Who do think was the greatest president of the last century?

Question

I am talking about America people !

Answer 1

Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He did so much to give the country the kind of stability it has now with his programs to get through the Depression. He regularly attempted to connect with the American people through fireside chats. And he was the man who told us that "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" (which is a *real* war on terror!)

Answer 2

In my opinion, it's Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with no one else even coming close. There are a couple of reasons why I believe this.

1. FDR guided the country through easily the two greatest crises of the 20th Century--the Great Depression and the Second World War.

2. In the process, he did more to shape modern U.S. society and government than anyone else to hold the office. There is clearly a much greater difference between the America FDR inherited in 1933 and the country he left in 1945 than can be seen in any other administration.

Some of the other candidates given in this thread are interesting, but they didn't have the impact FDR did. The ideals that Woodrow Wilson so sincerely tried to champion were, in the end, rejected by his own countrymen, to say nothing of the nations of Europe. Despite Carter's sincerity and values, his is generally regarded as a failed presidency, undone by continuing economic woes and his inability to deal with the Iranian hostage crisis.

Ronald Reagan was a good president, but not a great one. He was a very effective leader, and did play a role in bringing the Cold War to an end (though not as great a role as he's sometimes given credit for), but in his eight years in office the U.S. was never confronted by a crisis of the magnitude of those FDR confronted. This is hardly Reagan's fault, of course. But in terms of long-term impact, the fact that Roosevelt did have to deal with events of the magnitude of the Depression and World War II, while Reagan did not, gives FDR the edge in my view.

Answer 3

Couldn't pass this up.
Ronald Reagan!
He knew how to bring the USSR down and he did it masterfully. He understood economics and how, if you want to bring in more money from taxes, you LOWER taxes. By allowing us the consumer to keep more, we will, unfortunately spend more, but he knew this. Not only did it happen in the 80's but his economic policies had a longer sustainability that anyone could have foreseen. What has been going on was sparked by Reagan during his presidency.

FDR is stricken from my list because his policies CAUSED the depression to last far longer than it should have. He was throwing money at a problem that was taking care of itself, til he interferred. FDR, however, knew foreign policy unlike Carter.

Carter did little to increase productibility here in the US. His policies were the ones Reagan had to fight for the first two years after taking office. Carter, singlehandedly, made it seem a good idea to take hostages. He did nothing that really helped the situation. Even after he tried sending in Delta Force, after that failed, he sat on his hands. Look what happened when Reagan took office- as soon as he did, the hostages were released. Carter should have been sending missiles into Iran to destroy training camps and bombers to hit the same camps each and every day that the hostages were held. That is what those people understand. SALT 1, what a joke. He GAVE away missiles and strength without getting very much in return from the Russians.

Answer 4

Ronald Reagan and Woodrow Wilson

Answer 5

Ronald Reagan:

1) He got the runaway inflation so rampant during the Carter administration under control.
2) His foreign policies won the Cold War.
3) He brought the US military back to respectability - 8 years after Vietnam. Prior to that, military budgets were so tight that soldiers were spending their own money to buy spare parts to keep equipment running. Those of us who served during the Reagan administration were proud to do so.
4) He cut taxes, which allowed the economy to begin growing again.
5) He truly believed in working WITH Congress to get things done, rather than taking a confrontational stance (unlike someone more recently).
6) He had a leadership style in which he trusted his cabinet secretaries and allowed them to do their jobs.

In short - Ronald Reagan was a LEADER - something you can't say about Jimmy Carter.

Answer 6

Woodrow Wilson of course. His vision, had it been followed, would have prevented the horrors of the second world war. His steady hand during World War I is unparalleled. Don't just say Reagan or FDR because that's what everyone else says. Also, to the person who said Jimmy Carter: I've never heard a more wrong answer to any question... ever.

Answer 7

Ronald Reagan, for ending the Cold War and lowering taxes, among other things.

Answer 8

ill. Brother Harry S. Truman

Answer 9

Teddy Roosevelt. They didn't carve him on Mount Rushmore for nothing. He is also the only US President to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer 10

Dwight Eisenhower; he saw the dangers of the military-industrial complex and warned the public about them.