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The history of the most acrimonious presidential handoff in American history--and of the origins of twentieth-century liberalism and conservatism When Franklin Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover in the 1932 election, they represented not only different political parties but vastly different approaches to the question of the day: How could the nation recover from the Great Depression? As historian Eric Rauchway shows in Winter War, FDR laid out coherent, far-ranging plans for the New Deal in the months prior to his inauguration. Meanwhile, still-President Hoover, worried about FDR's abilities and afraid of the president-elect's policies, became the first comprehensive critic of the New Deal. Thus, even before FDR took office, both the principles of the welfare state, and reaction against it, had already taken form.



About the Author

Eric Rauchway

Eric Rauchway writes books about US history, and has taught at the University of California, Davis, since 2001. He has written for the Times Literary Supplement, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, Time, and other publications.



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