Chapter 142
< World War II - The Time of Upheaval (1) >
October 6, 1940
US East Coast, New York
The US Presidential Election was just around the corner on November 5.
After Washington, the first President of the United States, served two terms and retired, there was an unwritten rule that a US president would not run for a third term.
However, FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) decided to break this tradition and run for a third term as war approached.
His actions were criticized from all quarters for undermining the tradition of democracy, but due to the special circumstances of wartime, he was ultimately chosen as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.
A significant number of Americans, rather than risk the chaos of changing the administration in an unstable situation where war was engulfing the European continent, were thinking of electing FDR, who had proven his ability so far.
As the aftereffects of the Great Depression, which had seemed to be easing due to the New Deal, gradually resurfaced, FDR's approval rating was not what it used to be, but it was still a time when his election seemed entirely possible.