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Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR’s 1936 Landslide Victory and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal
Award-winning historian David Pietrusza boldly steers clear of the pat narrative regarding Franklin Roosevelt's unprecedented 1936 re-election landslide, weaving an enormously more intricate, ever more surprising tale of a polarized nation; of America's most complex, calculating, and politically successful president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, at the very top of his Machiavellian game; and the unlocking of the puzzle of how our society, our politics, and our parties fitfully reinvented themselves.
With in-depth examinations of rabble-rousing Democratic US Senator Huey Long and his assassination before he was able to challenge FDR in '36; powerful, but widely hated, newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst, who blasted FDR's "Raw Deal"; wildly popular, radical radio commentator Father Coughlin; the steamrolled passage of Social Security and backlash against it; the era's racism and anti-Semitism; American Socialism and Communism; and a Supreme Court seemingly bent on dismantling the New Deal altogether, Roosevelt Sweeps Nation is a vivid portrait of a dynamic Depression-Era America.
Crafting his account from an impressive and unprecedented collection of primary and secondary sources, Pietrusza has produced an engrossing, original, and authoritative account of an election, a president, and a nation at the crossroads. The nation's stakes were high . . and the parallels hauntingly akin to today's dangerously strife-ridden political and culture wars.
With in-depth examinations of rabble-rousing Democratic US Senator Huey Long and his assassination before he was able to challenge FDR in '36; powerful, but widely hated, newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst, who blasted FDR's "Raw Deal"; wildly popular, radical radio commentator Father Coughlin; the steamrolled passage of Social Security and backlash against it; the era's racism and anti-Semitism; American Socialism and Communism; and a Supreme Court seemingly bent on dismantling the New Deal altogether, Roosevelt Sweeps Nation is a vivid portrait of a dynamic Depression-Era America.
Crafting his account from an impressive and unprecedented collection of primary and secondary sources, Pietrusza has produced an engrossing, original, and authoritative account of an election, a president, and a nation at the crossroads. The nation's stakes were high . . and the parallels hauntingly akin to today's dangerously strife-ridden political and culture wars.
544 pages, Hardcover
Published August 2, 2022
About the author
David Pietrusza
10 books57 followersDavid Pietrusza has produced a number of critically-acclaimed works concerning 20th century American history.
His book "1960: LBJ vs JFK vs Nixon: The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies" was named by ForeWord Magazine as among the best political biographies.
Pietrusza's "1920: The Year of the Six Presidents" received a Kirkus starred review, was honored as a Kirkus "Best Books of 2007" title, and was named an alternate selection of the History Book Club. Historian Richard Norton Smith has listed "1920: The Year of the Six Presidents" as being among the best studies of presidential campaigns.
Pietrusza's biography of Arnold Rothstein entitled "Rothstein: The Life, Times & Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series" was a finalist for the 2003 Edgar Award. Rothstein's audio version won an AUDIOFILE Earphones Award.
Pietrusza's "Judge and Jury, his biography of baseball's first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis," received the 1998 CASEY Award and was also a Finalist for the 1998 Seymour Medal and nominated for the NASSH Book Award.
Pietrusza collaborated with baseball legend Ted Williams on an autobiography called "Ted Williams: My Life in Pictures."
Pietrusza served as president (1993-97) of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), and as editor-in-chief of the publishing company Total Sports. He has been interviewed on NPR, MSNBC, C-SPAN, ESPN, the Fox News Channel, EBRU-TV, and the Fox Sports Channel. He has produced and written the PBS-affiliate documentary, "Local Heroes."
Pietrusza holds a master's degrees in history from the University at Albany and has served on the City Council in Amsterdam, New York. He has served as public information officer for the NYS Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform and the NYS Office of the Medicaid Inspector General."
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 30, 2024
This is currently the best book ever written on the 1936 presidential election. I say that with confidence because it was the only book solely focused on the topic that I could find. I'm sure many other books touch on 1936, as FDR is a favorite subject of biographers and historians. I'm narrowly interested in this particular election, however, FDR's second of four successful presidential campaigns. Particularly with regard to FDR's marvelously unsuccessful opponent, Alfred Landon.
With a lack of other sources, I am very appreciative of Pietrusza's scholarship on the topic. I learned a lot about the political savviness of Roosevelt and also gained insight into why Landon appealed to some segments of the populace, but not enough. Not by a long shot.
