Readers hoping to see the crisis through the president’s eyes or to watch him in action will be disappointed. But there is so much detail on each component of the New Deal that it is easy to lose sight of the ebb-and-flow of the Depression itself – and of the efficacy of the programs designed to mitigate its impact.

In spite of Schlesinger’s distinct “progressive” tendencies there is much of value to be absorbed by readers of any political persuasion. Nevertheless, at its best this volume is truly awesome. But for long stretches Roosevelt rarely, or never, appears. His New Deal legislative program is dissected in remarkable detail and analyzed with a very discerning eye. The book is well organized and distinct chapters are allocated to topics such as farm policy, industrial revitalization and labor issues.īut like the first volume in this series, this book proves far less a biography of FDR than an examination of his era. But given the relatively brief period of time under coverage there is little reason for concern. This volume covers the first two years of his presidency in extraordinary detail, a period Roosevelt devoted almost completely to combating the Great Depression.įor the most part this volume proceeds topically readers who prefer a chronological progression may be occasionally distressed by the discontinuous timeline. The first volume painted a detailed portrait of the political, economic and social backdrop from which FDR emerged as a national leader.

This second volume picks up where the first ended – with FDR’s inauguration as president in 1933. Schlesinger was a well-known historian, social critic and prominent Democrat. Originally projected to consist of four volumes, Schlesinger never completed the series after being appointed Special Assistant to President Kennedy in 1961. Published in 1958, “ The Age of Roosevelt: The Coming of the New Deal (1933-1935)” is the second of three volumes in Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.’s series on FDR.

The age of arthur