Nothing to Fear: FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America (Paperback)

• Category:  Books  »  Politics & Current Events  »  Political History
• Format: Paperback   Learn more about the Paperback format using Tower WIKI.
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Number of Pages: 384
• ISBN: 0143116657
• WAPI (Tower ID): 113680236
• Release Date: January 26, 2010
• Average Customer Review: There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!
• Tower.com Sales Rank: #694293 in Books (See Top 100 Books Bestsellers)
• #14347 in Politics & Current Events (See Top 100 Politics & Current Events Bestsellers)
• #226 in Political History (See Top 100 Political History Bestsellers)

Browse more products related to "Nothing to Fear: FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America"

Browse more products related to "Adam Cohen"

A revealing account of the critical first days of FDRas presidency, during the worst moments of the Great Depression, when he and his inner circle launched the New Deal and presided over the birth of modern America
"Nothing to Fear" brings to life a fulcrum moment in American historyathe tense, feverish first one hundred days of FDRas presidency, when he and his inner circle swept away the old order and reinvented the role of the federal government. When FDR took his oath of office in March 1933, thousands of banks had gone under following the Crash of 1929, a quarter of American workers were unemployed, farmers were in open rebellion, and hungry people descended on garbage dumps and fought over scraps of food. Before the Hundred Days, the federal government was limited in scope and ambition; by the end, it had assumed an active responsibility for the welfare of all of its citizens.
Adam Cohen offers an illuminating group portrait of the five members of FDRas inner circle who played the greatest roles in this unprecedented transformation, revealing in turn what their personal dynamics suggest about FDRas leadership style. These four men and one woman frequently pushed FDR to embrace more activist programs than he would have otherwise. FDR came to the White House with few firm commitments about how to fight the Great Depressionaas a politician he was more pragmatic than ideological, and, perhaps surprising, given his New Deal legacy, by nature a fiscal conservative. To develop his policies, he relied heavily on his advisers, and preferred when they had conflicting views, so that he could choose the best option among them.
For this reason, he kept in close confidence bothFrances Perkinsaa feminist before her time, and the strongest advocate for social welfare programsaand Lewis Douglasa an entrenched budget cutter who frequently clashed with the other members of FDRas progressive inner circle. A more ideological president would have surrounded himself with advisors who shared a similar vision, but rather than commit to a single solution or philosophy, FDR favored a policy of abold, persistent experimentation.a As a result, he presided over the most feverish period of government activity in American history, one that gave birth to modern America.
As Adam Cohen reminds us, the political fault lines of this eraaover welfare, government regulation, agriculture policy, and much morearemain with us today. "Nothing to Fear" is both a riveting narrative account of the personal dynamics that shaped the tumultuous early days of FDRas presidency, and a character study of one of Americaas defining leaders in a moment of crisis.

There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!

• Great Deals on CDs under $9.99

  New Releases, Bestsellers and Classic Albums all for under $10! Great Music for Everyone's Tastes!

• Great Deals on DVDs under $12.99

  New Releases, Bestsellers and Classic DVDs all for under $13! Great Movies, TV and DVD Specials for Everyone's Tastes!

• Great Deals on Books under $14.99

  New Releases, Bestsellers and Classic Books all for under $15! Great Reads for Everyone's Tastes!