1933: CHARACTERS IN CRISIS

by Herbert Feis ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 22, 1966

1933: Characters in Crisis is an historical description of the important foreign policy decisions and issues which confronted the American government during the year in which the Roosevelt administration replaced the Hoover administration. The author was a high-level technician in the State Department at the time, and his narrative was based on his personal observations and experience as well as the usual historical sources. The book describes the response of the American government to such events as the unwillingness of European nations to continue payment on their war debts and the growing military threat and aggressive tendencies from both Germany and Japan. Mr. Feis provides an excellent description of the determinants of American foreign policy during this year. He appreciates the complexity of governmental decision-making and realises the importance politics had in forming the decisions of Presidents Hoover and Roosevelt. However, Mr. Feis has treated the events of 1933 as unique. He has failed to look for patterns in the behavior of public officials which would aid in understanding and predicting American foreign policy in the future. This delimits the significance and usefulness of his book.

Pub Date: March 22, 1966

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1966

Categories: NONFICTION