Love by many, despised by many others Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of the most influential people of the twentieth century. He reformed the government more than any other American President and will always possess the longest period in office of any person in American history. Despite being very strong and powerful, Roosevelt also had numerous weaknesses. First, and most obvious, was the paralysis of his legs due to the contraction of polio. However, he also tended to avoid making decisions for as long as possible and frequently confused his friends and advisers by supporting them in their presence, but disagreeing with their policies as soon as they were gone. His need to be liked and his inability to disagree with someone frequently caused very difficult meetings.
Like her husband, Eleanor Roosevelt also was both well-loved and deeply-hated by the American public. However, unlike Franklin, Eleanor made very little effort at understanding the nuances of politics. Instead, she simply wanted what was right (equal rights, support of labor, adequate day care service to allow more female employment), and she would frequently be at odds with her husband.
Their relationship throughout World War II is detailed in No Ordinary Time as they had forged a rather unusual arrangement. Eleanor was allowed to travel extensively and to report all of her observations to Franklin in an effort to keep him informed of the general public. At the same time, her freedom to travel was extended into many freedoms as she had a daily newspaper column and often gave speeches. This freedom developed because of two separate occurrences.
First, she discovered Franklin’s affair with Lucy Mercer, and because a very independent person as a result. Sara Delano Roosevelt, Franklin’s mother, would never accept her son if he chose to get a divorce; thus, he was forced to end his relationship with Lucy Mercer. Eleanor was able to use this as a way to slowly distance herself emotionally from Franklin to prevent being hurt further. Then, Franklin contracted polio and suddenly lost the use of his legs. This drew Eleanor back closer to her husband, but now more as an assistant and friend than as a spouse. She was with him throughout the painful process of rehabilitation and finally when it was accepted that he would never be able to walk without the use of braces again.
All of this, and many other stories, are spliced into the main narrative of the book. In fact, the book is really about the way the two Roosevelts united to guide the United States through World War II. It would be impossible to really understand their actions without this background information because of the atypical relationship Franklin and Eleanor had. However, the details about the war are fascinating. The book details how Franklin had to bond with big business in order to fund the rapid expansion of the military. This was very difficult because the majority of his reforms under the New Deal consistently hurt the big businesses.
Next, the book detailed Roosevelt’s creation of lend-lease and the beginning of his ongoing relationship with Winston Churchill. From there, the book really flies along touching the various battles tangentially but really focusing on the domestic situation. Doris Kearns Goodwin frequently spliced in letters to the editor from various newspapers and really gives an excellent look at the issues and feelings present in the US.
Strikes, labor disputes and the mobilization of the work force dominate the American story. There were frequent problems but with Eleanor’s insistence and the hidden hand of Franklin Roosevelt segregation was repealed in many places. The military and many places in the South attempted to avoid the shift, but pressure was placed frequently to force their hand. Without going into details (read the book!), there was a phenomenal shift in the United States and one must be ignorant if they cannot see that the American that emerged from WWII was vastly different than the US from the New Deal.