"A brilliant full-length portrait of Franklin Roosevelt the politician"-the first in an award-winning two-volume biography ( The Christian Science Monitor).
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest serving president in United States history, reshaping the country during the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. But before his ascension to the presidency, FDR laid the groundwork for his unprecedented run with decades of canny political maneuvering and steady consolidation of power.

In this remarkable New York Times-bestselling biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James MacGregor Burns traces FDR's rise and the peculiar blend of strength and cunning that made him such a uniquely transformative figure. Weaving together lively narrative and impressive scholarship, Burns reconstructs his youth and education at Groton and Harvard, his relationships with his cousins Theodore and Eleanor, his immersion in New York State politics, and his rise to national prominence, all the way through his first two terms as president, which saw the historic New Deal take hold and the drumbeats of World War II begin.

Originally published in 1956, The Lion and the Fox was among the first studies of Roosevelt-and it remains a landmark record of his ambitions, talents, and flaws. Hailed by the New York Times as "a sensitive, shrewd, and challenging book" and by Newsweek as "a case study unmatched in American political writings," Burns's stunning achievement is the life story of a fascinating political figure.

James MacGregor Burns (1918-2014) was a bestselling American historian and political scientist whose work earned both the National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. Born in Boston, Burns fell in love with politics and history at an early age. He earned his BA at Williams College, where he returned to teach history and political science after obtaining his PhD at Harvard and serving in World War II. Burns's two-volume biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt is considered the definitive examination of the politician's rise to power, and his groundbreaking writing on the subject of political leadership has influenced scholars for decades. Most recently, he served as the Woodrow Wilson Professor of Government Emeritus at Williams College and as Distinguished Leadership Scholar at the University of Maryland.

• Contents
• Preface
• Part One: The Education of a Politician
• I. A Beautiful Frame
  • The Seed and the Soil
  • Groton: Education for What?
  • Harvard: The Gold Coast
• II. Albany: The Young Lion
  • Uncle Ted and Cousin Eleanor
  • The Race for the Senate
  • The College Kid and the Tammany Beast
  • Farmer-Labor Representative
• III. Washington: The Politician as Bureaucrat
  • A Roosevelt on the Job
  • Tammany Wins Again
  • War Leader
• IV. Crusade for the League
  • Challenge and Response
  • 1920--The Solemn Referendum
  • The Rising Politician
• Part Two: The Rise to Power
• V. Interlude: The Politician as Businessman
  • Ordeal
  • Dear Al and Dear Frank
  • Summons to Action
• VI. Apprenticeship in Albany
  • The Politics of the Empire State
  • The Anatomy of Stalemate
  • The Power of Party
• VII. Nomination by a Hairbreadth
  • The Political Uses of Corruption
  • Battle at the Grass Roots
  • The Magic Two-Thirds
• VIII. The Curious Campaign
  • The Fox and the Elephant
  • The Stage Is Set
  • Roosevelt on the Eve
• Part Three: Rendezvous with Destiny
• IX. A Leader in the White House
  • "A Day of Consecration"
  • "Action, and Action Now"
  • "A Leadership of Frankness and Vigor"
  • America First
• X. President of All the People?
  • An Artist in Government
  • The Broker State at Work
  • The Politics of Broker Leadership
  • Rupture on the Right
• XI. The Grapes of Wrath
  • The Little Foxes
  • Labor: New Millions and New Leaders
  • Left! Right! Left!
• XII. Thunder on the Right
  • Thunderbolts from the Bench
  • Roosevelt as a Conservative
  • Roosevelt and the Radicals
• XIII. Foreign Policy by Makeshift
  • Good Neighbors and Good Fences
  • Storm Clouds and Storm Cellars
  • The Law of the Jungle
  • The Politician as Foreign Policy Maker
• XIV. 1936: The Grand Coalition
  • The Politics of the Deed
  • "I Accept the Commission"
  • "We Have Only Just Begun to Fight"
  • Roosevelt as a Political Tactician
• Part Four: The Lion at Bay
• XV. Court Packing: The Miscalculated Risk
  • Bombshell
  • Guerrilla Warfare
  • Breaches in the Grand Coalition
  • Not with a Bang but a Whimper
• XVI. The Roosevelt Recession
  • Cloudburst
  • Palace Struggle for a Program
  • Roosevelt as an Economist
• XVII. Deadlock on the Potomac
  • Squalls on Capitol Hill
  • The Broken Spell
  • Too Little, Too Late
• XVIII. Fissures in the Party
  • The Donkey and the Stick
  • The Struggle for Power
  • Roosevelt as a Party Leader
• XIX. Diplomacy: Pinpricks and Protest
  • Munich: No Risks, No Commitments
  • The Storm Breaks
  • Roosevelt as a Political Leader
• Part Five: Through the Traps
• XX. The Soundless Struggle
  • The Sphinx
  • The Hurricane of Events
  • "We Want Roosevelt!"
• XXI. An Old Campaigner, a New Campaign
  • The Hoarse and Strident Voice
  • Lion versus Sea Lion
  • The Two-Week Blitz
  • The Future in Balance
• Epilogue. The Culmination
  • Roosevelt as War Lord
  • Roosevelt as Peace Leader
  • Democracy's Aristocrat
  • Warrior's Home-Coming
• Preview: Roosevelt: Soldier of Freedom
• A Note on the Study of Political Leadership
• Image Gallery
• Acknowledgments
• General Bibliography
• Chapter Bibliographies with Basic Book List
• Index
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N