City of ambition : FDR, La Guardia, and the making of modern New York / Mason B. Williams.
2013
F128.5 .W73 2013 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection
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Details
Title
City of ambition : FDR, La Guardia, and the making of modern New York / Mason B. Williams.
Author
Williams, Mason B.
Edition
First edition.
ISBN
9780393066913 (hardcover)
0393066916 (hardcover)
9780393348989
0393348989
0393066916 (hardcover)
9780393348989
0393348989
Published
New York : W.W. Norton & Company, [2013]
Copyright
©2013
Language
English
Description
xvii, 494 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm
Other Standard Identifiers
40022328723
Call Number
F128.5 .W73 2013
Summary
Describes the revitalization of New York during the Great Depression as President Roosevelt and Mayor LaGuardia worked together to build parks, bridges, and schools and put people to work by channeling federal resources into cities and counties.
"City of Ambition is a brilliant history of the New Deal and its role in the making of modern New York City. The story of a remarkable collaboration between Franklin Roosevelt and Fiorello La Guardia, this is a case study in creative political leadership in the midst of a devastating depression. Roosevelt and La Guardia were an odd couple: patrician president and immigrant mayor, fireside chat and tabloid cartoon, pragmatic Democrat and reform Republican. But together, as leaders of America's two largest governments in the depths of the Great Depression, they fashioned a route to recovery for the nation and the master plan for a great city. Roosevelt and his "Brain Trust"--Shrewd, energetic advisors such as Harold Ickes and Harry Hopkins -- sought to fight the Depression by channeling federal resources through America's cities and counties. La Guardia had replaced Tammany Hall cronies with policy experts, such as the imperious Robert Moses, who were committed to a strong public sector. The two leaders worked closely together. La Guardia had a direct line of communication with FDR and his staff, often visiting Washington carrying piles of blueprints. Roosevelt relied on the mayor as his link to the nation's cities and their needs. The combination was potent. La Guardia's Gotham became a laboratory for New Deal reform. Roosevelt's New Deal transformed city initiatives into major programs such as the Works Progress Administration, which changed the physical face of the United States. Together they built parks, bridges, and schools; put the unemployed to work; and strengthened the Progressive vision of government as serving the public purpose."--Publisher's description.
"City of Ambition is a brilliant history of the New Deal and its role in the making of modern New York City. The story of a remarkable collaboration between Franklin Roosevelt and Fiorello La Guardia, this is a case study in creative political leadership in the midst of a devastating depression. Roosevelt and La Guardia were an odd couple: patrician president and immigrant mayor, fireside chat and tabloid cartoon, pragmatic Democrat and reform Republican. But together, as leaders of America's two largest governments in the depths of the Great Depression, they fashioned a route to recovery for the nation and the master plan for a great city. Roosevelt and his "Brain Trust"--Shrewd, energetic advisors such as Harold Ickes and Harry Hopkins -- sought to fight the Depression by channeling federal resources through America's cities and counties. La Guardia had replaced Tammany Hall cronies with policy experts, such as the imperious Robert Moses, who were committed to a strong public sector. The two leaders worked closely together. La Guardia had a direct line of communication with FDR and his staff, often visiting Washington carrying piles of blueprints. Roosevelt relied on the mayor as his link to the nation's cities and their needs. The combination was potent. La Guardia's Gotham became a laboratory for New Deal reform. Roosevelt's New Deal transformed city initiatives into major programs such as the Works Progress Administration, which changed the physical face of the United States. Together they built parks, bridges, and schools; put the unemployed to work; and strengthened the Progressive vision of government as serving the public purpose."--Publisher's description.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 411-473) and index.
Record Appears in
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Table of Contents
I. Foundations
Beginnings
A season in the wilderness
The deluge
II. The New Deal
"Jobs is the cry"
The New Deal's "lost legacy"
From fusion to confusion
New dealer for the duration
III. War and postwar
The local politics of foreign policy
The battle of New York
"I hope others will follow New York's example."
Beginnings
A season in the wilderness
The deluge
II. The New Deal
"Jobs is the cry"
The New Deal's "lost legacy"
From fusion to confusion
New dealer for the duration
III. War and postwar
The local politics of foreign policy
The battle of New York
"I hope others will follow New York's example."