CRITICISM OF ROOSEVELT'S "NEW DEAL" DURING
Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 in the wake of the crashing of the American economy. The American public was largely disillusioned and apprehensive about the future. Millions of people were in dire financial and physical predicaments. Clarence Darrow and J. H. Holmes debated the question of whether civilization could be saved Darrow thought not ("C. Darrow and J. H. Holmes..." 1934, p. 23).
Roosevelt proposed a set bold plans for the reconstruction of the American economy and the rebuilding of the American public spirit. The entire policy package was tagged with the name "New Deal." The policies ranged from the provision of aid for business and industry to the regulation of business and industry to the development of public works programs to put people back to work quickly, to social welfare programs. To say the "New Deal" was controversial is to understate the case. Generally, Republicans, conservatives generally, and the business community favored those parts of the "New Deal" that provided aid to industry, while opposing any regulation of industry, and claiming that social welfare programs were dangerously socialist in character ("Principle Criticized..." 1934, pp. II-2). Equally generally, Democrats and the great majority of the American population rallied behind the "New Deal" ("Child Is Told..." 1934, p. 2).
This research examines the criticism of the "New Deal" during the 1930s. Most of this analysis reflects criticism during the first half of the 1930s, as most of the "New Deal" policies were introduced during this time. Criticism of the Social Security program and the minimum wage law, both of which were introduced in the last half of the 1930s, also is covered in this analysis.
One of the earliest of the "New Deal" policy changes was the restructuring and regulation of the national banking system in the United States ("Senate Rejects..." 1...