The Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Module code: HS3777

The Franklin Roosevelt era included arguably the most significant years of twentieth century US history, both domestically and internationally. The first half of the course focuses on the Great Depression and the New Deal, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Roosevelt’s New Deal policies in dealing with a variety of domestic concerns. The second half of the course assesses the political and diplomatic concerns of World War II, analysing US diplomacy and the rise of a global superpower, while also examining the home front and assessing the difficulties in maintaining a democratic society at home whilst fighting in the name of democracy overseas. Key texts are drawn from Roosevelt’s Public Papers and Addresses, and supplemented by his published correspondence with Churchill and Stalin, as well as memoirs of key Administration officials including Raymond Moley and Harry Hopkins.