Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1946):

Franklin Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States, earned a reputation in his first terms of office as a reformer, introducing the New Deal to bring the United States out of the Depression. Many critics argue that it was not Roosevelt's competence that brought the economy back up, but rather the economic boom stimulated by World War II that brought peace and prosperity. Roosevelt was an advocate of neutrality on paper but supported lend-lease aid to Britain and its Allies. Roosevelt supported entering the war, however, following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Roosevelt met with Churchill and developed a close working relationship with the British prime minister. In August of 1941 Roosevelt was partially responsible for the creation of the Atlantic Charter at the Newfoundland Conference. In 1942, under Roosevelt's leadership the United States achieved significant reversals against the Japanese at Midway island and Guadalcanal, as the USSR defeated the German army at Stalingrad and the Allies successfully invaded North Africa. This was the turning point of the war for the Allies. In 1943 Roosevelt met with Stalin for the first time at the Teheran Conference in Iran. They met again at Yalta to discuss postwar developments, but Roosevelt did not survive to see them implemented. He died in April 1945, literally weeks before Allied victory in Europe.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z Return to Index

Timeline | Museum | Simulation | Resources | Participation