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The New Deal
Book

The New Deal

A Modern History

Michael Hiltzik
Free Press, 2011

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Background
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

You may think of Franklin Roosevelt as a sepia-toned hero who smoothly guided the United States out of the Depression. As this captivating history makes clear, that is partly true – but not entirely. Roosevelt was a hero in some ways, but his path was decidedly messy. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Hiltzik guides readers through the fits and starts of “New Deal” policies. It turns out that New Deal program ideas could spring from anywhere, whether Roosevelt’s avid imagination or the writings of an obscure economist. A few New Deal programs were miserable failures. And while FDR’s landslide victories paint a distant, historic picture of an overwhelmingly popular president, Hiltzik points out that Roosevelt had to overcome plenty of opposition to enact his policies. getAbstract recommends this revealing history to readers seeking a fresh look at a seminal chapter – and a seminal man – in American politics and economics.

Take-Aways

  • Elected in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt pledged to reverse the US’s laissez-faire approach to business.
  • His first act was a bank holiday that stabilized the financial system and ended bank runs. He then instituted a series of “New Deal” programs.
  • Social Security was the New Deal’s most enduring and successful venture.

About the Author

Los Angeles Times journalist Michael Hiltzik won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for stories uncovering corruption in the entertainment industry. He is the author of Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century.

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    M. B. 1 decade ago
    Truly reflected the vision of a leader who may not be always too successful but ehe go ahead is important.
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    A. 1 decade ago
    excellen book, I did read something about this serial of accions that USA president Roselvet did, but this summary is really concret and clear. to share it with my team