The narrative technique is somewhat complicated. Though it generally follows a chronological timeline, this isn't always clear and there is frequent bouncing from vantage to vantage, topic to topic. There's very little attempt to hold the reader's hand or be a guide through the political complexity of nearly a 100 years ago.
Occasionally the book feels like eavesdropping on long-past conversations. This is not the worst experience to have, though it creates a situation (for me, at least) where it's difficult to understand the significance of what they're talking about. This is primarily due to the many references to non-icons of the era, who receive only the slightest introduction before it seems we are expected to understand how they fit into the jigsaw puzzle of 1930s politics.
Pietrusza writes from a true historian's perspective, not bogged down by ideology or desire to twist the past to make a point about the present. All historical figures are treated equally, ribbed when appropriate, and evaluated in a factual manner. Whatever Pietrusza's current political leanings are, there's no evidence that they are corrupting his research of the past.
As far as storytelling goes, this can be a bit disjointed as well, but--especially toward the end--there is a stronger clarity on FDR's mass appeal and Landon's non-appeal. The evaluation of Black voter trends, for the first time shifting dramatically away from the party of Lincoln in favor of Roosevelt who, while not ideal, had proven more sympathetic to the financial hardships of Black Americans than past presidents.
FDR also comes across as a relentless politician, who did not just want to win an election but bury his opponents into oblivion. Not surprising, coming from the only president in US history to win four elections. I understand why he remains such a figure of fascination. I do feel like I still need to read many more books to fully understand this election. Perhaps I will find other biographies of Roosevelt and Landon and skip to this part of their story.
Overall: recommended for hardcore history buffs, but probably too dense for the casual reader.
With a lack of other sources, I am very appreciative of Pietrusza's scholarship on the topic. I learned a lot about the political savviness of Roosevelt and also gained insight into why Landon appealed to some segments of the populace, but not enough. Not by a long shot.
The narrative technique is somewhat complicated. Though it generally follows a chronological timeline, this isn't always clear and there is frequent bouncing from vantage to vantage, topic to topic. There's very little attempt to hold the reader's hand or be a guide through the political complexity of nearly a 100 years ago.
Occasionally the book feels like eavesdropping on long-past conversations. This is not the worst experience to have, though it creates a situation (for me, at least) where it's difficult to understand the significance of what they're talking about. This is primarily due to the many references to non-icons of the era, who receive only the slightest introduction before it seems we are expected to understand how they fit into the jigsaw puzzle of 1930s politics.
Pietrusza writes from a true historian's perspective, not bogged down by ideology or desire to twist the past to make a point about the present. All historical figures are treated equally, ribbed when appropriate, and evaluated in a factual manner. Whatever Pietrusza's current political leanings are, there's no evidence that they are corrupting his research of the past.
As far as storytelling goes, this can be a bit disjointed as well, but--especially toward the end--there is a stronger clarity on FDR's mass appeal and Landon's non-appeal. The evaluation of Black voter trends, for the first time shifting dramatically away from the party of Lincoln in favor of Roosevelt who, while not ideal, had proven more sympathetic to the financial hardships of Black Americans than past presidents.
FDR also comes across as a relentless politician, who did not just want to win an election but bury his opponents into oblivion. Not surprising, coming from the only president in US history to win four elections. I understand why he remains such a figure of fascination. I do feel like I still need to read many more books to fully understand this election. Perhaps I will find other biographies of Roosevelt and Landon and skip to this part of their story.
Overall: recommended for hardcore history buffs, but probably too dense for the casual reader.
January 25, 2023
There's a lot of interesting information in this book, and I think it probably would have been easier to follow in a physical book rather than audiobook form. I found the organization of information in this book to be somewhat confusing. Of course, I don't know how I would organize a book like this. For me, the most interesting person in the book was Father Divine. He started a religious movement and claimed to be God. I believe the book said he had 50,000 followers.
September 27, 2022
(Audiobook) This work looks at a part of history that can be overlooked: Roosevelt’s first re-election. The headlines show that he won by a significant margin. However, that was not always assured. This work looks at Roosevelt’s first term and the various power players that had their roles to play leading up to 1936. At one point, it seemed that Roosevelt might be a one term president. Maybe if Huey Long isn’t assassinated, or if other figures don’t make certain mis-steps. Also, Roosevelt was one of the greatest political animals in American history.
This was more engaging than I thought it would be. Don’t have to be a history/political junkie to get a lot out of this. The rating is the same regardless of format.
