out of 15 found this review helpful
I am a big fan of H.W. Brands, so I was excited when I learned that FDR was going to be his next release. Brands' literary style is superb; he always provides ample background into the subject so that the reader walks away with a thorough understanding, yet he is able to portray these people in an engaging way so one never has the feeling of having read a dry textbook.
Traitor To His Class is an exceptional book. You get all the background, not only of FDR, Eleanor, Sara, & family, but also of the political scene of the time including TR and Woodrow Wilson, the failed economy and FDR's New Deal, WWII and Churchill from the ingenious 'lend lease' up through Pearl Harbor, Truman and ultimately his death at Warm Springs. Brands is able to place the reader inside the mindset of FDR as all of this history is being made.
It is difficult to write a concise review of such a well-researched and masterfully written work. If you've read Brands before, you'll love Traitor To His Class just as much if not more than his other works. For those who are new to Brands and are looking for an FDR biography/history, I would highly recommend this one due to the attention to detail and intelligent yet friendly presentation. You won't be disappointed.
Traitor to His Class: FDR was a crippled leader who got America back on its feet in Depression and World War November 21, 2008
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
Traitor to His Class is the new biography by Dr. H.W. "Bill" Brands of the University of Texas. Brands is notable for such acclaimed previous biaographies of American historical giants Andrew Jackson and Benjamin Franklin. His books are notable for being academically sound and written with a felicitous and easy to comprehend style.
There is little that is new to historians in this 800 page behemoth of a well researched biography. Brands divides his book into three major sections.
Part One deals with FDR's birth as a rich child of an old man James Roosevelt and his much younger wife Sarah Delano. James died while FDR was a young man. His mother Sarah was imperious and doting. Sarah made life difficult for FDR's wife Eleanor. Until she died in 1941 Sarah ruled at Hyde Park! FDR attended Groton and Harvard where he was popular. He briefly attended law school and launched a career in New York politics serving in the state senate in Albany. He served as assistant secretary of the US Navy in the Wilson administration during World War I being mentored by Josephus Daniels. FDR was a buoyant optimist person enjoying stamp collecting and sailing. He was a master politican assisted by such able helpers as Louis Howe, Harrp Hopkins, Averill Harriman and his faithful secretary Missy LeHand.
In 1921 he came down with polio which strengthend his charaacter and made a man of him. He had earlier served as the Vice-Presidential candidate with James Cox the Democratic party candidate for President who was defeated by Warren G. Harding in the campaing of 1920. FDR
was unfaithful to Eleanor having a long term liason with Lucy Mercer. Eleanor and Franklin's marriage produced several children: Anna, James,
FDR Jr and Elliot. The couple stayed together because of their mutual love of the children and FDR's career. Eleanor later developed lesbian relationships with Lorena Hicock and other women. She was more liberal than her spouse in the area of civil rights and feminist causes. Eleanor and FDR had affection for one another but lived basically separate lives.
II. After serving as a popular governor of New York FDR won the presidency over the hapless Herbert Hoover. In the first 100 days he began to lead America out of the Great Depression. Through such agencies and programs as NRA, AAA, CCC, FWP he helped the land recover from the horribl economic times. FDR did not conquer the Depression but he led America to better economic times. Due to him and his team such monumental legislation as Social Security and a GI Bill of Rights became law. Roosevelt helped Great Britain with Lend-Lease prior to World War II. He had difficulty battling isolationists The nation finally became a wartime ally of Great Britain following the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
III. This section deals with FDR's role as a world leader during World War II. Along with Churchill in Great Britain and Stalin in the USSR the Allies won decisive and unconditional victory over the Nazis and Japanese Empire. FDR made such key decisions as naming Eisenhower as Commander in Chief of Operation Overord planning and implementing D-Day and the invasion of Europe. He was also instrumental in getting the Manhatten Project going in our nation's quest to have an atomic bomb before Germany or Japan. The burdens of the war wore Roosevelt down and he died in Warm Springs in April, 1945 mourned by the United States and the world.
FDR was elected to four terms; was the first president to fly overseas in war and outdid his famous cousin and idol Teddy Roosevelt on the world stage.
