Four most significant Presidents of the 20th Century

[Jake]

1. FDR - Obvious one. New Deal and World War Two leadership made America into the nation it is today.

2. LBJ - Great Society made America a more equitable society and his Vietnam policies began the death of popular militarism in America (Iraq has killed it).

3. Reagan - Current politics is all response to Reagan; the Republicans attempt to emulate his charisma and politics, Democrats have had to move to the center to beat these Republicans.

4. Nixon - Watergate ended any trust Americans may have had for government after Vietnam. Add in opening up China and the economic boost to the country and world.

5. Truman - Established the basis for fighting the Cold War with Korea, Berlin Airlift, the A-Bomb, etc.

6. Wilson - His actions (entering a foreign war/not tieing up loose ends) ensured another European War down the road.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Hoover
FDR
LBJ
Nixon

OK, I'm curious, why did you say Hoover?

Probably cause he just sat on his ass while the nation started to crumble

Well - the depression was the stupid investors' fault - not his.  So he wasn't in the wrong in my mind.

He was wrong - he placed his own personal work ethic onto everyone else - and when everyone FINALLY told him it wouldn't work - he did something, almost 2 years later.

Significant.

1. FDR - the New Deal

2. Reagan - re-started the Cold War just claim credit for ending it. Turned the Republican Party into a party dominated by nationalistic bluster and screeching theocrats.

3. LBJ - Great Society programs, Vietnam War policies.

4. Theodore Roosevelt - First really thrust mordern(ish) America onto the world stage

Honourable mentions to
- Truman, Kennedy and Wilson.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Hoover
FDR
LBJ
Nixon

OK, I'm curious, why did you say Hoover?

Probably cause he just sat on his ass while the nation started to crumble

Well - the depression was the stupid investors' fault - not his.  So he wasn't in the wrong in my mind.

He was wrong - he placed his own personal work ethic onto everyone else - and when everyone FINALLY told him it wouldn't work - he did something, almost 2 years later.

Significant.

1. FDR - the New Deal

2. Reagan - re-started the Cold War just claim credit for ending it. Turned the Republican Party into a party dominated by nationalistic bluster and screeching theocrats.

3. LBJ - Great Society programs, Vietnam War policies.

4. Theodore Roosevelt - First really thrust mordern(ish) America onto the world stage

Honourable mentions to
- Truman, Kennedy and Wilson.

Why should the gov't step in and fix a problem caused by citizens being irresponsible?  If you take this to it's logical conclusion, the gov't should step in when somebody has a gambling problem.

[Eraserhead]

Why not? He did allow the AIDS epidemic to fester and kill millions...

You forgot expanding/keeping alive the war on drugs, massive governmental expansion which made FDR or LBJ seem tame, massive deficits... Significant doesn't have to mean good.

I know but I still wouldn't rank him in the top four.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Hoover
FDR
LBJ
Nixon

OK, I'm curious, why did you say Hoover?

Probably cause he just sat on his ass while the nation started to crumble

Well - the depression was the stupid investors' fault - not his.  So he wasn't in the wrong in my mind.

He was wrong - he placed his own personal work ethic onto everyone else - and when everyone FINALLY told him it wouldn't work - he did something, almost 2 years later.

Significant.

1. FDR - the New Deal

2. Reagan - re-started the Cold War just claim credit for ending it. Turned the Republican Party into a party dominated by nationalistic bluster and screeching theocrats.

3. LBJ - Great Society programs, Vietnam War policies.

4. Theodore Roosevelt - First really thrust mordern(ish) America onto the world stage

Honourable mentions to
- Truman, Kennedy and Wilson.

Why should the gov't step in and fix a problem caused by citizens being irresponsible?  If you take this to it's logical conclusion, the gov't should step in when somebody has a gambling problem.

Not quite.

Whatever the source of the problems, this was more than a company going bust - it was the trigger for a world-wide depression where people who had nothing to do with the market and who were just doing their job and trying to scrape together enough money for their families were losing their jobs and tossed out of their homes.

He should have done something more, faster.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

There have too many significant presidents but both Roosevelts and Wilson have to be in the top five if not the top three...

Actually the big problem with American history has that there hasn't been too many "insignificant presidents" - Perhaps Harding, Clinton and Taft can only wear that relative moniker in the 20th century.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

There have too many significant presidents but both Roosevelts and Wilson have to be in the top five if not the top three...

Actually the big problem with American history has that there hasn't been too many "insignificant presidents" - Perhaps Harding, Clinton and Taft can only wear that relative moniker in the 20th century.

If Clinton is there then Bush I has to be too.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

There have too many significant presidents but both Roosevelts and Wilson have to be in the top five if not the top three...

Actually the big problem with American history has that there hasn't been too many "insignificant presidents" - Perhaps Harding, Clinton and Taft can only wear that relative moniker in the 20th century.

If Clinton is there then Bush I has to be too.

