Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

General Left Wing Criticism

• for not being radical enough

• Roosevelt was concerned that left-wing groups might join together and form a third party that could challenge his presidency

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

Upton Sinclair’s End Poverty in California (EPIC)

Left Wing Opposition

Background:

• Name: Upton Sinclair

  Publishing: The Jungle

  Issue Addressed: Meat Packing Industry

  Led to: Pure food and Drug Act (1906) - required all food and medicine to have labels with ingredients and side effects etc.

• Upton Sinclair came up with a scheme whereby the unemployed would be put to work in co-operatives

• They would be paid in currency which they could only spend in their co-operatives

• For some time, Sinclair’s ideas gained credibility

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

Huey Long’s Share our Wealth Programme

Left Wing Opposition

Huey Long was a Socialist Senator

Huey Long advocated for:

• all private fortunes over $3 million should be confiscated

• every family should be given enough money to buy a car, radio, house

• old age pensions

• minimum wages

Long’s ideas were very popular → “Share Our Wealth” had 4.6 million members at its peak

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

Francis Townsend’s Old Age Pensions Incorporated

Left Wing Opposition

Francis Townsend argued that everyone over 60 who was not in paid employment should be given $200 per month on the understanding it was all to be spent not saved. This would encourage consumption, and in turn, production. Therefore, it would pull America out of the Depression. It would also provide more jobs for the younger generation.

Townsend clubs had 500,000 members and Congress was placed under pressure to put the plan into action.

Despite the Old Age Pension Incorporated being totally impractical, the level of support shown toward Townsend meant the movement had to be taken seriously.

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

The Republican Party

Right Wing Opposition

Advocated for a balanced budget, tax cuts for big business and laissez faire economic policies

Accused Roosevelt for acting like a dictator by exceeding the constitutional powers of the presidency

The republican party was finding it difficult to find a strong candidate

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

The Wealthy Elite and Big Business

Right Wing Opposition

Argued that increases in taxes were too heavy on them

Roosevelt responded to the criticisms of big business by becoming more radical in his Second New Deal

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

The Liberty League

Right Wing Opposition

The Liberty League was an anti-New Deal pressure group organised in April 1934

Would promote private property and private enterprise unregulated by law

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

Father Charles Coughlin

Right Wing Opposition

Founded the National Union for Social Justice

Aim revolved around monetary reform and the redistribution of wealth

Father Charles Coughlin’s radio programme commanded an audience of 30-40 million

Coughlin lost support by being increasingly anti-Semetic, blaming Jews for both the New Deal and Wall Street Crash

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

The US Supreme Court

Opposition by the Supreme Court

• In the 140 years before 1935, the Supreme Court had found only about 60 federal laws unconstitutional. In 18 months between 1935 and 1936, it found 11 federal laws to be unconstitutional

• The Federal Government found the NRA (suspended all anti-trust laws) codes to be unconstitutional

Led to the Judiciary Reform Bill

Topic 6, Lesson 3: Why was there opposition to the New Deal?

Roosevelt’s Judicial Reform Bill (Threat to ‘Pack’ the Supreme Court)

The Judiciary Reform Bill

• caused by the opposition Roosevelt faced to his New Deal by the Supreme Court

• Roosevelt felt the justices of the Supreme Court were out-of-touch

• Of nine judges, none were Roosevelt’s appointment

• 3rd February 1936: Roosevelt presented the Judiciary Reform Bill to Congress

It proposed that a president could appoint a new justice whenever an existing judge reached the age of 70

In proposing this measure, Roosevelt was seen as a dictator

• In July 1936, the Senate rejected the Judiciary Reform Bill by 70 votes to 20.