The role of U. S. President Theodore Roosevelt in justifying and implementing the model of "imperial" rule

The article is devoted to the process of evolution of the presidency during the tenure of Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909). The subject of the study includes political views of the 26th President of the United States, as well as his actions as head of state. Special attention is paid to the genesis of the ideological views of Theodore Roosevelt and the analysis of his states of the union addresses, including personal correspondence concerning domestic political issues. The practical steps of the politician that contributed to the transformation of the role of the US president in the system of checks and balances that had developed by the beginning of the 20th century were studied in detail. Thanks to this, it was found out that during the Roosevelt years, the head of state began to transform from an executor of congressional directives into an initiator of a political course. The methodological basis of our work is based on the principles of historicism and objectivism, as well as the problem-chronological approach used to study the "square deal" reforms. In addition, the comparative method was used to study the changes in political philosophy of Theodore Roosevelt during the first and second presidential terms. Being a supporter of strong executive power, the president, during his first term, took measures to combat trusts and for the first time in the US history acted as a mediator in a labor conflict. During his second term, his domestic policy took final shape in the form of "square deal" reforms. They provided for strengthening the regulatory functions of the federal government in relation to labor and capital by expanding the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Moreover, the president was involved in legislative work to protect consumer rights and did not hesitate to apply his executive orders to protect national natural monuments. To sum up, the author comes to the conclusion that all these transformations assumed, on the one hand, the strengthening of the powers of the executive authorities as opposed to the legislative and judicial, and on the other, contributed to the emergence of a "strong presidency" capable, in accordance with the views of Roosevelt, to deal with the challenges of industrial society.