What were the goals of President Roosevelt's "fireside chats"? How did he achieve his goals?
2 Answers
FDR
Explanation:
His goal was to become more personal with the American public. Most people only heard the president through speeches printed on the newspaper. This was a rare moment that basically anyone with a radio could listen to the president, hear his voice and emotions. His goal was to calm the nation during the hard times/war. This made the American people feel a special connection with the president and the public felt a surge of calmness, whenever they heard him. He was inspirational and soft-spoken which helped in his popularity. He helped the American people become encouraged and support him and the war in the early stages of the war.
Acceptance and support of extensive new government policies and actions in the economy and war.
Explanation:
The other answer given is more technical. My answer attempts to get more at the GOAL of the method.
The "familiarity" was not the desired outcome of the chats. It was just a novel (at the time) mechanism to achieve the coals - which were the acceptance and support of the governments policies with respect to the economy and the war.
He "achieved" those goals by making the government and its leadership seem more like the "common man" citizen than some remote unapproachable oligarch. Instead of dictates, he offered "chats" and discussion, implying dialogue and acceptance, even if neither had actually taken place with the public.
Just as "talkies" disrupted many careers in the movie business, so the transition from print to radio to television affected the practice of politics in American life.
