Was FDR a good president?

Question

After all, he "allowed" Pearl Harbor, and stayed out of WWII until the last moment, which allowed the Holocaust, and then started bombing Germany before Germany actually attacked us, AND dropped the A-Bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which killed hundreds of thousands of people. Not to mention the fact that WWII killed nearly one million of our soldiers. And he also placed the Japanese-Americans into concentration camps.
Yet he's hailed as (and I agree!) as one of the best presidents in American history.
President Bush "allowed" 9/11, attacked Iraq for firing on our aircraft which was enforcing the no-fly zone, which was part of the treaty Hussein signed at the end of the Gulf War, and for him not allowing in UN inspectors, which was also a part of the treaty. This has resulted in between 39,000 and 239,000 Iraqi civilian deaths, and nearly 2500 US Military casualties.
Yet President Bush is hailed as one of the "worst" presidents in American history.
What's the difference?

Okay then, I stand corrected. I forgot that FDR passed on in April 1945. However, he is the one who refused the peace treaty in March 1945. And he is also the one who ordered the research on atomic weapons.
However, the first answerer still did not answer the question. What's the difference??

TOTAL NUMBER IN UNITED STATES FORCES DURING WW2 ARMY:8,300,000 NAVY:4,204,662 MARINES: 599,693. GRAND TOTAL 13,104,355 TOTAL US CASUALTIES:ARMY: 223,215 KILLED IN ACTION;WOUNDED 571,679;MISSING 12,752;TOTAL ARMY CASULITES 807,646. NAVY; KILLED IN ACTION 34,702; DIED OF WOUNDS 1,783; OTHER DEATHS 26,793; TOTAL NAVY DEATHS 63,278;WOUNDED 33,670 MISSING 28; TOTAL NAVY CASUALTIES 96,976. MARINES; KILLED IN ACTION 15,460 DIED OF WOUNDS 3,163; OTHER DEATHS 5,863; TOTAL MARINE DEATHS 24,486; WOUNDED 67,134; TOTAL MARINE CAUALTIES 91,620.GRAND TOTAL KILLED IN ACTION IN ARMY NAVY MARINES 273,377.DIED OF WOUNDS LATER 4,946;OTHER DEATHS 32,656; TOTAL DEATHS 310,979. MISSING 12,780; WOUNDED 672,483; GRAND TOTAL CASUALTIES IN ARMY,NAVY,MARINES, 996,242.(AIR FORCES ARE INCLUDED IN THE ABOVE BRANCHES. US COAST GUARD HAD 172,952 MEN ENGAUGED,1,917 DEATHS OF WHICH 572 WERE KILLED IN ACTION.)

Source: http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/How_many_US_soldiers_died_in_World_War_2

For those who don't want to read that whole thing, the total number of US military casualties was 996,442.

And actually, the US was aware of tension escalating in Europe, and of the persecution against the Jews, gypsies, and Polish. They just weren't aware of how BAD it was. Also, the world community was aware that Hitler was in violation of the Versailles Treaty in as early as 1935.
I already corrected my statement about FDR dropping the bomb. He did cause it to happen, though, which I'm not saying was a bad thing. It was what he HAD to do.
Our economy started entering a recession in 1995. I remember it clearly, from watching unemployment rates, and from the stock market.
Now, the stock market still fluctuates, but it's on the rise. Unemployment is lower, I believe it's at 5% nationally.
All of my information is from watching it, from reading many books (as far as the things that happened before I was born), and from speaking to those who were alive during, and clearly remember, the 30s and 40s.

Answer 1

He thought so. Ask him.

Roosevelt did not drop the bombs.

Truman made that decision after being awake over 30 hours, analyzing all the projections. Estimated, 500,000 troops lost in the planned invasion of Japan. Untold casualties of Japanese civilians. We did not have smart bombs back then. Bombs were dropped with little accuracy on a specific target. Japan was heavily fortified with the mind set to fight to death.

I think the losses were much more than 1,000,000.

Your facts are very flawed. You believe writings and blogs of those with an agenda.

Germany declared war on US right after Pearl Harbor.

German subs were already off the shores of the Atlantic, "before" war was declared by Germany.
They were already developing missiles.
They had already deterred shipping and Coast Guard activities. Why do you think that rationing was imposed on, sugar, coffee,
etc.? Shortages of bananas, chocolate, etc.? These were imports. DUH!

