Roosevelts Opposition Flashcards
Who thought Roosevelt wasn’t doing enough?
One of the key figures against the New Deal was former Governor of Louisiana Huey Long in 1928, he then later became a senator in 1932. Long criticized the New Deal for being too complicated and not doing enough. Some groups that had been badly affected by the depression still hadn’t gotten any help yet.
Another example of a more radical opposition is Father Coughlin, a Catholic priest which used his own radio to attack Roosevelt with an audience of over 40 million Americans. He felt that Roosevelt was failing to tackle the problems of the poor.
Who thought Roosevelt was doing too much?
The Republicans were also heavily against Roosevelt claiming that the President was behaving like a dictator and making the government far too powerful, they even compared him to Hitler and Stalin. The New Deal came under criticism from businesses because business leaders didn’t like having the government interfering in their affairs. They were also angry at Roosevelt’s support for trade unions and wage raises, this put their businesses at risk and their costs going up.
Why and how did the Supreme Court oppose Roosevelts New Deal?
During this time period, the 1930s, most of the 9 judges were old and conservative. In 1935 the Supreme Court had its opportunity to oppose some of the New Deal, The Schechter Poultry Corporation had been caught breaking NRA regulations when selling a diseased chicken for human consumption amongst other things. The Court ruled that the Government did not have the right to prosecute the company and that the NRA was, therefore, unconstitutional because it undermined the power of the local state government. Then in 1936, the AAA was declared unconstitutional on the basis that the rules regarding agriculture should be done by the individual state.
