When Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as president, the country was in the depth of the Great Depression. But Roosevelt was a natural leader. He successfully regained the trust of the masses and helped them believe in themselves.
For a people that had fallen into the misery of an economic crisis, having faith in themselves was crucial and Roosevelt managed to do this. No wonder, he is the only president who served more than two terms, though in 1951 the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution set a limit of two terms to presidents.
Roosevelt set up government agencies that created jobs for the unemployed. He made sure that there were legal provisions that ensured that people got fair pay.
He set up ‘Social Security’, a reform policy that imposed heavier taxes on the wealthy. It also called for new controls over banks and public utilities, and an enormous work relief program for the unemployed. The tax raised from the wealthy was used to pay for these programmes. Roosevelt called this the New Deal, a way to help Americans work their way out of the Depression.
Though he had supporters, Roosevelt had detractors as well. Many were of the opinion that the government should not interfere in business practices. But the number of people who loved his policies surpassed his critics; Roosevelt was elected three more times, in 1936, 1940 and 1944 respectively.
Roosevelt felt the U.S. should go to the aid of the British during the Second World War. Contrary to Roosevelt’s idea, most people were of the opinion that the U.S. should stay out of the war. However, when the German U-boats attacked American ships and Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in1941, the U.S. was forced to enter the war. Roosevelt thus became a wartime president.
Roosevelt devoted much thought to the planning of a United Nations. He believed that it was necessary to settle international conflicts peacefully. As the war drew to a close, Roosevelt’s health deteriorated. He died on April 12, 1945, of a cerebral haemorrhage.
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