Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 - 1945 )
Franklin Delano
Roosevelt was born in 1882 in Hyde
Park, New York. He
attended Harvard and Columbia
University. He began his
political career in 1910 when he is elected as New York State Senator. In 1913
he is appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He is contracts Polio in
1921, but that doesn’t stop him from continuing in politics. He becomes the governor
of New York
in 1928. He is then elected as President in 1933, beating former President
Hoover in a landslide election of 1932. Roosevelt becomes the 32nd President
of the United States.
During his Presidency he helps guide America through the Great Depression
and World War II. He creates the “New Deal” which helps improves America’s
failing economy and he enters us into World War II. I was lucky enough to sit
down and have an interview with this prestigious leader, who had much to say. I asked Roosevelt, what was the cause of World War II? He said that Germany’s desire to control all of Europe and their aggression was the cause of World War II. He also said that Germany had failed to stay within the boundaries of the Treaty of Versailles. Germany upgraded its army, going against the rules of the treaty. Though countries tried to avoid war through appeasement, the war was inevitable.
I asked Roosevelt, What was the Versailles Treaty and how did this affect the start of World War II? Roosevelt answered that the Versailles Treaty was the peace treaty between Germany and the Allied Powers that ended World War I. It forced Germany to pay high reparations, they had to accept full responsibility for the war, a ban on increasing their military and they also lost their land, etc. This affected the start of World War II because one of the main reasons for the start of the war was that Germany did not abide by these terms. They went against them and by going against these terms it seemed like they were already preparing for a war.
I also asked Roosevelt, What are the main aims of the League of Nations? Roosevelt said that the main aims of the League of Nations were to prevent wars, to persuade countries to put down their arms, to improve working conditions, and to enforce the Treaty of Versailles. Wilson had high hopes in it but in the long run we never joined the League of Nations. I asked Roosevelt how the United States viewed Hitler. He said that the U.S viewed as a dangerous man with distorted thoughts. We never planned to, and never did support his vile ways. He is a disgrace to us all. He was not a role model to his people, rather an example to other countries on what to never become.
I asked Roosevelt why it took so long for the US to join the war. He replied saying that America’s economy was in shambles and we were not prepared to join the war. A lot of Americans were still jobless and those who did have a job were barely making anything at all. We wanted to remain neutral. We reaped the benefits from trade, but did not get involved in the fighting. That was before the dreadful attack on Pear Harbor; at that point we had no choice but to join the war. We Americans would not remain silent after many of our fellow innocent citizens were killed. That is when the United States officially joined World War II, a war that forever changed our history.
~Esther Shaji
I asked Roosevelt, What was the Versailles Treaty and how did this affect the start of World War II? Roosevelt answered that the Versailles Treaty was the peace treaty between Germany and the Allied Powers that ended World War I. It forced Germany to pay high reparations, they had to accept full responsibility for the war, a ban on increasing their military and they also lost their land, etc. This affected the start of World War II because one of the main reasons for the start of the war was that Germany did not abide by these terms. They went against them and by going against these terms it seemed like they were already preparing for a war.
I also asked Roosevelt, What are the main aims of the League of Nations? Roosevelt said that the main aims of the League of Nations were to prevent wars, to persuade countries to put down their arms, to improve working conditions, and to enforce the Treaty of Versailles. Wilson had high hopes in it but in the long run we never joined the League of Nations. I asked Roosevelt how the United States viewed Hitler. He said that the U.S viewed as a dangerous man with distorted thoughts. We never planned to, and never did support his vile ways. He is a disgrace to us all. He was not a role model to his people, rather an example to other countries on what to never become.
I asked Roosevelt why it took so long for the US to join the war. He replied saying that America’s economy was in shambles and we were not prepared to join the war. A lot of Americans were still jobless and those who did have a job were barely making anything at all. We wanted to remain neutral. We reaped the benefits from trade, but did not get involved in the fighting. That was before the dreadful attack on Pear Harbor; at that point we had no choice but to join the war. We Americans would not remain silent after many of our fellow innocent citizens were killed. That is when the United States officially joined World War II, a war that forever changed our history.
~Esther Shaji