Roosevelt and the Munich Crisis: A Study of Political Decision-Making (Princeton Studies in International History and Politics Book 190)

Franklin Roosevelt's intentions during the three years between Munich and Pearl Harbor have been a source of controversy among historians for decades. Barbara Farnham offers both a theory of how the domestic political context affects foreign policy decisions in general and a fresh interpretation of FDR's post-Munich policies based on the insights that the theory provides. Between 1936 and 1938, Roosevelt searched for ways to influence the deteriorating international situation. When Hitler's behavior during the Munich crisis showed him to be incorrigibly aggressive, FDR settled on aiding the democracies, a course to which he adhered until America's entry into the war. This policy attracted him because it allowed him to deal with a serious problem: the conflict between the need to stop Hitler and the domestic imperative to avoid any risk of American involvement in a war. Because existing theoretical approaches to value conflict ignore the influence of political factors on decision-making, they offer little help in explaining Roosevelt's behavior. As an alternative, this book develops a political approach to decision-making which focuses on the impact that awareness of the imperatives of the political context can have on decision-making processes and, through them, policy outcomes. It suggests that in the face of a clash of central values decision-makers who are aware of the demands of the political context are likely to be reluctant to make trade-offs, seeking instead a solution that gives some measure of satisfaction to all the values implicated in the decision. Franklin Roosevelt's Intentions During The Three Years Between Munich And Pearl Harbor Have Been A Source Of Controversy Among Historians For Decades. Barbara Farnham Offers Both A Theory Of How The Domestic Political Context Affects Foreign Policy Decisions In General And A Fresh Interpretation Of Fdr's Post-munich Policies Based On The Insights That The Theory Provides. Ch. I. Roosevelt, The Munich Crisis, And Political Decision-making -- Ch. Ii. The Political Approach To Decision-making -- Ch. Iii. The Watershed Between Two Wars: 1936-1938 -- Ch. Iv. The Munich Crisis -- Ch. V. Assessing The Munich Crisis -- Ch. Vi. Dealing With The Consequences Of Munich -- Ch. Vii. Implications For History And Theory -- App. A. Traditional Approaches To Decision-making -- App. B. Analyzing The Calculus Of Political Feasibility: The Nature Of The Acceptability Constraint -- App. C. The Traditional Political Strategies. Barbara Rearden Farnham. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

solving The Fdr Enigma Is Not Easy. Farnham's Theory, Bringing An Essentially Political Dimension To The Problem Of Choice, Provides Historians With A More Rigorous And Intellectually Viable Approach To The Problem Of Decoding Fdr.--waldo Heinrichs, San Diego State University

this Work Provides A Subtle Reading Of Fdr's Actions And Motivations. The Result Is A Fascinating, Original, And Highly Readable Book.--fred I. Greenstein, Woodrow Wilson School Of Public And International Affairs, Princeton University

mark J. Rozell - Apsa Journal

it Is Refreshing To See A Work That Takes A Different Point Of View And Argues It Vigorously, Backed With Ample Evidence. . . . [an] Interesting And Worthy Read.

THE WORLD of the late 1930s was a threatening place for anyone committed to democracy.