The New DealThe New Deal period was generally, but not unanimously, seen as a turning point in American politics, with states giving up much of their autonomy, the president who has acquired new authority and importance, and the role of government in the lives of citizens is increasing. However, the extent to which this was planned by the architect of the New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelt, has been widely disputed. However, while it is instructive to note the limitations of Roosevelt's leadership, it makes little sense to argue that the New Deal was haphazard, a mix of opportunist and populist schemes, or, as W. Williams put it, “undirected.” FDR had a clear overall vision of what he wanted to do for America and was prepared to lead the structural changes necessary to achieve this vision. It is worth examining how the New Deal period represented a significant departure from U.S. government and politics until then. From the beginning of Roosevelt's time in office in 1932, there was a widespread sense that things would change. There was excitement in the air in Washington as the first Hundred Days brought a torrent of new initiatives from the White House. The contrast with Herbert Hoover's term could not have been more stark. In 1934, EK Lindley had already written about The Roosevelt Revolution: First Phase. Hoover, meanwhile, denounced what he saw as an attempt to “undermine and destroy the American system” and to “break the timbers of the Constitution.” In retrospect it was only a “halfway revolution”, as W. Leuchtenburg wrote. The radicals were left with a sense of disappointment at what "could have been", in the words of P. Conkin. But Roosevelt never intended to overthrow the Constitution, nor did he desire the end of capitalism and individualism. He nurtured the American dream, just like the millions of people who sent him to the White House four times, a record number. This, in fact, was precisely why they loved him so much: because the American dream had soured during the Great Depression, and they trusted that he would be able to find a way back to it. As Europe succumbed to totalitarianism, the New Deal set out to demonstrate that democratic reform was a viable alternative. Roosevelt's enthusiasm for his role as head of state established a new convention that the president would lead from the front, and in his first inauguration he warned that he intended to ask Congress for greater powers to implement his policies.