"But no one can praise Roosevelt for doing this and then insist that he restored our traditional political and economic systems to their former vitality"
About this Quote
The quote by John T. Flynn raises an important observation about the actions and legacy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, especially during the era of the New Offer. Flynn's statement seems to recommend a paradox in praising Roosevelt's actions while asserting a go back to standard political and economic systems.
To unpack this, it is vital to comprehend the context of Roosevelt's presidency, which was marked by the Great Depression and the execution of the New Deal. The New Deal consisted of a series of programs, public work tasks, financial reforms, and guidelines enacted in the United States in between 1933 and 1939. It aimed to offer instant financial relief, recovery, and reforms to prevent future depressions.
Flynn's quote points to a contradiction in between applauding Roosevelt for his ingenious and transformative policies while simultaneously claiming that these efforts revived the old systems as they were. For Flynn, this is irreconcilable because the New Deal represented a substantial departure from traditional capitalist policies, integrating aspects of main preparation and federal government intervention unmatched in American history to that point. It reshaped the role of the federal government, broadened social well-being, and modified the relationship between the state and its residents and economy.
The "traditional political and financial systems" likely describe the laissez-faire capitalism and more minimal government intervention that defined the pre-Depression period. Flynn argues that Roosevelt's policies did not merely renew these pre-existing systems however rather changed or essentially altered them, developing a brand-new political-economic order.
Therefore, applauding Roosevelt for his New Deal efforts while declaring he brought back traditional systems appears incompatible since those efforts necessitated a rethinking and restructuring of how government connected with the economy. Flynn is critiquing the concept that a person can at the same time applaud the strong, transformative shifts of the New Deal while maintaining that it just revitalized old systems. The essence of Flynn's argument is that Roosevelt's tradition is among change instead of restoration.