422 Chapter 12Chapter 12 || The PresidencyThe Presidencythe 1932 presidential election, Democrat Franklin Roosevelt and his staff began
reshaping American government in an effort to pull the country out of the Depression.
Roosevelt’s New Deal reforms created many federal agencies that helped individual
Americans and imposed many new corporate regulations.^9 This expansion continued
under Roosevelt’s successors. Even Republican Dwight Eisenhower, whose party had
initially opposed many New Deal reforms, presided over the creation of new agencies
and the building of the interstate highway system.^10
Presidential power also grew as the United States became more involved in the
international arena. America was a key player in the Allied coalition against Germany
and Japan in World War II, with President Roosevelt leading the negotiation of key
agreements with American allies over war aims and the establishment of the United
Nations. After the war, through the beginning of the Cold War with the Soviet Union,
America’s military might, dominant nuclear forces, and overwhelming economic
power made it the leader of the free world. Because of this position, postwar presidents
such as Harry Truman had enormous influence over the lives of people throughout
the world.Presidents throughout the twentieth
century expanded the power of the
office in terms of both domestic and
foreign policy making. President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (left) called
on the public to support his New Deal
social programs through his signature
“fireside chat” radio broadcasts.
President Ronald Reagan (right)
was instrumental in negotiating and
executing numerous arms reduction
agreements with the Soviet Union,
then led by Mikhail Gorbachev.Presidents were instrumental in the civil rights reforms and expansion of the federal
government in the 1960s. With congressional approval, President Lyndon Johnson’s
administration created a wide range of domestic programs, such as the Department
of Housing and Urban Development, Medicare, Medicaid, and federal funding for
schools. The job of enacting voting rights and civil rights legislation also took place
during Johnson’s presidency.
Both Johnson and his successor, Richard Nixon, directed America’s involvement
in the Vietnam War, with the goal of forcing the North Vietnamese to abandon their
plans to unify North and South Vietnam. But presidential efforts in Vietnam did not
meet with success. Despite enormous deployments of American forces and the deaths
of more than 58,000 American soldiers, Nixon eventually signed an agreement that
allowed American troops to leave but did not end the conflict, which concluded only
after a North Vietnamese victory in 1975.
The two presidents immediately after Nixon, Republican Gerald Ford and
Democrat Jimmy Carter, faced the worst economic conditions since the Great
Depression, largely due to increased energy prices. Both presidents offered plans to
reduce unemployment and inflation, restore economic growth, and enhance domestic
energy sources. However, their efforts were largely unsuccessful, which becameFull_13_APT_64431_ch12_418-453.indd 422 16/11/18 10:33 AM