Chapter 7 - Opposition to Roosevelt and the New Deal

Question 1

What is the AFL?

Answer 1

American Federation of Labor.
William Green.
Moderate in politics.
Members felt that it should encourage unionisation in semi-skilled/unskilled mass production workers.
Supporters then formed the Committee for Industrial Organisation (CIO).

Question 2

What protests from farming/workers groups took place in 1933/4, and what did they indicate?

Answer 2

1933, Ohio - full-scale battle.
Result due to a strike at Electric Auto Lite.
National Guards called - 2 died.
1934, Minneapolis - police gunfire.
Strikes indicated growing political extremists.

Question 3

What were the fears regarding the American Communist party?

Answer 3

Little influence.
1936 - 80,000 votes.
1934 - 30,000 members - small minority.
Moderates fear - ND failure would lead to a communist surge.

Question 4

Who was Upton Sinclair?

Answer 4

Left - Socialist.
1934 - stood for Dem. governor position.
End Poverty in California scheme.
Wanted to redistribute wealth, sweeping tax reforms, and provided work for the unemployed.

Question 5

What impact did Upton Sinclair have?

Answer 5

Little - not elected into power.
Louis B. Mayer - targeted smear campaign.
Disliked by media.
Still polled 870,000 votes.

Question 6

Who was Dr. Francis Townsend?

Answer 6

Left.
Only 28 states - $8-$30 per month.
‘Old Age Revolution Plan’ - all 60+ should be given $200 to SPEND.
Would help poverty, put money back into the economy, and stimulate jobs.

Question 7

What impact did Dr. Francis Townsend have?

Answer 7

Townsend Clubs founded.
1935 - 0.5 million membership.
Petitions to put the pension plan in place - 5m.
Was to be paid on 2% sales tax - huge taxation would’ve gone wrong.
However showed radical support.
Influenced Social Security Act?

Question 8

Who was Father Charles Coughlin?

Answer 8

Left - Socialist.
Roman Catholic priest.
Radio - 40m listeners.
Originally a FDR supporter.
1934 - founded The National Union for Social Justice.
1936 - founded magazine ‘Social Justice’.
Wanted to redistribute wealth.
Attacked birth control, communism and prohibition.

Question 9

What impact did Father Charles Coughlin have?

Answer 9

Little - weak support base.
Turned against FDR - he refused to nationalise the banking system, and provide the free coinage of silver.
1936 - called FDR ‘anti-god’ - implied assassination.

Question 10

Who was Huey Long?

Answer 10

Left.
1934 presidential candidate - FDR wanted to 'steal his thunder'.
'Every man is a king' - slogan.
'Share our Wealth Society'.
7 million members.
Every family allowance - $5,000.
Minimum income - $2,500.
$5m+ fortunes were to be confiscated.

Question 11

What impact did Huey Long have?

Answer 11

Big - main FDR opposition.
Federal patronage cut off.
May have received 12% vote.
Assassinated 1935.

Question 12

Why did FDR become more radical in 1935?

Answer 12

Second New Deal.
'Designed to cut the ground from under the demagogues' e.g. The Wealth Revenue 1935 Tax.
FDR anger at big businesses.
Democrat pressure in Congress 1934.
Growing union strength.

Question 13

What was the American Liberty League/big businesses?

Answer 13

Right.
1934.
Wanted to protect businesses.
Supported by big businesses - Du Pont, Edward Hutton (food) and Alfred Sloan (General Motors).
Older industries opposed FDR.
Opposed federal regulation/welfare payments.

Question 14

What impact did the American Liberty League/big businesses have?

Answer 14

Annoyed FDR.
Lobbied Congress to dilute the Public Utility Holding Company Act 1935.
Also diluted the 1935 tax act - reduced from 79% to 75% - plus inheritance tax was dropped completely.
Funded losing Republican party - disbanded.
US Steel - financed NRA legal challenge.

Question 15

What was the impact of the Republic Party?

Answer 15

Little.
FDR won all but 6 states.
Alf Landon - poor campaigner.
Refused to travel - FDR had polio but travelled.
Won 17 million votes.
Supported by Jesse Owens.

Question 16

What was the impact of the NAACP?

Answer 16

Little.
Neutral.
Led by Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall.
Challenged unfair AA treatment e.g. AA university entry.
Hopkins and Ickes - fought for AA under WPA and PWA.
FDR appointed AA judge - William Hastie - 1933 - former NAACP attorney.
Mary McLeod Bethune - NYA/AA adviser.
‘Don’t buy where you can’t work’ racist retail boycott.

Question 17

What was the Supreme Court?

