FDR and Harry Truman: What We Know Now (That We Didn’t Know Then) SPECIAL OFFER

On Sunday, November 15th, One Day University will host a special morning double lecture.FDR: The Making of the American Century

This lecture will examine the transformational presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. How did this scion of America’s elite inspire hope in millions of suffering citizens during the Great Depression? How did he re-design the purposes and expectations of American government through the New Deal?

The lecture will show how domestic policy connected to foreign policy, particularly President Roosevelt’s successful efforts to defeat fascism and re-make the international order. The lecture will investigate President Roosevelt’s ideas, his leadership style, and his legacies for contemporary American domestic and foreign policy.

Harry Truman: Conflict and Crisis

When Harry S. Truman became President, he asked the press corps to pray for him. Public and pundits alike saw him as a machine politician unlikely to possess the vision or political skills necessary for success in the Oval Office. Yet within five years Truman had made decisions that ended World War II, established policies of reconstruction in Western Europe, created new American interests in the Middle East and relied on military power to contain the expansion of communist regimes.

Truman evolved from an incumbent who was highly dependent on his national security advisers, to a Commander-in-Chief who sometimes acted contrary to the advice of the highest-ranking officials in his administration. Truman was more than just  “present at the creation” of the postwar international order, he actually laid the groundwork for the subsequent rise of an “imperial presidency” utilizing unprecedented war powers.

Thought Gallery readers can enjoy these paired talks at a 30% discount by using the code THOUGHT. More information on the series is available here.