Uniting America

How FDR and Henry Stimson Brought Republicans and Democrats Together to Win World War II

De: Peter Shinkle

Narrado por: Paul Heitsch

The untold story of the most crucial bipartisan alliance in United States history.

As Adolf Hitler’s Nazi armies threatened Europe, Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt urged a divided America to mobilize to defend democracy and freedom. Many Republicans accused FDR of leading the nation needlessly into war and demanded that America remain neutral. On June 20, 1940, FDR shocked the world by announcing that two prominent Republicans would take posts in his cabinet in the name of national unity. Henry Stimson, former President Herbert Hoover’s secretary of state, became secretary of war, and Frank Knox, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936, became secretary of the navy.

Forming an alliance across party lines was a bold move that ran contrary to partisan pressures and political convenience. It also placed a bipartisan relationship at the center of America’s confrontation with global fascism. Stimson and Knox played critical roles in leading the war effort, the nation’s capital gained a new spirit of collaboration, and many bills passed Congress during the war years with backing from both parties. In a nation so often marred by political upheaval, the FDR-Stimson coalition stands as a historic act of political courage that led America to victory in World War II.

Uniting America by Peter Shinkle is the first book to paint a full portrait of this extraordinary collaboration, tracing it back to its origins in 1933. Shinkle reveals the true extent of bipartisanship during the war, including previously undisclosed information about Stimson’s work with 1940 Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie and other Republicans who supported FDR. This fascinating and deeply researched book is a must-listen for anyone who believes America must once again unite to defend democracy.

©2022 Peter Shinkle (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

America!!

this book hits really hard in today's political arena. A must for anyone with a thirst for knowledge.

Learned a lot of good history

This was a great history with a great narrator. Focused on the bipartisan work by FDR and secretary of war Henry Stimson to lead the effort against Hitler and the Japanese in WW2

Uniting for America

Enthralling and instructive reading of of a critical time in our history when our main political parties united for the sake of the country. FDR and Henry Stimson recognized the imperative of coming together in order to successfully combat the myriad of international and domestic challenges and in so doing serve as a model of leadership.

An outstanding study!

This is a rich historical study of the unappreciated art and science of democratic governing in action. Could have done without the lengthy epilogue of January 6th, but it definitely helps make the point. Call it bipartisan, call it compromise, but it should be called “Common Sense.”