LOL. Believe it or not Bush I was so insignificant I actually forgot about him.. Oh, and Gerald Ford aswell.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Why not? He did allow the AIDS epidemic to fester and kill millions...

You forgot expanding/keeping alive the war on drugs, massive governmental expansion which made FDR or LBJ seem tame, massive deficits... Significant doesn't have to mean good.

I know but I still wouldn't rank him in the top four.

The US under Carter was starting to move off of oil dependence, Reagan reversed the gains made in the carter years and thus is responsible for the imminent problems caused by peak oil.

[AkSaber]

My list, in order of when they were elected:

FDR
Truman
Nixon
Reagen

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Hoover
FDR
LBJ
Nixon

OK, I'm curious, why did you say Hoover?

Probably cause he just sat on his ass while the nation started to crumble

Well - the depression was the stupid investors' fault - not his.  So he wasn't in the wrong in my mind.

He was wrong - he placed his own personal work ethic onto everyone else - and when everyone FINALLY told him it wouldn't work - he did something, almost 2 years later.

Significant.

1. FDR - the New Deal

2. Reagan - re-started the Cold War just claim credit for ending it. Turned the Republican Party into a party dominated by nationalistic bluster and screeching theocrats.

3. LBJ - Great Society programs, Vietnam War policies.

4. Theodore Roosevelt - First really thrust mordern(ish) America onto the world stage

Honourable mentions to
- Truman, Kennedy and Wilson.

Why should the gov't step in and fix a problem caused by citizens being irresponsible?  If you take this to it's logical conclusion, the gov't should step in when somebody has a gambling problem.

Not quite.

Whatever the source of the problems, this was more than a company going bust - it was the trigger for a world-wide depression where people who had nothing to do with the market and who were just doing their job and trying to scrape together enough money for their families were losing their jobs and tossed out of their homes.

He should have done something more, faster.

So how many people does it have to affect before you take action?

[The Dowager Mod]

F. Roosevelt
Reagan
Truman
Wilson

[bullmoose88]

Err...of the 20th Century Fezzy

1. FDR
2. TR
3. Nixon
4. Reagan

[bullmoose88]

The problem i see with putting Wilson in the top 4 is that I think that if you view FDR as influential, especially in terms of foreign policy then i feel you have to discount Wilson's tenure...

[Tetro Kornbluth]

1. FDR - Reinvented government, fathered the Nanny State.
2. LBJ/Nixon (tie) - Began/exacerbated the massive downward trend in trust of the government.
3. Carter/Clinton (tie) - Created an America Islamist extremists could walk all over (and still have their leaders medically tended to in the US).
4. Reagan - Empowered the Religious Right.

All negative, except Reagan had other (though not long-living), positive effects.

Excuse me while I LOL.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Why do conservatives worship a man who did nothing but endless deficits, prevent us from being more energy efficient and nearly(nearly in his term that is but after Bush's deficits...) make the US go the way of the soviets for the same reasons(bankruptcy due to military spending/excessive deficits)? I thought Conservatives were pro-america and not anti-american.

[Lincoln Republican]

Taft
Harding
Coolidge
Carter

[Eraserhead]

Why do conservatives worship a man who did nothing but endless deficits, prevent us from being more energy efficient and nearly(nearly in his term that is but after Bush's deficits...) make the US go the way of the soviets for the same reasons(bankruptcy due to military spending/excessive deficits)? I thought Conservatives were pro-america and not anti-american.

You thought wrong.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Why do conservatives worship a man who did nothing but endless deficits, prevent us from being more energy efficient and nearly(nearly in his term that is but after Bush's deficits...) make the US go the way of the soviets for the same reasons(bankruptcy due to military spending/excessive deficits)? I thought Conservatives were pro-america and not anti-american.

You thought wrong.

Indeed.

[Eraserhead]

Actually the more I think about it maybe Reagan does deserve a spot what with his arming of bin Laden and everything.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Significant doesn't have to mean good. Reagan earns a place on the list because he's a bad man who sold out America's future in a way which would make Henry Wallace look like FDR in patriotism.

[ScottieF]

Difficult to narrow it to four. I'd say:

Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
FDR
LBJ

Other 20th century presidents that I'd consider consequential (and just miss the cut for the list) would be Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan.

[anvi]

In terms of assessing the long term consequences (not the "objective" merit) of their actions and policies, I'd actually say it's too early to tell exactly how the top four should be ranked.  We still don't know what will ultimately become of the international scene in the wake of the Soviet Union's downfall, nor what will become of the country's social insurance programs in view of the ongoing budget and demographic trends.  I'd say FDR gets the top spot for the 20th century, but what order Wilson, LBJ and Reagan should ultimately be put in is not entirely clear yet.  How's that for a cop-out? 

[MurrayBannerman]

FDR
TR
Wilson
Nixon

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

1. Theodore Roosevelt
2. Franklin Roosevelt
3. Lyndon Johnson
4. Ronald Reagan

For once, we agree, assuming you still have the same list of four some seven years later.