The first 100 days of FDR’s presidency are justly famous, often viewed as a period of political action without equal in American history. Yet as historian David B. Woolner reveals, the last 100 might very well surpass them in drama and consequence.
Woolner joins the Miller Center's Barbara Perry to discuss his new book, The Last 100 Days: FDR at War and at Peace. It's a revealing portrait of the end of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s life and presidency. Drawing on new evidence, Woolner shows how FDR called on every ounce of his diminishing energy to pursue what mattered most to him: the establishment of the United Nations, the reinvigoration of the New Deal, and the possibility of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. As Woolner argues, even in declining health FDR displayed remarkable political talent and foresight as he focused his energies on shaping the peace to come.
