32nd President · 1933–1945 · Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Saved American capitalism with the New Deal, built the dams and power lines, and turned industry into the arsenal of democracy. Japanese American internment was a grave wrong.
In the Society’s PantheonOverallA-GPA 3.82
The grades
- SovereigntyDid they put American interests first and keep decisions in American hands?A
- HemisphereDid they guard the Americas against rival powers and threats?A-
- RestraintDid they keep the country out of wars of choice that weakened it?A-
- StatecraftDid they use diplomacy, force and alliances skillfully, on American terms?A+
- Industry and tradeDid they protect and build American industry?A-
- Working AmericansDid ordinary working families do better because of them?A+
- BuildingDid they build things that lasted and push the frontier forward?A+
- NationDid they strengthen a shared American identity and the Union?B-
- CompetenceWere they capable, honest and effective in office?A-
On the axes
MarketEconomyPopulist
Free tradeTradeProtectionist
RestraintForeign policyInterventionist
CosmopolitanNationNational
Dark dot: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Red mark: the Monroe Society. Ideological closeness to the Society: 71%.