Why Does Mr. Beat Hate Franklin Roosevelt?

Mr. Beat briefly explains why Franklin D. Roosevelt is overrated.

Sources/further reading:
The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes
The Jews Should Keep Quiet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, and the Holocaust by Rafael Medoff

#fdr #presidents #americanhistory

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Because he didn’t make my top 10 Presidents list a few years back, many people assume I don’t like Franklin Roosevelt.

Well dangit, he’s still one of the better Presidents we’ve ever had.

That said, here are the three biggest things I just can’t get past that still prevent him from making my top 10.

FDR forced more than 125,000 Japanese Americans to live in concentration camps, completely stripping them of their freedoms, despite no evidence that any of them were conspiring to help Japan in World War Two.
FDR and his administration repeatedly failed to admit Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.
FDR’s New Deal DID NOT end the Great Depression, ok? While he does deserve credit for the social programs he helped create, many historians argue some of his New Deal programs were unconstitutional and actually PROLONGED the Depression.

While most historians say FDR is a top three President, those three things make me disagree.

[iammrbeat]

For the record, I do think FDR was still an excellent leader. He's probably my #11, to be honest, which makes him in the top 25% of all Presidents in American history.

Reading the comments, I want to make it clear that many of his New Deal programs I DEFINITELY support. Social Security, for example, is one of his greatest contributions. However, not all New Deal programs were a net positive long term for the country.

And finally, there are additional reasons why I have problems with FDR. He was too cozy with Stalin and the Soviet Union, especially with ignoring their atrocities during the Holodomor. I'm also not the biggest fan of Executive Order 6102.

Oh, and the court packing thing wasn't as big of deal as people make it out to be. The more I learn about it, the more I realize that FDR was kind of a political genius actually.

[stewiegriffin]

I had a history professor who put it like this: “FDR didn’t end the depression, but he got the country through it.”

[NinjaBlack]

4. While his wife Eleanor Roosevelt tried to get him to support a anti lynching bill he would not do it . If he did he would lose support of the southern democrats as he said.

[crabmannyjoe]

I recently learned that Canada actually did the same thing as the US in terms of internment camps for Japanese. Crazy.

[Mr.Plant]

I can’t get down with any president who put American citizens in internment camps

[carguy]

Don’t forget he snubbed American athlete Jesse Owens (An African American) who won the Gold at Berlin Olympics. Owens did not get the recognition and treatment he deserved from the White House until Eisenhower became President.

[Splooshua.]

Many New Deal programs also excluded ethnic minority groups like African Americans, adding to their generational poverty.

[CasualHistorian]

Another reason, for me at least, was helping the USSR cover up the Holodomor. The state department knew about it, and we know people tried to warn FDR about it. And even if there was a conspiracy to hide it from him, the chances of it staying hidden are pretty low considering there were big protests against it by Ukrainian immigrants in big cities like Chicago.

So FDR not only participated in the cover up of a genocide, but he then rewarded the guilty regime by granting diplomatic recognition.

[timmancillas]

Even as a fan of FDR, I can’t argue with any of these points.

[NoahWickersham]

I once asked my APUSH teacher whether or not WWII or the New Deal ended the Great Depression. Her response: WWII ended the Great Depression for the US but we wouldn’t be a democracy without the New Deal. It helped alleviate the worst of it and thus kept many people from seeking out more extreme political ideologies like in Italy and Germany

[peglord]

i went to one of those internment camps in death valley a few years ago. super scary!!! especially since i heard that fhe public pressured the government to do it as well

[tommynguyen]

Hi Mr. Beat, you were my old teacher at BV high. One of my favorite teachers! Love to see you are doing well on YouTube!

[noitsnotcarson]

His social programs kinda was there to just keep people happy one of his quotes “ people that are out of work and hungry are the makers of dictatorships” or something along those lines.

[Hashimohallim]

I think FDR policies did more good than bad since he reduced unemployment by 14 percent in only his first term. Now it did not end the Great Depression, but it helped us get through it and GDP grew more under FDR than any other administration in history. He also created FDIC to prevent Wall Street Meltdowns, signed the Economic Bill of Rights Act which granted Americans to good education, good wage, a decent home, healthcare, etc and he had multiple years of double digit economic growth(One year being as high as 17%) Now I agree with your first 2 takes on FDR, I disagree with the 3rd one. If he prolonged the great depression than unemployment wouldn't drop from 23% to 9% in only 4 years.

[jmrm]

Most economists agree that the New Deal was the right policy to end the Depression. The problem is that it was expensive, and so as the economy started to respond, FDR backed off prematurely, and the economy slid backwards.

In FDR's defense, Keynesian economics was completely new and untested. So, the situation was sort of like right after the invention of antibiotics, soneone stopped taking them immediately after feeling better but before the infection was defeated.

[thefreelich]

Regarding point two, FDR did, in 1944, establish a program to help Jews escape to the US, upon discovering details of the Holocaust. The program wasn't very successful - only aiding about 1, 000 European Jews - I still feel it's important to mention.

[professionallyamateur]

Honestly, fair takes. FDR is in my Top 10, and I think your points are good, and well worth considering in any "Top X" ranking. Totally thought this was gonna be WAY more disagreeable, Beat!

[garyfasso]

Didn't "end" the Depression? OK. WWII did.
He did staunch the panic. One could argue that simply ousting the previous "Powers That Be" stopped the bleeding, and that the social "make work" programs did more than salve the economy. The CCC for instance, was some peoples' first job and was administered by the Army - giving them valuable experience prior to the mobilization for the war FDR knew was coming. I live in WA state, we still use the Grand Coulee Dam! It works just fine.
Let's also remember that FDR wasn't the only player, the Smoot - Hawley Tarrifs were in effect and a terrible drag. The austerity measures of 1937 weren't his idea. To push his progressive agenda and still keep the Dixiecrats on board was... masterful.

[TheRoyalBavarian]

There was another reason for the Japanese camps. Hatred of Japanese after Pearl Harbor was simmering so high many leaders felt it would be safer for everyone if they were seperated

[MrLarrythehacker]

Which specific parts of the New Deal made the Great Depression longer or were unconstitutional? Things like Social Security are widely accepted as good so I'd like to know specifically parts you're thinking about.