The following is a list of critics of the New Deal.

From the Left (Liberals to far left)

Mary van Kleeck Mary Abby van Kleeck (June 26, 1883June 8, 1972) was an American social scientist of the 20th century. She was a notable figure in the American labor movement as well as a proponent of scientific management and a planned economy. An American of ...

, American social feminist, labor activist, and social scientist *

Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...

. Governor and senator from Louisiana; supported Roosevelt in 1932; broke and was setting up a presidential campaign on the left in 1936 *

William Lemke William Frederick Lemke (August 13, 1878 – May 30, 1950) was an American politician who represented North Dakota in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party. He was also the Union Party's presidential cand ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

, Picked up Huey Long support in 1936 *

Norman Thomas Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 – December 19, 1968) was an American Presbyterian minister who achieved fame as a socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America. Early years Thomas was the ...

, frequent presidential candidate on the Socialist ticket. Disagreed with Roosevelt’s economic theory. *

John L. Lewis John Llewellyn Lewis (February 12, 1880 – June 11, 1969) was an American leader of organized labor who served as president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) from 1920 to 1960. A major player in the history of coal mining, he was the d ...

, leader of Mineworkers and CIO; strong supporter of Roosevelt in 1936; in opposition 1940 because of Roosevelt's foreign-policy opposing Germany

From the Right (Conservatives, libertarians, etc.)

Politicians

* John Nance Garner, supported Roosevelt in 1932; elected vice president

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...

and

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

; broke with Roosevelt in 1937 over his court packing plan. *

Carter Glass Carter Glass (January 4, 1858 – May 28, 1946) was an American newspaper publisher and Democratic politician from Lynchburg, Virginia. He represented Virginia in both houses of Congress and served as the United States Secretary of the Treas ...

, Senator from Virginia, came from his death bed to the 1940 Democratic Convention to nominate Franklin Roosevelt's campaign manager

James Farley James Aloysius Farley (May 30, 1888 – June 9, 1976) was an American politician and Knight of Malta who simultaneously served as chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Postmaste ...

as the Democratic Party's candidate for the Presidency. Glass was against Roosevelt's third term candidacy. *

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

, former leader of left-wing of Democratic party; owned nation's largest newspaper chain; major supporter of Roosevelt in 1932, broke with Roosevelt in 1935 over Roosevelt's proposal to greatly increase taxes on the

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officia ...

s of the wealthy, and to close several tax loopholes used by the wealthy to avoid paying taxes. * Hugh S. Johnson, first head of the National Recovery Administration se

Johnson fell out with Roosevelt after Roosevelt fired him in 1935. * George Peek, George N. Peek, farm leader; supported Roosevelt in 1932 * Al Smith, Democratic nominee for U.S. president in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...

; founded

American Liberty League The American Liberty League was an American political organization formed in 1934. Its membership consisted primarily of wealthy business elites and prominent political figures, who were for the most part conservatives opposed to the New Deal of Pr ...

in 1934 to attack New Deal programs as fostering unnecessary "class conflict". *

Rush D. Holt, Sr. Rush Dew Holt Sr. (June 19, 1905 – February 8, 1955) was an American politician who was a United States Senator from West Virginia (1935–1941) and a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates (1931–1935, 1942–1950, 1954& ...

, Democratic

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

n Senator; opposed Roosevelt's domestic and foreign policies. *

Robert A. Taft Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (September 8, 1889 – July 31, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate Majority Leade ...

, powerful Republican Senator from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1939 to 1953. Taft was the leader of the Republican Party's conservative wing; he consistently denounced the New Deal as "socialism" and argued that it harmed America's business interests and gave ever-greater control to the central government in Washington. Before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Taft, a non-interventionist, vigorously opposed Roosevelt's attempts to aid Britain in World War II. * Ronald Reagan, Hollywood film actor; strong New Dealer in 1940s; started opposing New Deal programs in the 1950s as a spokesman for the

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...

company; would later become

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

in 1980. *

Lewis Douglas Lewis Williams Douglas (July 2, 1894March 7, 1974) was an American politician, diplomat, businessman and academic. Early life and education Douglas was the son of James Douglas, Jr., a mining executive employed by the Phelps Dodge Company, and h ...

