ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book traces Eleanor Roosevelt's evolution and map her development paying particular attention to the contradictions that characterised her interactions with Zionism and Palestine and her own much commended humanitarianism. It discusses the forces at play that influenced and directed the choices she made and to offer a coherent explanation for the apparently conflicting stances that she appeared to have taken. The book explores the key events of Eleanor Roosevelt's formative years that shaped her developing character and assesses the extent to which certain circumstances influenced the type of person she matured to become. It considers the effects of the various shocks visited upon the growing child in a household marred by alcoholism. The book shows the types of actions and reactions taken by the Roosevelt administration to resolve the dilemmas that confronted it in the lead up to and during the war.