“[N]uanced. . . . Tierney provides a long overdue update on this subject. . . . Even for most readers who know the outcome of this story, Tierney’s account manages to be suspenseful.” — Soledad Fox, Journal of Contemporary History
“Dominic Tierney has produced a compellingly readable, commendably brief, and long overdue analysis of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s policymaking in the context of the Spanish Civil War; it is especially noteworthy for its marriage of historical narrative with political science methodology, to wit, its focus on personality as primary determinant. . . . [T]his is an excellent book, and one that will surely spark lively discussions within the field. . . . The book is highly recommended for all libraries, as well as undergraduate course on the Spanish Civil War and U. S. diplomatic history. It includes a student-friendly bibliographic essay and bibliography.” — Mike Chapman, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
“It is difficult to fault such a fine volume. Particularly strong is Tierney’s treatment of public opinion, business involvement, and the wider global setting. . . . The prose is lucid, research thorough, conclusions balanced. Tierney has given us a model of superb diplomatic history.” — Justus D. Doenecke, Diplomatic History
“The success of this book is in piecing this story together from an innovative use of materials and showing how the war shaped Roosevelt’s thinking for the challenges that would come after Pearl Harbor.” — Michael Carter-Sinclair, European Review of History
“This slender book makes a solid contribution to our understanding of the evolution of U. S. policy, and especially the opinions of Roosevelt, during the Spanish Civil War. . . . [This is an] excellent, well-crafted, and interesting text. FDR and the Spanish Civil War will be useful to historians and general readers interested in American foreign policy, the Spanish Civil War, U. S. domestic politics during the late 1930s, and the road to World War II.” — Wayne H. Bowen, War and Game Blog,
“Tierney makes a solid and important argument about the Spanish war as an important experience in the development of US foreign policy on the continent prior to the Second World War.” — David A. Messenger, The International History Review
“Tierney makes a valuable and timely contribution to the literature on the era of Roosevelt by providing a focused and dedicated study on the thirty-second president and the Spanish Civil War . . . . [T]his is a most impressive book.” — J. Simon Rofe, Diplomacy and Statecraft,
“Tierney provides an excellent summary of his topic . . . . Recommended.” — R.J. Goldstein, Choice
“FDR and the Spanish Civil War is an important, well documented study. It will not only prompt a rethinking of how the Spanish Civil War shaped and reflected Franklin D. Roosevelt’s policies; it will become the standard book on the subject.” — Warren F. Kimball, author of The Juggler: Franklin Roosevelt as Wartime Statesman
“Based on exhaustive research, this highly readable book is an important contribution to an important subject. Dominic Tierney subtly analyzes FDR’s juggling of international and electoral pressures to explain the contradictions and dramatic changes in his passage from isolationism to bitter regret about American abandonment of the Spanish Republic.” — Paul Preston, author of The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution, and Revenge