, Budget Director, 1933 *

Harry F. Byrd Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization. ...

, Democratic Senator from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Frank Knox William Franklin Knox (January 1, 1874 – April 28, 1944) was an American politician, newspaper editor and publisher. He was also the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936, and Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt durin ...

, Republican Vice Presidential candidate in

; joined Roosevelt's cabinet as

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

, 1940–44 *

Henry Stimson Henry Lewis Stimson (September 21, 1867 – October 20, 1950) was an American statesman, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in U.S. foreign policy by serving in both Republican and D ...

, Hoover's Secretary of State; joined Roosevelt's cabinet as

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

, 1940–45 *

Wendell Willkie Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican ...

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

presidential candidate in 1940; supported Roosevelt 1941–43

Writers and speakers

Maxwell Anderson James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist. Background Anderson was born on December 15, 1888, in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, the second of eight children to ...

, Playwright, American Libertarian, wrote

Knickerbocker Holiday ''Knickerbocker Holiday'' is a 1938 musical written by Kurt Weill (music) and Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics); based loosely on Washington Irving's ''Knickerbocker's History of New York'' about life in 17th-century New Netherland (old New ...

(with Kurt Weill) as a satire on the New Deal which compared Roosevelt to Hitler and Mussolini. *

Charles Coughlin Charles Edward Coughlin ( ; October 25, 1891 – October 27, 1979), commonly known as Father Coughlin, was a Canadian-American Catholic priest based in the United States near Detroit. He was the founding priest of the National Shrine of the ...

, Irish-American Catholic priest with huge radio audience; anti-communist,"Coughlin, Charles Edward" in Martin J. Manning and Herbert Romerstein (eds) ''Historical Dictionary Of American Propaganda'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004 , pp. 71–72 originally on the left and a Roosevelt supporter in 1932 but by 1935 Coughlin "excoriated Roosevelt as 'anti-God'". Charles Coughlin denounced Roosevelt as too moderate and demanded stronger measures against "capitalism" which he associated with "Jews". *

Elizabeth Dilling Elizabeth Eloise Kirkpatrick Dilling (April 19, 1894 – May 26, 1966) was an American writer and political activist.Dye, 6 In 1934, she published ''The Red Network—A Who's Who and Handbook of Radicalism for Patriots'', which catalogs over 1,3 ...

, anti-communist activist, author of ''The Roosevelt Red Record and Its Background'' (1936) *

John Dos Passos John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his ''U.S.A.'' trilogy. Born in Chicago, Dos Passos graduated from Harvard College in 1916. He traveled widely as a young man, visit ...

, novelist; formerly on the left * John T. Flynn, journalist, author of '' The Roosevelt Myth''; formerly on the left *

Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the ...

, economist. A spokesman for the Treasury during World War II; while supportive of relief and employment efforts and expansive monetary policy under the New Deal, Friedman was also critical of the National Recovery Administration. * Robert Frost, poet *

Garet Garrett Garet Garrett (February 19, 1878 – November 6, 1954), born Edward Peter Garrett, was an American journalist and author, known for his opposition to the New Deal and U.S. involvement in World War II. Overview Garrett was born February 1 ...

, editorial writer for ''Saturday Evening Post'' *

Henry Hazlitt Henry Stuart Hazlitt (; November 28, 1894 – July 9, 1993) was an American journalist who wrote about business and economics for such publications as ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''The Nation'', ''The American Mercury'', ''Newsweek'', and '' ...

, writer *

Robinson Jeffers John Robinson Jeffers (January 10, 1887 – January 20, 1962) was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. Much of Jeffers's poetry was written in narrative and epic form. However, he is also known for his short ...

, poet and playwright *

Alice Lee Jemison Alice Mae Lee Jemison (1901–1964) was a Seneca political activist and journalist. She was a major critic of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the New Deal policies of its commissioner John Collier. She lobbied in support of California, ...

