HOT TOPIC: FDR
Volume 2, Issue 27 - March 26, 2006"People’s perspectives on the world today run the gamut, from the single-minded individualist to the community-centered populist. There are those proponents of moving the world forward and those who wish for an era gone by; those who see the world coming together and those who fear we are moving apart. Whatever your view of the world today, it can be argued that all of our collective efforts are in reaction to the work of the big three of the 20th century: Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The impact of these three leaders on the world – and the west in particular – has social, political and economic implications that still ripple through our lives today. While Edward ushered in a new era in succeeding Victoria, Churchill defined Britain’s role in the modern age. While Lenin and Trotsky created the Soviet state, it was Stalin who forced it forward to become a player in world events. While Theodore Roosevelt redefined the American presidency through his bully pulpit, it was Franklin who instituted programs at home and abroad to establish what became known as the American century. In all three cases the modern world has been defined by the efforts of these men; we could not go back to undo their legacy, even if we wanted to.
This week’s D12 delivers more than a dozen Web resources on FDR. At a time when technology and media were just starting to become part of the political landscape he masterfully came across to the public as a firm but loving father figure. Today we know so much more about the mettle of the man and his all too human story. In the next two weeks we will cover Churchill and Stalin respectively to complete the big picture of these 20th century giants."
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