The New Deal era was a time of turbulent political change. One group of political actors in the period that has yet to be closely examined by historians is World War I veterans. Mining the papers of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion (AL), Ortiz reveals that veterans actively organized in those years to claim state benefits (such as pensions and bonuses), and strove to articulate a role for themselves as a distinct political bloc. By studying veterans and veteran politics, this book reinterprets the political origins of the "Second" New Deal and Roosevelt's electoral triumph of 1936, adding depth to our understanding of these events and the political climate surrounding them. In describing veterans politics and the competitive dynamics between the AL and the VFW, Ortiz also details the rise of organized veterans as a powerful interest group in modern American politics. -from book jacket

Veterans' policy and veteran organizations, 1917-1929 -- Rethinking the Bonus March -- The "New Deal" for veterans -- The Bonus re-emerges -- "The Pro-Bonus Party" -- Veteran politics and the New Deal's political triumph of 1936.