Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a president most well remembered for his efforts to help our nation through the Great Depression and World War II. What many overlook is the struggle he took to accomplish these things. Not only was he facing a nation that was losing hope and struggling to survive, he had to circumvent the rising radicalism of the era.
Leaving the roaring 20's and entering the Great Depression brought along unrest, many people losing their jobs and their lives in shambles. This lead to an out pour of mistrust in the government, bringing up the question: was democracy really the best way to govern the nation? These rising tensions gave rise to many extreme ideals with many populist figures key features of the political landscape. Their main goal was to undermine all of FDR's policies.
Known as the Radio Priest, Father Coughlin was one such figure. Making use of the rising popularity of the radio, Father Coughlin spread his ideals across the country. He had endorsed FDR during the election, believing he would be able to play a key role in the government. However, once he realized that FDR was using him for his influence, he began to turn on the president. He began to use his radio to attack the president and the New Deal.
He continued to circumvent the president's actions, creating the National Union for Justice. Furthermore, he began broadcasting about antisemitism, feeding off of the fear of the people rising in the world. Drifting further to the right as he continued his career, he began promoting fascist dictatorship and authoritarian governments.
His downfall came with his anti-semitic comments after Pearl Habor, believing that the Jews in the nation had caused the US to be dragged into the war. This gave the government the opportunity to prevent him for spreading his idea and he was eventually instructed by the new leader of the Catholic Church in Detroit, Archbishop Edward Mooney, to cease all non-pastoral activities.
This was only the beginning of the populist movement, giving rise to more figures such as Huey Long and Townsend. Despite these obstacles, FDR was able to establish his place in history, passing through legislation that helped Americans out of their struggles. With the second phase of the New Deal and policies such as The Revenue Act and the Social Security Act, FDR was able to help Americans believe that once again, democracy was the best form of government for the nation.
One of the most remarkable aspects of American history is that no matter what struggles the nation has gone through, it has never drifted away from democracy. Even in times where populism arose, figures such as FDR reminded the people just how important democracy is to the nation and what the government's responsibility was regarding the people. It's hard to believe that America could be anything but a democracy and leaves room to wonder how the United States has been able to do so. Without figures such as FDR, it's hard to imagine what the future for the nation might be like today, and if we would still be a democracy.
Sources :
http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1906802_1906838_1908686-1,00.html
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005516
Great post! I've never really thought much about democracy; it's something I tend to take for granted. This post was very insightful. You brought up a very interesting point, that if FDR hadn't been president, America's democracy may have been at risk. We've seen several times throughout history that countries often turn to fascism in times of distress. The most obvious example of this would be the rise of Hitler after World War I. With Germany's economy ruined, people felt hopeless. They believed that a strong, powerful leader would help restore order and fix damage caused by the war. This easily could have happened to America during the Great Depression. Life was hard for the American population, and people often turn away from democracy during times of despair.
ReplyDeleteWhile FDR did play a huge role maintaining stability in the country and helping to bring America out of the Depression, I think it is important to note that the US is less susceptible to resorting to authoritarian rule than European countries. European countries were not founded on ideals of democracy and freedom, but rather all have histories of monarchs or other form of not democratic rulers. This history leaves Europeans something to look back on and see stability, and be willing trade freedom for security. America on the other hand was founded on ideals of democracy, and at this point, and in present day has been nothing but one. We have no history of authoritarian rule. So while in times of crisis we may turn to strengthening the federal government, turning to a single leader has no historical relevance. It is in fact a completely un-American idea that would be extremely difficult for it to gain traction with the people.
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