Answer 17

9 SC justices.
All but one had been appointed by FDR.
Average age - 71.
Oldest - Louis Brandeis - 80 - but FDR sympathetic.
'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' - opposed ND.
Justices Pierce Butler.
James Clark McReynolds.
George Sutherland.
Willis Van Devanter.

Question 18

What was the short term impact of the Supreme Court?

Answer 18

AAA - unconstitutional 1936.
NRA - unconstitutional 1935.
Threw out an Act to regulate coal production as being beyond Federal competence.
Tipaldo case 1936 - denied federal government minimum wage.
Schechter Poultry Corps VS United States 1935.
7/9 ruled out ND cases by 1936.
Provoked FDR’s court packing - ND loss of momentum.
Angered FDR.
BIG SHORT TERM IMPACT.

Question 19

What was the long term impact of the Supreme Court?

Answer 19

Wagner Act, Social Security - SC did nothing.
Van Devanter retired - main FDR opposer.
Allowed FDR to appoint more sympathetic judges.
AAA elements - in 2nd ND - stronger reform.
E.g. Wagner Act - stronger NRA.
Chief Justice Hughes and Roberts (‘sing’ judges - on the fence) - anxious to diffuse tension - became more liberal.
LITTLE LONG TERM IMPACT.

Question 20

What were the results of the 1936 presidential election?

Answer 20

FDR - 60%.
Alfred Landon - 36%.
States electoral votes: 523 to 8.

Question 21

What was Schechtur VS United States?

Answer 21

1935.
Congress had delegated too much power to FDR.
Congress itself couldn’t regulate the slaughter of Kosher chickens, as its powers only related to interstate commerce.
‘Sick’ chickens were to be sold within the state.
End of NRA.

Question 22

What was the Court Packing Plan?

Answer 22

Proposed to nominate 6 more justices - one for every serving justice over 70 and 6 months.
Issued proposal - retirement at full pay for 70+.
Told Congress it needed rejuvenation - unconvincing.
Chief Justice Hughes - 6 more needed consulting - would slow things up.
FDR failed to consult Congress in advance.
First heard on the official announcement - Feb. 1937.
Dropped T

Question 23

Was the Court Packing Plan popular?

Answer 23

FDR’s VP - lukewarm.
Senator Wheeler of Montana - saw the court as a defender of liberty.
Southern conservative Democrats appalled - thought it would open floodgates to AAs.
General public - FDR got too cocky - removal of a traditional obstacle of government abuse of power.
Brought about the death of Democrat majority leader Senator Robinson of Arkansas.
Oldest Louis Brandeis (80) - liberal.
Would slow process up - have to consult 6 more.

Question 24

Who had ‘won’ regarding FDR and his opposition?

Answer 24

FDR won against SC.
ND was safe.
BUT FDR had lost popularity/hold on Congress.
Conservative rural America reasserted itself - brought ND to a halt.
Wagner-Steagall Act 1937 - weak measure.
7 TVAs - dropped.
Anti-lynching Bill failed to get passed.

Question 25

Why were no measures FDR passed were passed through in 1937?

Answer 25

Rural America formed a Congress majority.
54/96 Senators.
225/435 Representatives.
FDR ‘special session’ 1937 - nothing passed.

Question 26

What was the Conservative Manifesto?

Answer 26

1937.
Group of Senators/Congressmen.
Demanded lower taxes, end to strikes, and warned the dangers to creating a dependency culture - social security.

Question 27

What happened in the 1938 congressional elections?

Answer 27

FDR tried to unseat South Democratic Senators.
Wanted to replace them with liberals more favourable to the ND.
Failed miserably.
Roosevelt recession - 1937.
The White House tried to remove 5 Democratic Senators - failed.
Republicans also gained 8 Senate seats - doubled representation in the House.
END OF THE NEW DEAL.

Question 28

What was the main criticisms of FDR and obtaining and balanced budget?

Answer 28

1937 - stopped ‘priming the pump’.
Federal Reserve tightened credit - harder to borrow.
Industrial production - fallen by 1/3.
1938 - 19% unemployed.
FDR then asked Congress for $3.75 billion in relief.
Too early for a balanced budget.
Saved by WW2.

Question 29

What was the opposition in Congress? 4

Answer 29

1. Majority rural Congress - 54/96 senators.
   225/435 representatives in the Lower House.
2. ‘Special session’ November 1937 - nothing passed.
3. Conservative Manifesto 1937.
4. 1938 congressional elections.

Question 30

Why did the ND come to an end? 5

Answer 30

1. Conservative SC.
2. Court packing - dented FDR reputation.
3. Inconsistent ND Acts.
4. Roosevelt Recession 1937.
5. Opposition from left/right.