Franklin D. Roosevelt

One of the most influential presidents to have ever lived, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on the 30^th of January 1882, and died on the 12^th of April in 1945. Known to many by his initials FDR, Roosevelt took office as the 32^nd President of the United States on the 4^th of March in 1933, and continued up till the 12^th of April 1945. He was elected four times as a Democrat, and perhaps will forever be remembered as the man who led the United States out of the Great Depression, and also managed to seal significant victories for the country at a time when the world was at war.

It was in 1932, when elections were held at the time of the Great Depression; the whole country was suffering significantly, and the two contestants who were trying to gain the support of the public were Herbert Hoover (31^st President of the United States) and Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt, with his campaign theme song being ‘Happy Days are Here Again’, managed to defeat the Republican Herbert Hoover at a time when the whole country was suffering from the devastating effects of Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered from polio, and he had managed to overcome it on a personal level, which gave him belief and optimism that he wished to channel amongst the people of America. This led to a complete renewal of the national spirit, as more and more people began to harbor hope that the government would help them.

Under the power of Roosevelt, it did. In only his first hundred days in office, Roosevelt began the tip of the spear which we will call the government, and brought about numerous legislations that were aimed at providing relief to the people. Providing jobs to the unemployed, bringing about economic growth and overseeing reform throughout the country were all a part of the New Deal that he instituted. It was under his governance that the country was able to move out of the Great Depression.

By 1938, it was all but clear that war was looming. FDR rendered strong support to Britain and China, while America stayed neutral. Neutrality turned in to an all- out declaration of war against the Axis powers on the 7^th of December, 1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. FDR was a very active military leader, and he created an overall war strategy, while working in tandem with Joseph Stalin (the Soviet Leader) and Winston Churchill (the Prime Minister of Great Britain) in order to defeat the Axis powers on all fronts. He was also the leader who ordered the development of world’s first ever Nuclear bomb.

His plans succeeded as unemployment went down to 2% and industries came to life as millions of people got down to work. Throughout the war, all economic sectors registered growth.  Throughout his twelve years of service, Roosevelt dominated the political sector of America, and his policies continued to have long lasting effects decades after he had vacated the Office.