Brands book is excellent and so was the man he decribes in detail! America hopes our new president Barack Obama can lead and inspire our people as did FDR the greatest president of the twentieth century!
 Thorough scholarship and an impressive eye for story. November 10, 2008
39 out of 51 found this review helpful
After reading H.W. Brands 800 page biography Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life And Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, I know a great deal more about FDR than I do about any member of my family, and I love my family.
Brands renders elegant the full orbit of Roosevelt's life, replete with stirring descriptions of the constellation of out-sized bodies and satellite characters who exerted their cosmic pull upon Roosevelt's political revolution.
He had help. Victorian Age America conspired for Roosevelt's benefit, and Brands' narrative sketches a turn of the century political landscape where America and the world are organized to showcase the economic, military, and moral dignity of the governing class: Episcopalians living along the Eastern Seaboard. In this time, God and Government were in the able stewardship of Republican WASPs. These upright elites had routed the South during the Civil War and spent the next few generations lording it over the nation, and from Brands portrayal, they sound not terribly unlike the World War II generation, combining "nearly all the the business interests of the country and added sufficient numbers of urban workers and mid-western farmers to lock up the White House and Congress." The Democrats, on the other hand, were a mixed stew of immigrants, leftovers, rubes, and hayseeds, "with its shotgun multiple marriage of country and city, of southern white supremacist and northern ethnics, of Bible-thumping conservatives and agnostic liberals."
The Roosevelt's set comprised the small group of good Republican Episcopalians who really ran the world. They had names like Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, Ellery Sedgwick, Breckinridge Long, and Endicott Peabody- an appellation that can only give itself to someone very white, or someone very, very black, such a name does not admit of temperate hues or Jews. This East Coast elite ministered to the lower classes--including Catholics-- while at the same time reminding them of their place, a dual task requiring years of preparation. To this end, Groton boarding school and the Ivy Leagues produced civic minded Anglophile federal administrators, deputies, assistants, associates, and secretaries. For reasons of constitutional fidelity, Congressmen were culled proportionally from other states across the Union, but to be sure, their congressional offices were staffed with Yalies doing the heavy lifting. As a show of magnanimity, the good Republican sons and daughters of the Union allowed their Presidents to be harvested from Ohio: "Ohio grew Presidents like Iowa grew corn."
The Northern Democratic machines worked in the way of an syndicate, where party bosses doled out jobs to recently arrived immigrants, in exchange for votes. In the South, as Mark Twain penned, the Democrats political energies were spent waxing nostalgically of the era befo' the waw, or smarting over the dread realities durin' the waw, or lamenting their shrinking holdings aftah the waw. The Western Democrats were rogues, second sons and lawless pioneers. In the end, it was the well-mannered, landed Republican Episcopalians, those who sailed for leisure and said "bully," who made sure the people's business was done.
For Roosevelt, money flowed from both bloodlines. His father, James Roosevelt, was a chummy businessman in respectable society, a widower, and casual Democrat from an established Republican clan. His mother, Sara Delano, came from drug dealers. The drug was opium trafficked on the Oriental Sea, thousands of miles away, such that William Delano could consider himself a lucrative businessman in the independent pharmaceutical trade. William Delano approved of Sara's marriage to James Roosevelt, granting a special exemption from Delano's profound and good humored political prejudice, "I will not say that all Democrats are horse thieves," he declared in a moment magnanimity. "But it would seem that all horse thieves are Democrats." And from this political accident of birth, some would call it a defect, sprang Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a traitor to his class.
But for the occasional sickness, FDR matriculated breezily and with ruddy good humor through the cold showers, dawn revelry, and the Greek declensions of Groton; the social clubs and Crimson of Harvard; and landed on his wedding day to hear Uncle Teddy toast his union with all of the ego befitting the Rough Rider. Imagine Bill Clinton walking into your wedding, one wonders if the weak would faint from his charisma or from oxygen deprivation as the air drew from the room. "Theodore, who could never resist an audience, strode forward and hypnotized the guests in his usual fashion. Years later, Eleanor recalled the moment distinctly: 'Those closest to us did take time to wish us well, but the great majority of the guests were far more interested in the thought of being able to see and listen to the President; and in a very short time this young married couple were standing alone.' Eleanor of course said nothing, although she surely hoped that her new husband would speak up. But he was as smitten as the rest. 'I cannot remember that even Franklin seemed to mind.'"
