Discover new kitchen selections
Buy new:
$29.99
FREE delivery Wednesday, April 23 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$29.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, April 23 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Saturday, April 19.
Only 6 left in stock (more on the way).
$$29.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$29.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$21.88
FREE delivery Thursday, April 24. Details
Or fastest delivery April 21 - 22. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$29.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$29.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by LoyaBooks.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Donald A. Ritchie
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932 (American Presidential Elections) Paperback – Illustrated, November 8, 2007

by Donald A. Ritchie (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$29.99","priceAmount":29.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"29","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"3t4PFsYPdHQnS27WTCoWFTm7NjEw%2BZY85miVnIubPFofoAA2ZvRBNR77XHq%2Bk%2BF2AN8jFA9hidJgXN2KYGRNWZYPI2UL6nGMZrsax%2BKEd4%2BU0z0KJCC%2F8rh63YKmoUevYQ4Wyp%2FfxYw%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$21.88","priceAmount":21.88,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"88","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"3t4PFsYPdHQnS27WTCoWFTm7NjEw%2BZY8orpqwGMTam%2Fx2DYc%2Brut6lAWNbuZ0ffu3fIRzk3iScow0IORBhqBm%2FRI%2ByvBofGblB%2BwD2D%2FzPNi9FYZI08ZQ%2FxCi6vo4L0l88hMpi5Thskwx79lJqkkXGHQPaQMQVGaFyx4y9dt9E1Z1wLEzjdxI2EFX9fXIZpDVHGpbpASOG4%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

George Pendleton Prize

With the landmark election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932, decades of Republican ascendancy gave way to a half century of Democratic dominance. It was nothing less than a major political realignment, as the direction of federal policy shifted from conservative to liberal—and liberalism itself was redefined in the process.

Electing FDR is the first book in seventy years to examine in its entirety the 1932 presidential election that ushered in the New Deal. Award-winning historian Donald Ritchie looks at how candidates responded to the nation's economic crisis and how voters evaluated their performance. More important, he explains how the Democratic Party rebuilt itself after three successive Republican landslides: where the major shifts in party affiliation took place, what contingencies contributed to FDR's victory, and why the new coalition persisted as long as it did.

Ritchie challenges prevailing assumptions that the Depression made Roosevelt's election inevitable. He shows that FDR came close to losing the nomination to contenders who might have run to the right of Hoover, and discusses the role of newspapers and radio in presenting the candidates to voters. He also analyzes Roosevelt's campaign strategies, recounting his attempts to appeal to disaffected voters of all ideological stripes, often by altering his positions to broaden his popularity.

With the advent of the New Deal, Americans came to enjoy a wide federal safety net that provided everything from old age pensions to rural electricity-government innovations so embraced by voters that even later conservative presidents recognized their importance. Ritchie traces this legacy through the Reagan and Bush years, but he relates how FDR in 1932 was often vague about the specifics of his program and questions whether voters really knew what they were in for with the New Deal.

As pundits, politicians, and citizens eye the upcoming 2008 campaign, Electing FDR reminds incumbents not to take their party support for granted or to underestimate their opponents-and reminds students of history that understanding the New Deal begins with the 1932's transformative election.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Part of series
    American Presidential Elections
  2. Print length
    284 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Univ Pr of Kansas
  5. Publication date
    November 8, 2007
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    070061687X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0700616879
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Editorial Reviews

Review

“No mere focus on an election, Ritchie’s study encompasses the impact of the 1932 campaign—and by extension the New Deal—on six decades of party positions on the major issues. It is graced with a crisp but elegant style and fine, dramatic quotations.”—American Historical Review



“A wonderful history of that moment in November 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and modern liberalism was born.”—Gary Gerstle, coeditor of The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order

“A lively and vivid account of a crucial election we take for granted today, though it was very much up for grabs at the time.”—Allan M. Winkler, author of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America

“The best account of the most important presidential campaign of the twentieth century. Holds some surprising lessons for today’s presidential candidates.”—Patrick J. Maney, author of The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR

“A compelling, compact, and intimate portrait of FDR, Hoover, their campaign teams, the challenges they faced, the battles they fought, and the decisions they made.”—Allida Black, director and editor, The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers

“A triumph and gem of historical storytelling.”—Gil Troy, author of See How They Ran: The Changing Role of the Presidential Candidate

From the Back Cover

"A wonderful history of that moment in November 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and modern liberalism was born."--Gary Gerstle, coeditor of The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order

"A lively and vivid account of a crucial election we take for granted today, though it was very much up for grabs at the time."--Allan M. Winkler, author of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America