, Native American rights advocate *

Rose Wilder Lane Rose Wilder Lane (December 5, 1886 – October 30, 1968) was an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, political theorist and daughter of American writer Laura Ingalls Wilder. Along with two other female writers, Ayn Rand and Isabel Pa ...

, novelist and journalist * David Lawrence, magazine columnist *

Walter Lippmann Walter Lippmann (September 23, 1889 – December 14, 1974) was an American writer, reporter and political commentator. With a career spanning 60 years, he is famous for being among the first to introduce the concept of Cold War, coining the te ...

newspaper columnist and political philosopher * H.L. Mencken, American journalist, essayist, magazine editor *

Raymond Moley Raymond Charles Moley (September 27, 1886 – February 18, 1975) was an American political economist. Initially a leading supporter of the New Deal, he went on to become its bitter opponent before the end of the Great Depression. Early life and ...

, former top

Brain Trust Brain trust was a term that originally described a group of close advisers to a political candidate or incumbent; these were often academics who were prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of ad ...

er *

Albert Jay Nock Albert Jay Nock (October 13, 1870 – August 19, 1945) was an American libertarian author, editor first of ''The Freeman'' and then ''The Nation'', educational theorist, Georgist, and social critic of the early and middle 20th century. He was an ...

, libertarian author and social critic * Isabel Paterson, libertarian author *

Westbrook Pegler Francis James Westbrook Pegler (August 2, 1894 – June 24, 1969) was an American journalist and writer. He was a popular columnist in the 1930s and 1940s famed for his opposition to the New Deal and labor unions. Pegler aimed his pen at president ...

newspaper columnist * Ezra Pound, American poet and

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

; radio broadcaster for Italian leader Benito Mussolini in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

* Ayn Rand novelist, founder of

Objectivism Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievemen ...

and one inspiration for libertarianism. * John R. Rice, Protestant

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishi ...

writer. *

Gerald L. K. Smith Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith (February 27, 1898 – April 15, 1976) was an American clergyman, politician and organizer known for his populist and far-right demagoguery. A leader of the populist Share Our Wealth movement during the Great Depressio ...

, Huey Long second-in-command; took over "SOWM" after Long's death, went in pro-Nazi direction *

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

, novelist, poet, playwright * Mark Sullivan, newspaper columnist *

James True James B. True Jr. (July 1, 1880 – September 24, 1946) was a critic of the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). His opposition focused on New Deal programs and used anti-Semitic and isolationist themes. He published a newsletter and ...

DeWitt Wallace William Roy DeWitt Wallace; (November 12, 1889 – March 30, 1981), publishing as DeWitt Wallace, was an American magazine publisher. Wallace co-founded ''Reader's Digest'' with his wife Lila Bell Wallace, publishing the first issue in 1922. Li ...

, journalist and publisher of ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

'' Heidenry, John. ''Theirs was the Kingdom : Lila and DeWitt Wallace and the story of the Reader's Digest''. New York, W.W. Norton, 1993. (pp. 130–35).

Books with an anti-New Deal point of view

* Alfred M. Bingham &

Selden Rodman Cary Selden Rodman (February 19, 1909 – November 2, 2002) was a prolific American writer of poetry, plays and prose, political commentary, art criticism, Latin American and Caribbean history, biography and travel writing—publishing a book al ...

, editors, ''Challenge to the New Deal'' (1934) *

, ''The Red Network'' (1934) * Elizabeth Dilling, ''The Roosevelt Red Record and Its Background'' (1936) *

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

, ''Addresses Upon the American Road, 1933–1938'' (1938) *

, ''After Seven Years'' (1939) *

, ''Addresses Upon the American Road, 1940–1941'' (1941) * Thomas Jefferson Coolidge, ''Why Centralized Government'' (1941) * John T. Flynn, ''The Roosevelt Myth'' (1948, revised 1952) *

, ''The People's Pottage'' (1951, later republished as ''Burden of Empire'' and ''Ex America'') *

Murray Rothbard Murray Newton Rothbard (; March 2, 1926 – January 7, 1995) was an American economist of the Austrian School, economic historian, political theorist, and activist. Rothbard was a central figure in the 20th-century American libertarian ...

