Fiorello Henry la Guardia, Essay Example

Fiorello Henry La Guardia, the mayor of New York City from 1934-1945, is recognized historically for his clear opposition to the racial policies of Nazi Germany at a time when this was not the norm. As early as 1934, La Guardia criticized Nazi racism. (Jeffers, 233) Accordingly, La Guardia’s legacy has become favorable, since his viewpoints are now considered to have anticipated the genocide that was the culmination of Nazi politics.

Nevertheless, this view of La Guardia — while justified in granting him an ethical superiority in relation to many of his contemporaries — also overlooks the precise political function La Guardia had during this time period. La Guardia as the mayor of New York City had no effect on foreign policy. International relations at the highest levels must be practiced with a diplomacy, insofar as any type of bold rhetoric could trigger international conflict. La Guardia, in other words, was in position to say what he said precisely because he did not have any political power on the international level: his words, while carrying a meaning, did not change foreign policy, and thus, his words against Nazi Germany were worth the same as anyone else outside of the mechanism of political power on the level of foreign policy.

Simultaneously, New York City has a significant Jewish community. Speaking out against Hitler was therefore entirely beneficial: on the one hand, La Guardia could garner support from the Jewish community, on the other, his words had no effect on his own political future. This is not to discount La Guardia’s sincerity concerning this issue. Rather it reveals the clear differences in political power and what a politician can and cannot say on the levels of international relations and municipal politics.

Works Cited

Jeffers, H. Paul. The Napoleon of New York: Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002.