Overview
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only president to be elected to four terms, led the country through its two gravest periods of the 1900s-the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II in the 1940s. In the 1930s, when millions of people were unemployed, banks were failing, and business was at a standstill, he sponsored sweeping legislation to provide jobs and assistance to individuals and to regulate banking and business. In 1940, Roosevelt was elected to a third term. He led the country into World War II in 1941, and was re-elected in 1944. He died in office soon after his fourth term began and only months before Allied forces brought the war to a victorious conclusion. Roosevelt revolutionized the federal government, expanding its responsibilities and powers. He was widely popular, but also attracted criticism for increasing the government's power and size.Synopsis
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only president to be elected to four terms, led the country through its two gravest periods of the 1900s-the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II in the 1940s. In the 1930s, when millions of people were unemployed, banks were failing, and business was at a standstill, he sponsored sweeping legislation to provide jobs and assistance to individuals and to regulate banking and business. In 1940, Roosevelt was elected to a third term. He led the country into World War II in 1941, and was re-elected in 1944. He died in office soon after his fourth term began and only months before Allied forces brought the war to a victorious conclusion. Roosevelt revolutionized the federal government, expanding its responsibilities and powers. He was widely popular, but also attracted criticism for increasing the government's power and size.