New Deal Rebels: An Anthology of Critics of the New Deal
About this book
In 1929, the stock market crashed. Joblessness only mounted, reaching a disconcerting 25%. In 1932, a presidential candidate from the other party proposed to restore the "Our greatest primary task is to put people to work."In this "greatest primary task," the New Deal failed. One in ten Americans remained jobless.Yet if the New Deal failed, then so did its critics. Voters elected the New Deal president four times.Bestselling author Amity Shlaes gives voice to the sidelined New Deal critics. In their own words, but with contextualization from Shlaes, the critics lay out their arguments against the numerous New Deal programs. This book supplies the public with what has been sorely lacking for so the story of American opposition to the New Deal.Praise for New Deal Rebels :“This anthology couldn’t be more timely. As in the 1930s, we today face powerful forces bent on radically changing the character of the country. Critics of the New Deal—a diverse, disorganized and sometimes crabby lot ignored or disparaged by historians—seemed impotent then. Yet through their work and insight, those critics set the stage for a better future. Their words provide both comfort and courage for those battling today.” — Steve Forbes , chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media "AIER and Amity Shlaes have assembled a remarkable historical anthology. By focusing on the writings of contemporary critics (both Left and Right) of President Franklin Roosevelt and his policies, New Deal Rebels enhances our understanding of a highly controversial and oft-mythologized period in our past. It also invites a reappraisal of New Deal-style governance at present. The documents in New Deal Rebels (and Shlaes's bold and illuminating Introduction) should be read by every college class on the 1930s and its aftermath, and by all who would fully understand the debates about centralized government that are agitating American politics today." — George H. Nash , biographer of Herbert Hoover and author of The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945"Amity Shlaes shows in this comprehensive overview that the critics of Roosevelt's New Deal policies represented a broad cross section of American society. Their ranks ranged from African American journalists and editorial cartoonists, who accused the National Recovery Administration of destroying job opportunities to FDR's cousin, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, who attacked federal snooping into the private telegrams of political opponents. New Deal Rebels is an essential resource for anyone interested in this critical period in American history." — David T. Beito , historian and author of From Mutual Aid to the Welfare Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967 "Too often histories of the 1930s present the New Deal as having had the virtually unanimous support of the American people. When critics are mentioned, they are frequently portrayed either as selfish misanthropes or cranks. In fact, there was plenty of trenchant, reasoned criticism of New Deal programs, from all points on the ideological spectrum, and this collection is to be welcomed for placing so much of it in a single volume." — John E. Moser , historian and author of The Global Great Depression and the Coming of World War II About AIER The American Institute for Economic Research was founded in 1933 as the first independent voice for sound economics in the United States. Today it publishes ongoing research, sponsors interns and scholars, and is home to the Bastiat Society. The American Institute for Economic Research is a 501c3 public charity.