No one in the world was aware of the holocaust. Germany was a closed society.

As to staying out of war until the last minute. Who in hell in this country wanted war? We weren't even armed for a conflict. The Naval losses at Pearl Harbor was the bulk of US fleet. Anyone want war now, even though we were attacked on our mainland? First time in history!
As to the internment of Japanese, TRUE. WRONG.
BUT, my grandparent's family doctor and my family's, German born, a citizen of US, long standing, was picked up as a German spy, 1939.

I attended school with children of German spies. Picked up, 1940.

Can you not imagine the paranoia? The fear?
Lived through it.

Evidence is surfacing that Sadaam did have WMDs.
Politics is better served by denying it.
Sorry if I rambled, you pulled my string.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

He did not "allow" Pearl Harbor, he did not "allow" the holocaust, he did not bomb Germany until both parties had declared war against each other, he did not drop any atom bombs since he was dead, he did not place the Japanese Americans in "concentration" camps (internment camps are a FAR cry from concentration camps, not one Japanese American was put to death), our total death toll from world war 2 was 418,500 ( a far cry from one million) and could hardly be HIS fault.

As for atomic research, you had better be glad that he did because the entire industrialized world was doing the same and had we not, someone else would have had the bomb first and who knows where we would be today.

Basically you have NO legitamate arguments. I suggest you go back to comparing Bush II to Clinton like all the other uneducated neo-cons out there.

EXCUSE ME:

You did not say CASUALTIES in your original post. You said KILLED. Please read your own damn question for reference.

Answer 4

the info you've provided is %100 correct; although missing some important facts. but anyways, comparing different presidents from different eras can be a hard thing to do especially FDR Vs Bush! the depression days were extremely hard on all americans. the economy was at its lowest level. the prohibition ignited a series of devastating events and ofcourse WWII.

FDR must have thought joning the war would deffinitly help america's economy (manufacturing war supplies..etc) , will establish it as a permament super imperialistic power, also europe needed its help and last but not least oil in the middle east!!!

i dont personally have a problem with america joining WWII BUT I do have a problem with NUKING JAPAN (initiating Manhatten project) and sacrifising US soldiers in pearl harbor by FDR standing aside (to use as an excuse to get invovled in the war coz he had promised the american poeple that america will not fight a war unless its attacked) and letting japanese nakisakies bomb the hell out of it which ofcourse have been provoked by america by cutting japanese oil suplies.

Now, what motives or reasons did BUSH have to attack iraq and Afghanistan other than OIL OIL OIL???? atleast FDR had resonable motives.

Answer 5

Some of the differences:
1. Pearl Harbor was attacked by a nation - not a bunch of Saudi Arabian terrorists
2. Bush attacked Iraq for being an urgent threat to America - which has proved to be false and deceptive claims, not for violating a no fly zone
3. We stayed out of WW2 too long because WW1 was turned into a WW by cascading alliances being followed. Our allies had already been attacked by Germany and requested our help.
We jumped into Iraq as a 'preventative' to a possible attack and bullied our allies into backing us, or took advantage of the countries that provided help with Afghanistan - our legitimate target and the base for those terrorists who attacked America.

Answer 6

You are asking what is the difference between FDR and GWBush? You have all the statistical answers, so here is a simple one. FDR was a humanitarian, and I believe he was a man of integrity who carefully weighed every decision based on his deep seated values and beliefs. He had a social conscience.
I'm not sure many of our modern leaders have these attributes. The people currently running things are much different. Don't be fooled- GW's god is oil and the money and power that come from it.

Answer 7

I am no FDR fan, but lets get some things straight here. He did help a lot of people with his social programs (and were still being sucked dry to this day), He did not allow Pearl Harbor. That is all conspiracy foolishness. Japan declared war on America 7 Dec 1941, and Germany declared war on American on 11 Dec 1941. The Holocaust was not known about at the beginning of this war. Not many survived to get out and tell the story. It wasn't until the end that the extent was known. FDR was dead, he didn't know we bombed Japan, that was Truman.
They all thought Reagan was a bumbling lunatic while he was in office. History proved them all wrong and they will all be proved wrong with this President too. He will be hailed as one of our best.
Oh I forgot, we offered surrender after the first bomb, and Japan refused. They were however more receptive after the second one. This action saved over 100,000 American lives. No apologies coming from me.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Well, FDR certainly made some mistakes, but I think that his leadership in the later years of the Great Depression, where he had the great idea to increase government spending to give people jobs and paychecks working for the Federal Government who otherwise would have starved to the death in the streets redeems a lot of them.

