President · 1882 – 1945
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Key Takeaways
- FDR served four terms as president — the only US president to do so.
- His New Deal restructured the American economy and government response to the Great Depression.
- He led the Allied coalition that defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
- He governed despite being paralyzed from the waist down by polio.
Franklin Roosevelt led the United States through its two greatest 20th-century crises — the Great Depression and World War II — while governing from a wheelchair. He transformed American government more than any president since Lincoln, and the international order he helped design lasted for decades after his death.
The New Deal
When Roosevelt took office in March 1933, one in four Americans was unemployed and the banking system was collapsing. In his first hundred days he launched the New Deal — a cascade of legislation creating bank deposit insurance, securities regulation, the CCC (a jobs corps), farm support, and eventually Social Security. He also restored hope through his “fireside chats” — radio addresses that made Americans feel their president was speaking directly to them. The New Deal didn’t end the Depression but it reshaped American government’s relationship with its citizens forever.
The Arsenal of Democracy
After Pearl Harbor brought America into the war, Roosevelt worked with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin to forge the Grand Alliance against Hitler. He oversaw the transformation of the American economy into what he called “the arsenal of democracy” — producing more weapons, ships, and aircraft than the rest of the world combined. He died in April 1945, just weeks before Germany’s surrender and months before Japan’s. His wife Eleanor continued his legacy in human rights long after his death.
Influence
FDR's New Deal redefined the relationship between government and citizens in the United States, and his WWII leadership created the Allied victory and the post-war international order.
Legacy
Consistently ranked among the greatest US presidents, he transformed American government's reach and purpose, and the world order he helped build — the UN, Bretton Woods, NATO — defined the second half of the 20th century.
Controversies
- Signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.
- The New Deal's racial policies largely excluded Black Americans.
Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt?
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) was the 32nd US President who served four terms, led America through the Great Depression with the New Deal, and guided the Allied coalition through most of World War II.
Citations & Sources
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