As to the players, central casting delivered a team of talent, and Brands digs through a trove of diaries and notes to fill out the desires of the much put upon Eleanor Roosevelt, who cut her social activist teeth when Roosevelt sent her out to be his eyes and ears on the streets of New York; the loyal and canny Louise Howe; plucky, do-gooding Harry Hopkins, straight-talking Wendell Willkie, the much harassed and harassing Al Smith; Francis Townsend, the retired doctor who, and by the way, begat Social Security; Walter Lippman, a reporter second only to George Will in my estimation, in expressing with linguistic felicity, the wrong side of a great many issues; the frenetic populist Louisiana Governor Huey Long, a force of blustering nature closer to Hurricane Katrina than a mere mortal; and the terrifying phenomenon of Douglass MacArthur.
Brands recounts Roosevelt's awe of MacArthur, after the General handled a group of disgruntled veterans protesting on the White House Lawn:
"You said Huey was the second most dangerous person, didn't you?" he asked Roosevelt..."You heard it all right," he answered. "I meant it. Huey is only the second. The first is Doug MacArthur. You saw how he strutted down Pennsylvania Avenue. You saw that picture of him in the Times after the troops chased all those vets out with tear gas and burned their shelters. Did you ever see anyone more self-satisfied? There's a potential Mussolini for you. Right here at home. The head man in the Army. That's a perfect position if things get disorderly enough and good citizens work up enough anxiety." Roosevelt explained that he knew MacArthur from the World War. "You've never heard him talk, but I have. He has the most portentous style of anyone I know. He talks in a voice that might come from an oracle's cave. He never doubts and never argues or suggests; he makes pronouncements. What he thinks is final. Besides, he's intelligent, a brilliant soldier like his father before him...if all this talk comes to anything-- about government going to pieces and not being able to stop the spreading disorder-- Doug Macarthur is the man. In his way, he's as much a demagogue as Huey. He has as much ego, too. He thinks he's infallible-- if he's always right, all people need to do is to take orders. And if some don't like it, he'll take care of them in his own way."
Brands' Roosevelt grew from a self-possessed, hungry politician, making a name for himself as a Democrat whose Protestant prep school sensibilities bucked the vagaries of Tammany Hall machine politics-- Roosevelt's independent wealth purchased partial immunity from Tammany Hall's attractive structural electoral support---through to become Assistant Navy Secretary who used those Tammany skills to shunt shipbuilding jobs to his home state in earnest, far-sided preparation for a Gubernatorial run, into a crafty Washington pol who strung out Stalin for years before finally engaging in World War II, eventually relieving the pressure Stalin faced on the Eastern front of the war. One knows Brands' portrayal cuts a compelling form when even Joseph Stalin emerges as a sympathetic figure. Roosevelt's conception of the troika of world leaders (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) moved the President to cajole Stalin into having the Soviet Union "keep Hitler occupied and to kill Germans-- lots and lots of Germans. Every German who died on the easter front was one fewer the Americans and British would have to fight themselves, when their turn came."
In telling Roosevelt's story, Brands admirably blends the monumental, antiquarian, and critical aspects of the President's life.
The Monumental: Roosevelt took the United States off the gold standard by cleverly-placed press statements, bank holidays, and surreptitious legislative sleights of hand tantamount to a daring feat of prestidigitation. Imagine the American economy in the body of a juggler. The juggler uses both hands to keep three balls in the air, the true artist keeps balls in the air by using one hand, Roosevelt led the nation to dare performing this act without using hands at all, and the American Economy has been supported by air ever since, and such was the religious conversion of the American economy, with the dollar dancing, dipping and defying gravity by faith alone.
The Antiquarian: Roosevelt's romantic dalliances. It's always sad when the good aren't faithful.
The Critical: Roosevelt may have achieved too much political success after his first term. With a sweeping electoral mandate and congressional majority, he became resentful of the Supreme Court, over-reached and tried mightily to change the constitution of the court to suit his favor. In Brands' narrative, this failure to pack the Court begins the story of a manipulative President, one who had very little compunction uttering this campaign phrase: "I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent to any foreign wars." Then put those voters on boats storming Omaha Beach. The result leaves this reader to believe that it's possible the world would be a better place if Wendell Willkie had won in 1940. Willkie would have gotten us in the war but possibly without casually interning Japanese-American citizens for the bargain.
