On Thursday 11 April, 2024, the RIAS proudly hosted the 2024 Roosevelt Lecture, delivered by Iwan Morgan and titled “FDR: America’s Greatest President.”
Iwan Morgan is emeritus professor of U.S. Studies at University College London. His extensive expertise includes roles such as Executive Chair of the Historians of the Twentieth Century United States, Honorary Fellow of the British Association of American Studies, and Distinguished Fellow of Oxford University’s Rothermere American Institute. A specialist in the American presidency, his books include Nixon (2002), Reagan: American Icon (2016), and FDR: Transforming the Presidency and Renewing America (2022).
Professor Iwan Morgan’s talk discussed the qualities required to be a great U.S. president and how Franklin D. Roosevelt demonstrated these in leading America through the Great Depression and World War II. He explained how FDR transformed the presidency into the driving force of American politics and government through his activism as chief legislator, party leader, communicator-in-chief, and wartime commander-in-chief. Finally, he examined how FDR strengthened American democracy when it was in peril and sought to build a postwar international order based on the Four Freedoms.
Dr. Sara Polak, Assistant Professor of American Studies and English Literary Studies at Leiden University, moderated the event. Her research focuses on American Studies, specifically on U.S. presidents and their media, cultural memory, social media, and disability. She is the author of FDR in American Memory: Roosevelt and the Making of an Icon.
Professor Iwan Morgan’s lecture was followed by a lively and engaging Q&A session, demonstrating the audience’s interest in the topic. Prof. Morgan’s vast knowledge, Dr. Polak’s effective moderation, and the audience’s active participation made the event a resounding success.
We thank Prof. Morgan for his insights and captivating lecture.
