Describes the challenges faced by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the first 100 days of his presidency as well as highlights the preparations he put into place, including military expansions, that ultimately enabled the United States to be victorious in World War II.

Introduction : A generation, a man, a moment -- Civilization under threat, 1940 -- Arms and politics, May - August 1940 -- The growing threat of world war, June - September 1940 -- Reelection and reassessment, October 1940 - January 1941 -- Two steps forward, one step back, January - May 1941 --Enlisting the nation, January - June 1941 -- Toward world war, June - August 1941 -- Planning for victory, August - November 1941 -- To Pearl Harbor, October - December 1941 -- Epilogue : Generations in crisis.