Brands has written sixteen books on American Themes, all, it seems, in tacit preparation for Roosevelt's story. The biography reads as if Brands sifted through the accumulated research of his lifetime to create a full picture of the man. Bravo
Master Historian's FDR Biography Receives Strong Reviews November 4, 2008
33 out of 53 found this review helpful
Franklin Roosevelt led the Allies to victory in World War Two after tackling the economic crisis of the Great Depression. This book by master historian H.W. Brands has received strong early reviews. (I will include my own review once I finish reading it.)
KIRKUS REVIEWS said that this book "will likely be the go-to popular biography for quite some time... a thoroughly readable, scrupulously fair assessment of the one president who could inspire a Mt. Rushmore makeover... Roosevelt had so transformed the office and the country that not even his fiercest critics dared attempt to roll back the change. The author explains the birth of that era and how the vast expansion of the federal government and executive power was attributable to the imagination, discipline, drive and, to the great frustration of his enemies, popularity of the 20th century's most consequential president."
The ECONOMIST Magazine called this book "impressive" and said that Roosevelt was "the man who saved his country and the world."
LIBRARY JOURNAL said, "According to the rankings of most scholars, FDR is the greatest American President of the 20th century. Brands helps us understand why. Bringing his historical and biographical skills to the task of sifting through a huge number of earlier books on FDR, he provides a broad yet nuanced overview. Though Brands does not break new ground, neither does he sensationalize the more controversial aspects of FDR's personality and politics-contrary to what the subtitle might suggest. Rather, FDR is presented as a man who, in mapping his own career, relied heavily on the political career of Theodore Roosevelt and learned from the mistakes of Woodrow Wilson, in whose administration he served. The President's ordeal with polio tested and matured him so that he was ready to inspire a crippled nation during the Great Depression. Though he would blunder in the 1937 Supreme Court packing plan, which Brands labels "the biggest mess of his presidency," by 1942 he is considered by Brands to have been "the most powerful man in American history." The overall portrayal here reinforces the views presented in two first-rate recent biographies: conservative journalist Conrad Black's Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom and liberal political scientist Jean Edward Smith's FDR. All three are very readable and necessary for a full appreciation of America's 26th president. Highly recommended for all libraries."
After pulling USA from isolationism and leading America to victory in WWII, FDR laid the international foundation for a post-WWII world based on collective security, an engaged U.S. foreign policy, and freedom based of FDR's Four Freedoms and Atlantic Charter, hastening the demise of colonialism and providing the international framework to lead the world as a superpower.
The American people gave Roosevelt four astonishing landslide election wins of over 80% of the electoral votes every time, including the third-largest electoral landslide (98.49% in 1936) ever in American history. (Only Washington at 100% and Monroe at 99.57% won bigger).
I have read extensively about American history and American presidents, and Brands is one of the greatest writers of history, including a Pultizer Prize-finalist biography of Ben Franklin, an outstanding biography of Andrew Jackson, a fine biography of Theodore Roosevelt, and others. Brands said on C-SPAN that he is telling the story of America through biographies of important people from each era. With this biography, Brands covers the epic era of the Great Depression and World War Two. The "radical" title of this book and a previous remark by Brands that his Republican father did not care much for the New Deal (but liked FDR's handling of World War Two) suggests that this book may be overly-harsh on the New Deal. Then again, Brands is highly authoritative, which is why I highly recommend this biography without reservations.
My perspective from which to judge this book is that the financial system had collapsed under Hoover and the Republican Congress (10,000 banks failed), money flow in the economy had sharply contracted, and the economy fell into a very deep Depression. FDR restored the financial system and ended a constrictive, flawed gold standard that had been enacted when Coolidge was president. The economic contraction was stopped by FDR, and strong economic growth ensued in his first term. GDP grew 63% from the beginning of 1933 through 1937. Personal income grew 46% from 1933 to 1937 -- money in the hands of consumers after taxes. (Check the numbers on the Internet for 1933-1936.) According to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in his excellent economics book "Essays on the Great Depression" (on page 248), "Between 1933 and 1937, employment in U.S. manufacturing rose by 3.4 percent per QUARTER, and output by 5.0 percent per QUARTER."
