From the Publisher
"As the first-class contributors of this volume argue, there is something even more genuinely American than the concept of freedom itself. That is the idea of the Four Freedoms, as president Franklin D. Roosevelt expounded it at the beginning of 1941....The book surely remains a milestone for those, students and scholars, who intend to dig deeper into FDR's rhetoric, political acumen, and complex worldview, but it also represents a good source for those who are interested in the origins and development of the American century, as well as in the rise and fall of the American empire."—Dario Fazzi, European Journal for American Studies
"[I]lluminates Roosevelt's 'contribution' to the 'evolution and import of freedom as a concept and as an ideological tool' and examines how those ideas were contested, implemented, altered, limited, and abandoned in both the United States and across the world (p. 13)."—Richard F. Hamm, H-FedHist"The book is well conceived and should be of interest to academic specialists and accessible for advanced undergraduates .Contributors tackle their topics with depth and skill, making this book a welcome addition to the canon on FDR and his legacy."—Margaret C. Rung, History"This stellar collection demonstrates the centrality of FDR's Four Freedoms to America's domestic political regimes and its place in the international order from 1941 to the present day. The incisive essays examine how the meaning of these freedoms changed over time and which of Roosevelt's hopes were left unfulfilled. Indispensable to any serious student of modern America and any observer of contemporary politics."—Anthony J. Badger, author of FDR: The First Hundred Days"The concept of freedom is endemic to the American creed but its meaning has long been subject to interpretation. Jeffrey Engel's cogent and incisive The Four Freedoms examines the seminal importance of Franklin Roosevelt's expression of freedom as an American ideal—delivered at a crossroads in our history—and what it means to our nation and the world today."—Mark K. Updegrove, director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library"Four Freedoms recaptures the context and significance of Roosevelt's commitment to this iconic set of values. Offered during a time of international strife, the vision outlined by FDR transcended that immediate context. The authors of this volume illuminate how and why this moral vision and its universalistic language framed America's self-image long after the end of World War II."—Brian Balogh, author of The Associational State: American Governance in the Twentieth Century and co-host of Backstory with the American History Guys"Exemplary."—H-Net"[A] thoughtful book."—Foreign Affairs