SENATE BARON: A Simulation of Politics in the US Senate, 1933-1942

SENATE BARON is an educational simulation in which each participant takes on the role of a U.S. Senator during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. As few as 12 and as many as 96 participants may participate in this. Players strive to gain influence by promoting legislation that they support and by blocking legislation that they oppose. The goal of the exercise is to illustrate the political climate of the 1930s, and the difficulties involved in building coalitions for and against various proposals. Facilitators may also wish to teach about the rhetorical strategies employed by the senators of the time through use of the optional Debate Phase.