"The best account of the most important presidential campaign of the twentieth century. Holds some surprising lessons for today's presidential candidates."--Patrick J. Maney, author of The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR

"A compelling, compact, and intimate portrait of FDR, Hoover, their campaign teams, the challenges they faced, the battles they fought, and the decisions they made."--Allida Black, director and editor, The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers

"A triumph and gem of historical storytelling."--Gil Troy, author of See How They Ran: The Changing Role of the Presidential Candidate

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Univ Pr of Kansas; Illustrated edition (November 8, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 284 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 070061687X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0700616879
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Donald A. Ritchie

Donald A. Ritchie

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
14 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Robert Mann
    5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story with many lessons for today
    Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This is an outstanding book -- captivating, extremely well written and thoroughly researched. It's a story that George Bush and John McCain should have read before our current financial crisis set in. The parallels to today's politics are uncanny and too frequent to mention.

    The book should serve as a cautionary tale for all our leaders. One of it's messages should be that taking care of the corporate fat cats at the expense of the average guy (as did Hoover as the Great Depression set in) is a sure-fire route to political oblivion. Since Mr. Ritchie is the associate historian of the U.S. Senate, I hope he's managed to get his fine book into the hands of every member of Congress.

    More than anything, it's just a great story about how one of our greatest presidents came to power.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Terry Jennrich
    4.0 out of 5 stars FDR's nomination was in doubt; his election in 1932 maybe not
    Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Fascinating background of both Herbert Hoover's and FDR's rise to national prominence as well as their respective personalities and governing styles as both President and Governor of New York.
    I urge all American citizens to read it and learn of their history. Unfortunately for the nation, FDR's "new Deal" policies did not end the Great Depression. The demand in manpower and goods and services caused by World War II did end the depression. But some of FDR's policies did help the living standards of most American citizens , especially during their time of need in the midst of the worst effects of the Great Depression 1932-1939.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • VerbRiver
    5.0 out of 5 stars Powerhouse History Booster Shot
    Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2008
    Across the decades, I've been fortunate to accumulate (and read) shelves full of books on FDR. This one, I'm recommending vigorously to all my friends. Much as people might believe they know about the issues of 1932, this book is a fact-packed booster shot that brings it all back in a thoughtful electrifying package.

    Curiously enough, some of the most fascinating material is about Herbert Hoover, putting facts on long-held perceptions ... and confirming the perceptions in the process. This is the rare sort of book that when you've finished with it, you'll not only feel a little smarter; you probably will be. Excellent, accessible writing, fascinating anecdotes, just the right balance of analysis.

    However, since perfection is never in the cards, there is one disconcerting feature. The footnotes appear only at the end of a paragraph. Nothing wrong with that, of course, except that virtually EVERY paragraph has a footnote. If it weren't for the fact that the book is so riveting, those footnotes could create a sense of "read by the numbers." Bothersome, yes, but compared to the book's mutliple virtues, a small annoyance. A splendid, triumphant book.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Blueman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great History
    Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2008
    "Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932" is an unassumingly titled volume, but it's one of the best political histories I've read. Ritchie has a very pithy writing style, and the narrative sails along with ease. Though probably political liberal, Ritchie manages to present the political controversies of the time in a well-balanced manner. One of his major points is that FDR's nomination in 1932 was by no means inevitable, and he makes a good case for this view. The last fifth of the book is a tour de force of historical synthesis. He covers the lame duck period before FDR was inaugurated, then moves on to an overview of FDR's twelve years in office. Popping up and down during this whole period was Herbert Hoover, who apparently thought he could make a political comeback. He moves deftly up to the present day with an apt appraisal of FDR's legacy. Even after the election of Reagan, who mimicked FDR's style and political savvy, FDR's political legacy has remained essentially intact. It's a remarkable achievement, and this is a remarkable book.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • IAK
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Reads a bit like a terxt book but hits all the critical points - good for understanding how FDR did it.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Schmerguls
    4.0 out of 5 stars A careful review of the events before and after FDR's triumph in 1932
    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2018
    5526. Electing FDR The New Deal Campaign of 1932, by Donald A. Ritchie (read 14 Jan 2018) This book by the Historian of the United States Senate, was published in 2007 and while the main focus is on what happened in 1932 it covers events leading up to that election year and also events since then. It is carefully done and is full of fascinating details. It does pretty convincingly indicate that if FDR had not won the needed two-thirds vote on the fourth ballot at the 1932 Democratic Convention he might not have been nominated, though in hindsight it is hard to see who could have beaten him since he had a healthy majority of the delegate vote on the third ballot. The book shows that Hoover came to realize that he would not be re-elected as the election date drew near but he never realized how badly he would lose. The book is a great read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. .
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report