, '' America's Great Depression.'' (1963) * James J. Martin, ''American Liberalism and World Politics, 1931–1941'' (1964) *

, ''Salvos Against the New Deal: Selections from the Saturday Evening Post, 1933–1940'' (2002), edited by Bruce Ramsey * Thomas Fleming, ''The New Dealers' War: FDR and the War Within World War II'' (2002) *

, ''Defend America First: The Antiwar Editorials of the Saturday Evening Post, 1939–1942'' (2003), edited by Bruce Ramsey * Jim Powell, ''FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression'' (2003) * Gene Smiley, ''Rethinking the Great Depression'' (2003) *

Thomas Woods Thomas Ernest Woods Jr. (born August 1, 1972) is an American author and libertarian commentator who is currently a senior fellow at the Mises Institute.Naji FilaliInterview with Thomas E. Woods, Jr. Harvard Political Review, August 16, 2011. Wo ...

, '' The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History'' (2004) * Robert P. Murphy, '' The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism'' (2007) *

Amity Shlaes Amity Ruth Shlaes (; born September 10, 1960) is a conservative American author, writer, and columnist. She writes about politics and economics from a classically liberal perspective. Shlaes has authored five books, including three New York Time ...

, ''The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression'' (2007) *

Jonah Goldberg Jonah Jacob Goldberg (born March 21, 1969) is an American conservative syndicated columnist, author, political analyst, and commentator. The founding editor of ''National Review Online'', from 1998 until 2019 he was an editor at '' National Revie ...

, ''Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning'' (2008) *

Burton W. Folsom, Jr. Burton W. Folsom Jr. (born 1947, in Nebraska) is an American historian and author who held the Charles F. Kline chair in history and management at Hillsdale College from 2003 until his retirement in December 2016. Biography Folsom received his B.A ...

, ''New Deal or Raw Deal?: How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America'' (2008) * Robert P. Murphy, ''The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal'' (2009)

References

Other references

* Gary Dean Best; ''The Critical Press and the New Deal: The Press Versus Presidential Power, 1933–1938'' Praeger Publishers 1993
online edition
* Brinkley, Alan. ''Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, & the Great Depression'' (1983) * Graham, Otis L. and Meghan Robinson Wander, eds. ''Franklin D. Roosevelt: His Life and Times.'' (1985), an encyclopedia
Kennedy, David M. ''Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945.'' (1999)
the best recent scholarly narrative.
McCoy, Donald * R. ''Landon of Kansas'' (1966)
standard scholarly biography * Paterson, James. ''Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert Taft'' (1972), standard biography * Ronald Radosh. ''Prophets on the Right: Profiles of conservative critics of American globalism'' (1978) * Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr., ''The Age of Roosevelt'', 3 vols, (1957–1960), the classic pro-New Deal history, with details on critics. Online a
vol 2
* Rudolf, Frederick. "The American Liberty League, 1934–1940," ''American Historical Review'', LVI (October 1950), 19–3
online at JSTOR
* Smith, Richard Norton. ''An Uncommon Man: The Triumph of Herbert Hoover'' (1987) biography * White, Graham J. ''FDR and the Press''. 1979. * Winfield, Betty Houchin. ''FDR and the News Media'' 1990 * Williams, T. Harry. ''Huey Long'' (1969), Pulitzer Prize biography * Wolfskill, George. ''The Revolt of the Conservatives: A History of the American Liberty League, 1934–1940'' (1962) * Anna Peterpants. '' Thesis Statement on the Depression-Era Programs '' (1951) *Brandon Streaker. '' The Man and the Deal '' (1964) * Carl McCarthy. '' The Great Wisconsin Brainwash '' (1954) {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Critics Of The New Deal New Deal Old Right (United States) New Deal Conservatism-related lists