• FDR's Folly

  • How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression
  • By: Jim Powell
  • Narrated by: William Hughes
  • Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (494 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
FDR's Folly  By  cover art

FDR's Folly

By: Jim Powell
Narrated by: William Hughes
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.56

Buy for $15.56

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Think FDR was a great president? Think again.

In the minds of historians and the American public alike, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents, not least because he supposedly saved America from the Great Depression. But as historian Jim Powell reveals in this groundbreaking book, Roosevelt's New Deal policies actually prolonged and exacerbated the economic disaster, swelled the federal government, and prevented the country from turning around quickly.

In today's turbulent domestic and global environment, eerily similar to that of the 1930s, it's more important than ever before to uncover and understand the truth of our history, lest we be doomed to repeat it. You'll never look at FDR in the same way again.

©2003 Jim Powell (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Very readable, factual, and insightful - and endorsed by two Nobel Prize-winning economists." (Thomas Sowell, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University)

More from the same

What listeners say about FDR's Folly

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    300
  • 4 Stars
    125
  • 3 Stars
    41
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    15
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    210
  • 4 Stars
    76
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    231
  • 4 Stars
    58
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Scones for the Tea Party

Going into this book I expected to hear a new scholastic exposition upon the failings of the New Deal. Instead it was a Libertarian set piece on how the entire FDR administration efforts were machinations for re-election and to convert the American economy to Socialism! Every single New Deal policy was part of a malicious and devious plan to strip Americans of their individual liberties through increased taxation and larger government. According to the author capitalist free markets that are unconstrained by any regulation are the only historical economies to produce human progress. Any regulation, be it insurance on deposits, Social Security, or limitations on the sale of swamp property, all impede free markets! The book was written in 2002 and hasn't been updated to explain how FDR caused 2008.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Mr
  • 11-17-12

An entertaining wander through creative history

If a smart witty writer set out to write a satire on politically motivated mis-interpretation of history, a finer job would be hard to find. Attracted by the title, I approached this book expecting an exploration of how some of FDRs polices were exploited by carpet-baggers or possibly a comparison with later downturns, and how policies advocated, but never used in the great depression would have been more helpful.

Instead, this book is one of the greatest acts of revisionism I've ever seen. Making an assertion, then selecting information that makes the case. No comparison with the 1890s downturn is made, no facts contrary to the case admitted.

This book should be studied in schools as an example of creative writing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

FDR's Folly

This book, along with The Forgotten Man, are timely reminders of what occurred when massive federal intervention is the economy was last tried. The narrator does a fine job. FDR's Folly is well deserving of a listener's time and attention.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Educational but listen to the Abridged Version

This is an educational book that puts the various aspects of government great depression programs and regulations into perspective that wasn't covered in any detail during my school years. As you read, it's somewhat scary as many of today's political overtures are along the same lines of what was tried in the great depression era. I only gave this book a three star rating as much of the same main points were rpeated even though the author breaks out each aspect of government focus. I would suggest the abridged version hoping it reduces the amount of this repetition.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Rebuttal of Conventional Wisdom

This is an excellent survey of FDR's damaging actions, and how they ended up extending the Great Depression. It is very relevant to what is going on today. Some of FDR's actions seemed well intentioned, and some were deviously politically motivated. This book reviews taxes to price fixing to union policy to his supreme court packing schemes. An excellent analysis that counters the conventional liberal wisdom that FDR was a great president.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful and insightful book

Very good description of what actions were actually taken by FDR and how they contradicted each other and transferred wealth from poor to rich by social security, agricultural subsidies, the destruction of jobs, food and cotton for which people were taxed who needed jobs, food and clothing.
Certainly also very relevant for the current situation as the belief in control, force, threat and war by politicians again reigns supreme.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The similarities are uncanny!

This book points out what FDR's Administration did during the "New Deal" period. What it really does is act as a road map for what NOT to do for today's economic problems. It was an eye-opening read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A book for our time

Given the challenges and choices facing our country, this book presents a unique opportunity for Americans to gain the insight, understanding and knowledge our public education system failed to provide us. This book provides that which every American requires in order to make necessary, timely and informed political and personal choices, confidently.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Finally some truth about FDR in one spot!

Mr. Powell does a masterful work disassembling the lefts idol worship of FDR which usually results in fawning ritualistic undulations of pure orgasm over his accomplishments. This communists/statist former president has destroyed untold millions of lives by his policies that still haunt us to this very day. There is a special place in hell for Mr. FDR and it's about time those of us who know better said so. I am sure he and "uncle Joe" are having a good time now...NOT

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Informative

I was surprised by many of the similarities between current politics and the efforts of the New Deal policies. This book provided a great deal of insight into New Deal and the players involved. It was informative enough for me to listen a second time. The narration was very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful