“The presidency of Franklin Roosevelt marked the most significant increase in presidential power in (1900-45)” How far do you agree

Franklin Roosevelt (FDR)- president from 1933-45- 12 years so it must be noted that he is going to appear to have a more significant impact in office. His impact was so much that the presidency would never revert back to what it was before.  Immediately upon assuming the presidency he spurred Congress towards a flurry of legislative activity which became known as the ‘hundred days’  designed to end the country's economic troubles and created numerous ‘alphabet agencies’ 

CCC which put 300,000 young men to work in 1200 camps planting trees, building bridges and cleaning beaches 

 TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority- poorest area in the region) which aimed to marshal the area's natural resources to boost the economy by building dams and power plants that would bring jobs, electricity, and flood control to the Valley. By the end of the 1930s, the TVA had brought millions of southern Americans electric power, roads, and jobs in regions that previously had no phones, electric lights, or stable employment- it was a total success.  (federal gov in citizens life- maybe mention social security act if time add on at end) 

His most significant increase of power was in the war where FDR acted as ‘the commander in chief of the army and navy of the United States’- presidential power had increased not only domestically but also in foreign policy in which it was the president's responsibility to make major strategic decisions in times of war abroad. This certainly marks a significant increase in presidential  power under FDR.

Theodore Roosevelt- who ‘started the ball rolling’ for his successors giving them the opportunity to increase presidential power in the first place. It was Roosevelt who moved them away from the isolationist stance that the founding fathers had created to deliberately limit the role of president. 

One of these was the Panama canal- designed to increase the power of America globally by acting as the ‘world’s policeman’. He carried this out without the approval/consent of congress showing he believed it was the president’s role to play a dominant role in world affairs-he certainly wanted to increase the power of the president and that he did. 

Additionally this wish to play a dominant role in world affairs can also be seen in his passing of the Roosevelt colarally to the Monroe Doctrine of 1824 where he warned against European involvement in Latin-American states- rather it was the USA’s role to do this and be responsible for their well being- showing even more increase in presidential power in terms of foreign affairs. This marks a very significant increase in power as it announced the arrival of both the USA and their president as a force to be reckoned with on the international stage. 

His ‘trust busting’ policy (he did this through passing the Sherman Antitrust act and creating a new cabinet post of Commerce and Industries) that saw him initiating lawsuits against 43 major corporations for corruption shows a significant increase in presidential power in that he believed it should be the president's role to protect the people against corrupt businesses and monopolies.      

Taft was president from 1909-13 and he did nothing to increase presidential power, instead opting to keep it right where it was. He was always much more interested in law than being president and this lack of interest in increasing presidential power is summed up perfectly by his quote of ‘Politics, when I am in it makes me sick’. It can be said that he achieved nothing other than increasing tariffs under the Payne-Aldrich Act which was viewed very negatively.

There is seen to be a significant increase in presidential power under Wilson- he wanted to achieve even more than TR did. He appeared before a joint session in congress in order to personally push for the legislation he desired- which no president since Jefferson had dared to do this, believing that the presidential power should be increased and play a dominant role in policy making. This was the Underwood Simmons Act which reduced tariffs by 25% on everyday goods, making this much more affordable for Americans- this had failed to be passed before and so Wilson’s determination  shows how presidential power increased significantly under him- in the form of impact on ordinary people.

  He also passed the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 which established twelve regional reserve banks controlled by the Federal Reserve Board and could adjust interest rates & nation's money supply and is regarded by many as the most important piece of domestic legislation passed by Wilson and is said to have lessened the impact of the depression.

On the 8th of January 1918 Woodrow Wilson announced what was to be one of his lasting legacies- his 14 points and this was what he wanted the Treaty of Versailles to be based on. These points included- open and not secret treaties, the independence of Poland, National Self Determination to be applied to all countries in land affairs and lastly, his most important point was to establish the ‘League of Nations’- where countries were to come together in this so-called league. Wilson considered himself a worldwide peacekeeper, his points reflected that. There is a small achievement in his foreign policy in the fact that he was able to get the League of Nations- marking a significant increase in power as the president being considered to be a world statesman with an international legacy.

Harding, Coolidge and Hoover who were presidents from 1921-33 were known as the ‘passive presidents’ and this says a lot about what kind of significant increase in power they sae- nothing. Harding even made an attempt to revert presidential power to what it was before TR, reversing many policies of the Wilson Administration, approving tax cuts and raising tariffs to new highs with the Fordney-McCumber Act of 1922. 

Coolidge spoke in his inaugural address of problems such as lynching, child labour and low wages for women yet effectively did nothing to overcome it instead believing  ‘it is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones’ (he tried to pass a federal anti-lyching bill but it was unsuccessful) there was no significant increase of power under Coolidge rather it stayed the same

Hoover like his predecessors believed in limited government intervision both domestically and in foreign matters and so his policies reflected this - his foreign policy of being a ‘Good Neighbor’ to Central and South America was all about doing as little as possible in relation to these neighbours and avoiding intervention.