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

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)

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.

The Complete Picture of FDR's Communist Philosophy

A great documentation of FDR's Progressive Policies and his attempts at manipulating the Constitution to implement his love of Socialism. This should be a mandatory read in High School.

very eye opening

There are always unintended consequences to one's action. We must judge government policy not by what we wanted to happen but by what happened.

good listen

really good listen I am really getting in to listen to books about past president's I really enjoyed this book on to the next one

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.

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.

A Book for our Times

This book presents a critical view of the economic policies of this remarkable president. FDR is remembered best for his role as an inspirational war leader, and for his tragic death at the gates of victory. However, the author presents a strong critique of FDR's policies for dealing with the Great Depression. Hopefully it has been read and carefully studied by the advisers of President Obama

Great book but the dubbing was horrible.

Very informative book that will really bring truth to how FDR handled the Great Depression. The only problem I have with the book is the dubbing for the narrator. Just when you get settled into the cadence, rhythm and tone of Mr. Hughes' voice, it sounds as if every once in a while someone else is narrating the book. I don't know if it's bad dubbing when correcting any errors or if it's another man that sounds similar to Mr. Hughes, but it is noticeable and it catches you off guard every now and again. That is why I rated this book at only 3 stars instead of 4.

Impressive compendium

This is a rigorous treatise on economic reality that disabused me of several historical fantasies that were taught to me as fact.

Concise and informative

The reader did an excellent job! Though many figures and percentages were included, they were well read and not overwhelming. It obviously uses statistics that support the writer’s opinion, but nonetheless seems unbiased. Worth the time especially because of our current economic conditions and government.