This was more engaging than I thought it would be. Don’t have to be a history/political junkie to get a lot out of this. The rating is the same regardless of format.
November 3, 2022
Excellent overview of the 1936 election
November 20, 2023
David Pietrusza despises Franklin Delano Roosevelt. That’s all well and good. As the old saying goes, opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. My opinion of Roosevelt is the opposite of Pietrusza’s. The difference is that I’m not pretending to write a history concerning FDR in which my prejudices are as clearly on display as a chimpanzee masturbating at the local zoo.
The very first thing that Davey wants us to know about FDR is that he cheated on his wife! Gasp! The horror! In his grab for tabloid sensationalism, he offers no context. When Eleanor Roosevelt gave birth to their last child, she told FDR that she was done having children and that she was done having sex. With those facts, one could see where a person might seek some physical comfort outside of a very public marriage that a politician at the time couldn’t afford to end. But Davey doesn’t want you to know that. Davey wants you to listen to the list of grievances he has as if he was the spouse that had been cheated on. Roosevelt was stupid, Roosevelt was cold and uncaring of those around him, Roosevelt was a phony and blahdeblahdeblahblahblah. At one point, Davey tries to equate FDR with the racist plutocrats who ran the South because FDR had a home in Warm Springs, Georgia. Again, with context, Roosevelt visited that home often because of the aforementioned “warm springs,” whose waters brought him relief from the ravages of polio. In fact, Roosevelt would bring in children from around the country who were suffering from the same disease he had so that they, too, could enjoy that same relief. That’s not a story you’ll hear from Davey, because an FDR who helps crippled children doesn’t fit with his propaganda campaign.
When Alf Landon, the person Roosevelt defeated in the 1936 presidential election, makes his way into the story, Davey’s got a halo all polished up for him to wear. Everyone on the planet loves Davey’s Alf Landon! Even his ex-wife loves him. Wait a minute… Alf Landon was divorced, at a time when, as I mentioned, politicians didn’t get divorced? He must have done something really bad for his first wife to leave him! I spent most of my life in the state in which Landon was the governor and I have it on good authority that Landon’s ex-wife caught him in the barn fucking a goat! My sources on this aren’t the most trustworthy since I just made it up, but Davey of the “philandering Roosevelt” isn’t going to give a single reason for what Alf did to bring his first marriage to an end, so I guess my explanation of goat-fucking Alf Landon will have to stand.
I think it’s time we took a Pietrusza-esque look at the author. What sort of muck can I rake up from his Wikipedia page? Davey has been a frequent guest on Newsmax, the far-right, fourth-rate “news” channel that features an anchor who says that everyone who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 should be executed. Stay classy, Davey! He also worked as a “regular panelist” on Fox News, the right-wing disinformation company whose decades of lies finally caught up with it when it had to pay $800 million for the lies it spread about the 2020 presidential election. Guess who one of his co-panelists was during his Fox News days; none other than screeching harpy Kimberly Guilfoyle, who suffers from the delusion that her half-wit boyfriend and fellow insurrectionist, Donald Trump, Jr. is actually gonna put a ring on it someday. Now, I have no proof that Davey is a scumbag nutjob who wholly supported that lying fucking traitor Trump, but he sure loves to hang out with scumbag nutjobs who wholly supported that lying fucking traitor.
David Pietrusza is no historian. He’s a deceitful gadfly who merrily cashes the checks he receives from traitors, liars and lunatics. He and his little book will be forgotten long, long before Franklin Delano Roosevelt is.
The very first thing that Davey wants us to know about FDR is that he cheated on his wife! Gasp! The horror! In his grab for tabloid sensationalism, he offers no context. When Eleanor Roosevelt gave birth to their last child, she told FDR that she was done having children and that she was done having sex. With those facts, one could see where a person might seek some physical comfort outside of a very public marriage that a politician at the time couldn’t afford to end. But Davey doesn’t want you to know that. Davey wants you to listen to the list of grievances he has as if he was the spouse that had been cheated on. Roosevelt was stupid, Roosevelt was cold and uncaring of those around him, Roosevelt was a phony and blahdeblahdeblahblahblah. At one point, Davey tries to equate FDR with the racist plutocrats who ran the South because FDR had a home in Warm Springs, Georgia. Again, with context, Roosevelt visited that home often because of the aforementioned “warm springs,” whose waters brought him relief from the ravages of polio. In fact, Roosevelt would bring in children from around the country who were suffering from the same disease he had so that they, too, could enjoy that same relief. That’s not a story you’ll hear from Davey, because an FDR who helps crippled children doesn’t fit with his propaganda campaign.
When Alf Landon, the person Roosevelt defeated in the 1936 presidential election, makes his way into the story, Davey’s got a halo all polished up for him to wear. Everyone on the planet loves Davey’s Alf Landon! Even his ex-wife loves him. Wait a minute… Alf Landon was divorced, at a time when, as I mentioned, politicians didn’t get divorced? He must have done something really bad for his first wife to leave him! I spent most of my life in the state in which Landon was the governor and I have it on good authority that Landon’s ex-wife caught him in the barn fucking a goat! My sources on this aren’t the most trustworthy since I just made it up, but Davey of the “philandering Roosevelt” isn’t going to give a single reason for what Alf did to bring his first marriage to an end, so I guess my explanation of goat-fucking Alf Landon will have to stand.
I think it’s time we took a Pietrusza-esque look at the author. What sort of muck can I rake up from his Wikipedia page? Davey has been a frequent guest on Newsmax, the far-right, fourth-rate “news” channel that features an anchor who says that everyone who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 should be executed. Stay classy, Davey! He also worked as a “regular panelist” on Fox News, the right-wing disinformation company whose decades of lies finally caught up with it when it had to pay $800 million for the lies it spread about the 2020 presidential election. Guess who one of his co-panelists was during his Fox News days; none other than screeching harpy Kimberly Guilfoyle, who suffers from the delusion that her half-wit boyfriend and fellow insurrectionist, Donald Trump, Jr. is actually gonna put a ring on it someday. Now, I have no proof that Davey is a scumbag nutjob who wholly supported that lying fucking traitor Trump, but he sure loves to hang out with scumbag nutjobs who wholly supported that lying fucking traitor.
David Pietrusza is no historian. He’s a deceitful gadfly who merrily cashes the checks he receives from traitors, liars and lunatics. He and his little book will be forgotten long, long before Franklin Delano Roosevelt is.
September 10, 2023
One of the best election history books I've ever read--will be looking into this author's other books too! Pietrusza's research is in-depth enough to satisfy electoral history nerds but his writing remains accessible to even casual readers. He provides extensive coverage of each of FDR's potential opponents, filled with forgotten factoids (something I always appreciate from a historian). There are a lot of names to keep track of, but the author helpfully starts the book with a glossary of main characters. And boy, were there some characters in 1936. People like Father Divine, William Foster, and William Borah captivate me.
You get the impression that despite the lopsided result favoring FDR, the race had genuinely close moments. However, Alf Landon's boringness and FDR's escalation of assertiveness both in the policy sphere and rhetorically, convinced millions of Americans that it was worth re-electing the President. The voters may have been more ambivalent than the results suggested, but the working people of America appreciated the New Deal, and FDR tailored his programs for electoral benefit too. For example, Social Security was passed right when Francis Townsend made his strongest push for a wildly unrealistic old-age pension plan, undermining the latter's appeal. Throughout, FDR's political brilliance shines through. That alone makes it a great study of the President's campaign strategy, but Pietrusza's coverage of all the others involved makes this a five star read.
You get the impression that despite the lopsided result favoring FDR, the race had genuinely close moments. However, Alf Landon's boringness and FDR's escalation of assertiveness both in the policy sphere and rhetorically, convinced millions of Americans that it was worth re-electing the President. The voters may have been more ambivalent than the results suggested, but the working people of America appreciated the New Deal, and FDR tailored his programs for electoral benefit too. For example, Social Security was passed right when Francis Townsend made his strongest push for a wildly unrealistic old-age pension plan, undermining the latter's appeal. Throughout, FDR's political brilliance shines through. That alone makes it a great study of the President's campaign strategy, but Pietrusza's coverage of all the others involved makes this a five star read.
November 15, 2023
The 1930s is a period in American history which is often written about. This book uses the presidential election of 1936 as the focus point around which everything occurs. This may seem odd, as the election itself isn't often mentioned as amongst the most significant (other than its notably lopsided result), but it works like a charm.
Talking of odd, there were were many odd characters around at this time. Huey Long, Dr Townsend, Fathers Coughlin and Divine, Gerald Smith. Tellingly, these figures seem to get more page time than does the then-struggling Republican Party, which nominated the rather bland Alf Landon. Having said that, even Landon is portrayed as having his interesting - and certainly sympathetic - points. FDR himself is of course the star, but he doesn't dominate at the expense of the various other fascinating people in this book.