FDR reduced the high unemployment rate in the private sector by around two-thirds to only 11% by 1937, which was still high. However, if you include government jobs to build tens of thousands of infrastructure structures in the economy, the unemployment rate drops even further to around 4%. Examples of these investments include the Norris Dam, Humboldt River Aqueduct, Los Angeles Aqueduct, Bonneville Navigation Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, Pocatello Reservoir, All American Irrigation Canal, Wyoming Drought Canal, Houston Ship Canal, Denver Water Tunnel, Nebraska Power Project, Fort Peck Dam, Mississippi erosion Mattress, and 26 Dams and Locks on the St. Louis-Minneapolis Waterway. A massive aqueduct and water transportation system built by FDR provides Los Angeles its water today. FDR was the most important president for the Western United States, because FDR's massive public investments in energy, water, and credit greatly developed the infrastructure of the Southwest (especially), Northwest, South and to a lesser extent other areas. The investments made the Southwest viable for livability and private investment. Previously, they had not. Thousands of schools, bridges and tunnels were also built - too many to list. He also brought rural electricity to millions for the first time. He created the GI Bill which gave college to millions for the first time. These investments helped fuel the decades of booming economic expansion that followed - the great post-war boom. China and other countries have successfully followed FDR's New Deal, which is simply capitalism with government investment and oversight.
In 1934 under FDR, GDP grew a robust 17%. In 1935, GDP grew 11%. In 1936, GDP grew 14%. In 1937, GDP grew 10%. The Dow quadrupled from early 1933 to 1937. Check those numbers on the Internet. The Dow industrials rose 39 points in 1933 (from Dow 50 at the start of the year), 6 points in 1934, 40 points in 1935 and 36 points in 1936."
A later recession came in 1937-1938, four years after FDR took office in 1933, when New Deal spending was sharply cut by Congress, and that caused a recession. Cutting New Deal stimulus spending stopped the New Deal recovery from 1934-1937 and caused a recession from 1937-38. FDR's treasury secretary said that it was time to throw away the crutches (New Deal stimulus) and let the economy walk on its own without government aid, because the worst of the Depression seemed to be over; industrial output even reached the previous peak of 110 in 1929. He said it was time to balance the budget and cut stimulus spending. So Congress did that. As a result, New Deal stimulus spending was sharply cut, the budget was balanced that year, and the economy plunged back into a recession without the New Deal stimulus. Steel production fell from 85% of capacity to 19%. The Dow fell to 34. That 1937-38 contraction was reversed a year later with massive WWII spending which ended the Great Depression era for good. (Reagan would later pull America from a deep recession in 1982 with massive military deficit spending, also. Reagan wrote in his autobiography that he voted for FDR four times, idolized him, and was not trying to undo the New Deal.)
New Deal economic safeguards were enacted to prevent a Depression from ever happening again, such as the SEC, FDIC, FHA mortgage standards, and the Fed Open Market Committee. Before the New Deal, there had been many depressions before the Great Depression. There has never again been another Depression, thanks to the economic stabilizers FDR built into the economic system. FDR also vastly expanded the prosperity of the middle class. Before the Great Depression started, in the 1920s, 60% of Americans were living at mere subsistence. Most Americans had little spending power before the Depression because wealth was highly-concentrated in the few. By the time FDR's presidency ended, a booming middle class had been born. Decades of stable prospetity for the middle class, built partly on New Deal reforms, followed. The post-war boom was the greatest era of middle class economic growth ever.
John Steele Gordon, an advocate of free markets, wrote a wonderful profile of the New Deal (pages 336-346) in his masterpiece economic history called "Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power." He wrote," While many of the New Deal programs were unsuccessful and many of its economic principles shortsighted, in its totality it was an enormous success. The country since the New Deal has been a far richer, far more economically secure, far more just society. It has been one that has proved to offer far more opportunity for all and produce far more wealth as a consequence... There has never been a serious political effort to reverse the New Deal."
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