FDR Goes to War

Lots of books examine the military history of World War II. In this new book, Burt Folsom and Anita Folsom, authors of New Deal or Raw Deal?, look at some of the domestic aspects of the war. Taxes and spending soared — along with government propaganda for taxes — laying the groundwork for a permanently larger government. History books tell us the war ended the Depression. But the food rations, nonexistent luxuries, crippling taxes, labor strikes, and dangerous work of the time tell a different story — hardly the stuff of recovery. Indeed, the war ushered in a new level of power in the executive branch. Roosevelt seized private property, conducted illegal wiretaps, tried to silence domestic opposition, and interned 110,000 Japanese Americans.