Roosevelt's purge

About this book

In his first term in office, Franklin Roosevelt helped pull the nation out of the Great Depression. In 1936, he was enthusiastically reelected. But then the political winds shifted. Not only did the Supreme Court block some of his experiments, but he also faced serious conservative opposition within his own party. Historian Susan Dunn tells the dramatic story of FDR's unprecedented battle to drive his foes out of his party by backing liberal challengers to conservative incumbents. Reporters branded his tactic a "purge"--And the inflammatory label stuck. Roosevelt spent the summer of 1938 campaigning across the country, defending his progressive policies. The purge stemmed not only from FDR's commitment to the New Deal but also from his conviction that the nation needed two responsible political parties, one liberal, the other conservative. Although the purge failed, at great political cost to the president, it heralded the realignment of parties that would take place in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It took sixty years to resolve the tangled problems to which FDR devoted one frantic, memorable summer.--From publisher description.