David Pietrusza has a writing style which often conveys dry humour. Given some of the characters around, this is particularly necessary. He effectively puts across just how fragile the United States political system was at this time, and how things could have turned out very differently, all in the midst of an election that turned out to not even be vaguely close.
This is a great read for those interested in this period of history, and in politics in general.
Talking of odd, there were were many odd characters around at this time. Huey Long, Dr Townsend, Fathers Coughlin and Divine, Gerald Smith. Tellingly, these figures seem to get more page time than does the then-struggling Republican Party, which nominated the rather bland Alf Landon. Having said that, even Landon is portrayed as having his interesting - and certainly sympathetic - points. FDR himself is of course the star, but he doesn't dominate at the expense of the various other fascinating people in this book.
David Pietrusza has a writing style which often conveys dry humour. Given some of the characters around, this is particularly necessary. He effectively puts across just how fragile the United States political system was at this time, and how things could have turned out very differently, all in the midst of an election that turned out to not even be vaguely close.
This is a great read for those interested in this period of history, and in politics in general.
May 10, 2023
The first thing that struck me while reading this book was that the author uses italics a lot. I mean a lot. Pietrusza also starts most of his chapters with an informal tone, almost like a comedian building up his joke. I enjoy reading a history book that elicits a sly grin from my lips once in a while, but the humor seemed forced here. If you can get past these foibles, there is actually a very good story within these pages. Gimmicks aside, Pietrusza can deliver a solid stream of interesting and relevant information with outstanding insight. His knowledge of politics and presidential elections is apparent. I was particularly pleased with the inclusion of so many primary and secondary source quotations, which does a much better job of conveying the mindset of that generation than any modern writer almost nine decades later could. I doubt there is a better, or certainly more complete, book about the 1936 election out there today.
In his acknowledgments the author extends his thanks to the operator of the website fultonhistory.com as a source of historic newspapers. I have used this site for my own research and can appreciate the importance of such an immense, and searchable(!), archive.
In his acknowledgments the author extends his thanks to the operator of the website fultonhistory.com as a source of historic newspapers. I have used this site for my own research and can appreciate the importance of such an immense, and searchable(!), archive.
July 3, 2024
Roosevelt Sweeps Nation discusses in detail the 1936 Presidential race pitting incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt against Kansas Republican governor Alf Landon. Mainly known these days for being a landslide FDR victory, the book demonstrates how the pundits and major players in the race expected to contest to be far closer than it actually was. Roosevelt's victory established a new coalition of Democratic voters, particularly in the South, that persisted for years afterwards.
Pietrusza's book is well-written and instructive, but it is easy to confuse the important names and legacies of its parade of active participants. History often does a poor job of teaching the life stories of controversial demagogues like Louisiana's Huey P. Long or the radio priest Charles Coughlin.
Pietrusza's book is well-written and instructive, but it is easy to confuse the important names and legacies of its parade of active participants. History often does a poor job of teaching the life stories of controversial demagogues like Louisiana's Huey P. Long or the radio priest Charles Coughlin.
July 14, 2023
It's an interesting look at the various demagogues and goofballs who tried to enter the national political stage during 1936, but the structure of the book didn't appeal to me with each chapter ending on something of a cliffhanger and seguing into a discussion of that person.
It's really not until the end of the book do you find out why Roosevelt won so decisively in 1936. You know it going in (I doubt someone picks up this book without knowing the ending), but the accomplishments of the New Deal are almost treated like background characters at times to the likes of Huey Long, Francis Townswend, and Father Charles Coughlin.
It's really not until the end of the book do you find out why Roosevelt won so decisively in 1936. You know it going in (I doubt someone picks up this book without knowing the ending), but the accomplishments of the New Deal are almost treated like background characters at times to the likes of Huey Long, Francis Townswend, and Father Charles Coughlin.
February 25, 2023
This book was the most fun I've had reading history since Pietrusza's other book 1948. You can tell he had some fun with this one. There are a lot of interesting details about Roosevelt's minions, his two-faced personality, and other weird and interesting things going on in the country during this time period. I would highly recommend this.
January 26, 2023
David did a decent job of trying to make a landslide victory suspenseful. he told about fdrs' opponents which i was not totally knowledge of. i doubt that there was that much suspense in 1936.
March 22, 2023
A good read and I learned so much about the numerous populist movements and figures of the 1930's.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews