22nd and 24th President · 1885–1889, 1893–1897 · Democratic
Grover Cleveland
Enforced the Monroe Doctrine in the 1895 Venezuela crisis and was scrupulously honest. A free-trader who broke the Pullman strike and floundered in the Panic of 1893.
OverallB-GPA 2.67
The grades
- SovereigntyDid they put American interests first and keep decisions in American hands?B+
- HemisphereDid they guard the Americas against rival powers and threats?A-
- RestraintDid they keep the country out of wars of choice that weakened it?A-
- StatecraftDid they use diplomacy, force and alliances skillfully, on American terms?B
- Industry and tradeDid they protect and build American industry?D
- Working AmericansDid ordinary working families do better because of them?D+
- BuildingDid they build things that lasted and push the frontier forward?C
- NationDid they strengthen a shared American identity and the Union?B-
- CompetenceWere they capable, honest and effective in office?B+
On the axes
MarketEconomyPopulist
Free tradeTradeProtectionist
RestraintForeign policyInterventionist
CosmopolitanNationNational
Dark dot: Grover Cleveland. Red mark: the Monroe Society. Ideological closeness to the Society: 53%.