The New Deal Coalition & Opposition

What political forces bring the New Deal together and why do some oppose it?

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What we are trying to accomplish

Use a simple logical progression to impart understanding of a complex era

Breaking down into a series of common pieces or parts that are used to build conceptual understanding and evaluation

Analyze three documents that are crucial to understanding the impact of the New Deal

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The Schedule

Intro / Background Indirect Causes Direct Causes Events Impact Good / Bad?

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Introduction

FDR brought in a new type of administrator to the federal government. Instead of the uber-wealthy patrician, he brought in Ivy Leaguers and social reformers. Their underlying philosophy was that the national government had the right and duty to intervene in the economy to improve the lives of Americans. These reformers were not necessarily political or economic ideologues, but were pragamatists. They tried something, if it didn’t work then they tried something else.

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Introduction

Perhaps the only common vein running through FDR’s Brain Trust was that they did not believe in pure laissez faire economics. Rather they believed generally that the government had more responsibility than under the “old” system but were at odds over exactly how. There were anti-trust men, there were men who wanted central economic planning, and there were others who wanted the government and business to cooperate.

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What brings together a diverse collection of groups to support

the New Deal?

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Indirect Causes

Forgotten Man African-Americans Southerners Ethnic Northerners

Catholics Jews

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Direct Causes

Impact of Depression

Eleanor Roosevelt Brain Trust African-American

Vote

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Events

I think we have seen enough of this to call it quits for a while

There is more to come though

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Impact

Creation of Alphabet agencies

Attempts to ease the depression

Improvement in unemployment and GNP

Unfairness in implementation of programs

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Blessing or Burden?

Was the New Deal a blessing or a burden? Was it good or bad?

If you were the President during the Depression what would you do?

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Anti-New Deal or More New Deal?

Opposition to New Deal from Left and Right

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Reasons of Opposition

Left New Deal didn’t do

enough Relief was run

through local pols The rich had not

been reigned in

Right Was too socialistic Cost too much Communists in WPA FDR being

dictatorial

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Huey P Long

The King Fish Every Man a King Share Our Wealth Tax the hound out of

the wealthy Assassinated in the

La State House

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Every Man a King

ARTISTWhat is meant by the motto “Every Man

a King”?How will every man become a king?What are the parts of this plan?Where did all of the problems stem

from?

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Father Coughlin & Dr Townshend

Microphone Messiah

Social Justice Program

Old Age pensions

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Father Coughlin

ARTISTHe lists 15 things that are social justice,

what do they have in common?How does the National Union feel about

private property?What do they want to do with utilities?How long will this movement take to

accomplish?

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Dr. Townshend

ARTISTWhy do old people need pensions?How will this program be funded?How does the good doctor see our

attitude toward government as wrong?

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Impact of anti-New Dealers

Curbing of New Deal by 1936Congressional controlsCourt Packing fiasco

Will see this in a little bitSouthern opposition to civil rights

clauses

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Anti-New Dealers

Burden or Blessing? Did they do good or bad?

If you had been the President what would you have done in response to their attacks?

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