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Rand's take on FDR

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iflyboats

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I recently read Ayn Rand's essay criticizing JFK, in which she stated that FDR was responsible for delivering 1/3 of the world's population into slavery at the hands of Soviet Russia and plunging the US into WW2. My question is: how? Can anyone provide a brief explanation, or recommend something to read? And did Ms. Rand elaborate on these thoughts elsewhere? I suspect that I wouldn't find an answer in a standard history textbook.

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I recently read Ayn Rand's essay criticizing JFK, in which she stated that FDR was responsible for delivering 1/3 of the world's population into slavery at the hands of Soviet Russia and plunging the US into WW2. My question is: how? Can anyone provide a brief explanation, or recommend something to read? And did Ms. Rand elaborate on these thoughts elsewhere? I suspect that I wouldn't find an answer in a standard history textbook.
I don't know about standard history books, but a book like "Modern Times" by Paul Johnson would speak to it. That book would just have a section in a chapter, but there are probably multiple books that focus on the politics of late-WW-II / post-WW-II Europe. Another place to look is books that talk about Churchill. Even before WW-II was over, he was saying that Russia was the next enemy and that WW-II should be ended in a way that kept Russia in her place. FDR seems to have been an all round incompetent, and short-term thinker.
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I recently read Ayn Rand's essay criticizing JFK, in which she stated that FDR was responsible for delivering 1/3 of the world's population into slavery at the hands of Soviet Russia and plunging the US into WW2. My question is: how? Can anyone provide a brief explanation, or recommend something to read? And did Ms. Rand elaborate on these thoughts elsewhere? I suspect that I wouldn't find an answer in a standard history textbook.

See Yalta Conference. Roosevelt was an idiot, almost bad as G.W. Bush for looking into Vladimir Putin's puppy dog eyes and claiming to know his soul.

edit: And also Western betrayal.

Edited by Grames
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I recently read Ayn Rand's essay criticizing JFK, in which she stated that FDR was responsible for delivering 1/3 of the world's population into slavery at the hands of Soviet Russia and plunging the US into WW2. My question is: how? Can anyone provide a brief explanation, or recommend something to read? And did Ms. Rand elaborate on these thoughts elsewhere? I suspect that I wouldn't find an answer in a standard history textbook.

Its sort of strange. It was always insisted that the communists were a threat after WWII, yet when they were they weakest, when we could have easily taken Russia, we did nothing.

American Foreign Policy

Arm Your Enemies

Pretend They Are Not Your Enemies

Pretend your enemies are more powerful than they are to scare voters and make you seem important.

Don't actually try to win a war or destroy your enemies because it is "inhumane" and because it makes your friend more money if they war goes on forever.

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I recently read Ayn Rand's essay criticizing JFK, in which she stated that FDR was responsible for delivering 1/3 of the world's population into slavery at the hands of Soviet Russia and plunging the US into WW2. My question is: how? Can anyone provide a brief explanation, or recommend something to read? And did Ms. Rand elaborate on these thoughts elsewhere? I suspect that I wouldn't find an answer in a standard history textbook.

When I read this in one of her non-fiction books, she admitted voting for FDR in 1932, then regretting it, due to FDR's quasi-socialist measures to fix the Depression.

I also interpreted Rand's criticism of FDR regarding Soviet Russia as a result of FDR's decision to have American troops fight alongside the Soviet army in order to vanquish the Nazis. This will stand in history as a major blight to the record of an overrated president.

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When I read this in one of her non-fiction books, she admitted voting for FDR in 1932, then regretting it, due to FDR's quasi-socialist measures to fix the Depression.

Voting for FDR in 1932 sounds damning until you recall some of the things he said on the campaign trail. From Wikipedia:

Roosevelt campaigned on the Democratic platform advocating "immediate and drastic reductions of all public expenditures," "abolishing useless commissions and offices, consolidating departments and bureaus, and eliminating extravagances" and for a "sound currency to be maintained at all hazards."

Talk about reneging on your campaign promises.

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Talk about reneging on your campaign promises.
Haven't read it myself, but the book "After Seven Years", written by one-time FDR adviser Raymond Moley is supposed to document how FDR reneged on campaign promises and alienated lot of early advisers.

Benjamin Andersen, who was an economist at Chase bank at the time and who later wrote a good book condemning the way Hoover and FDR handled the depression also admits to having voted for FDR. Andersen claims that Hoover had already initiated many policies that would later be called "the New Deal", and which lengthened the depression. he did not realize that FDR would take those policies far further than Hoover ever did.

I also see FDR's threat to the supreme court as indicating that he was without scruple when it came to enforcing his dictatorial will.

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The book 'New Deal or Raw Deal' was recommended to me by a friend. Has anyone here read this?

I have. I enjoyed it, for the most part. It's very informative, and the author seems to be coming from a generally free market perspective, although not what anyone here would consider consistent. That's actually where I originally learned what Roosevelt campaigned on the first time around. It was a little light on economics for me (that's my main interest in the time period, policies, etc) but very good historically.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The book 'New Deal or Raw Deal' was recommended to me by a friend. Has anyone here read this?

This book was a great analysis of FDR's mindset and character. For example, when certain prices were set by the executive branch (if you can believe it), one day FDR decided to set gold (I think) at $21 an ounce because seven was a lucky number and 3 times 7 equals 21. Also, FDR won four presidential elections largely because he used patronage.

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