It's also important to note that before Pearl Harbor, NO ONE in the US, the President or anyone else, wanted to get involved in WWII. We had tried our hardest to stay out of WWI, and we didn't want to get into another European war. The US didn't "allow" the Holocaust to happen, Germany was killing Jews and attacking countries with a vigor that didn't allow anyone to halt his plans for quite a while. As for allowing Pearl Harbor, just because we were attacked by surprise doesn't mean he allowed it, it just means he didn't expect it. Should he have maybe suspected it? Sure, but I don't know what kind of intelligence he had, so I can't judge that. FDR didn't drop the a-bomb, Truman did.

After bringing people as best he could through the Great Depression, he brought people as best he could through WWII. He was a galvanizing force during the war years. People were anxious about the future of the US and the future of Europe, and his weekly radio reassurances helped people get through hard times and many deaths. I don't think you can blame FDR for the deaths of US soldiers in WWII, because we were attacked an forced in to WWII, and they died stopping a truly evil man from completing his plans to take over the entire world. As for the Japanese concentration camps, well, he really screwed that up, I agree.

As to comparing him to President Bush, well, what's the comparison? Instead of bringing the nation together he has, from the beginning of his first term in office, been a divisive factor. It true that we were attacked by terrorists on 9/11, but why, when the terrorists were operating out of Afghanistan (remember that? A lot of people forgot it, I think), did we then go in to attack Iraq? The fact is there are tapes of him and his cabinet in the day after 9/11 trying to find excuses to go into Iraq, even though they were being told by CIA officials that Iraq had nothing to do with it. He brought us into Iraq for reasons unrelated to 9/11, using 9/11 as an excuse, and what have all those 2500 US soldiers died for? He also has instituted domestic policies like the Patriot Act that clearly impede on citizens' rights, like the right to a fair trial, or even for some people to consult a lawyer if they are brought in on certain charges. His time in Iraq has been littered with human-rights offenses caused by soldiers acting on their own and acting under orders from their superiors. Not to mention Katrina. I think we all know about Katrina.

Answer 10

FDR was dead when the A bomb was dropped. You better read you history a bit more before you ask stupid questions.

Answer 11

The holocaust started in 1933 as soon as Hitler became the Reich Chancellor of Nazi Germany; I don't think that FDR should be blamed for what was taking place in another country when he was just elected as President in 1932 (taking office in 1933) and had to deal with the Great Depression himself. It didn't become common knowledge at the highest levels of what the Nazi's were doing until after Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and Russia in 1941. Germany being a part of the Tripartite agreement with Japan and Germany had already declared war on the United States after the US declared War on Japan after Pearl Harbor. Whereas there were suspicions that Japan was going to attack the United States; until it could be proved that was the intent; all the US could do was sit and wait and make landlease agreements with those countries fighting against Fascist tyranny. Although, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were horrendous; knowing the Japanese; they would have never surrendered unconditionally unless forced to and would have cost the lives of millions of japanese and hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers to invade the Japanese main islands, We lost 30,000 just in the battle of Okinawa (dead & wounded, the Japanese lost over 100,000 at Okinawa). What does the fact of losing soldiers in WW2 have to do with FDR being President? WW2 was necessary due to the horrors being commited on the World by the fascist powers of Germany and Japan. We were bound to be in the war sooner or later in order to stop the marching of dictatorship across the planet. Yes, the Japanese Americans were placed in camps (not concentration camps - this is a misnomer, as those held by the US were taken care and not starved, tortured or executed). The 442nd COmbat Regiment was one of the highest decorated units in WW2 that were comprised of volunteers from these camps in order to prove that they were just as American as the rest of us. Therefore, for saving democracy for the World, for creating social programs that has helped tens of millions since the 1930's; then yes FDR would be one of our greatest presidents. P. Bush doesn't even hold a candle to the caliber of a man that FDR was.