Figure 1.--With the rise of the NAZIs and Europe's drift toward war, the Isolantist movement in the United States gained great strength. The issues at first were the horrors of war and the need to avoid what was seen as the mitake of entering World war II. Gradually the Isolationists began to tap the age old well of anti-Semitism. Tragically as the NAZIs shifted from oppression to murder, anti-Semitism became an increasingly important part of the Isolationist message. This photograph was taken in Lubny, located in the Soviet Ukraine (October 1941). Einsatzgruppen ordered Jews in Lubny to assemble for 'evacuation' East so they put on extra clothes. Once marched to a killing area, they were ordered to undress and shot. Notice the piles of clothing. At the same time this was occurring, Charles Lindburg and other Isolationists were telling Americans that Jews were responsible for the War and trying to drag America into it. This put President Roosevelt in a difficult position. To get his defense spending programss and aid to Britain legislation approved by Congress, he needed the votes of conservative legislators, some of whom were strongly opposed to any measures to help Jews like increasing immigration quotas.

With one major exception, most of the major reforms of the New Deal were passed by Congress during President Roosevelt's first term (1933-37). The First Hundred Days were one of the most important periods of legislation in American history. The Republican Party was reduced to a relatively weak opposition in Congress. Liberal reformers were ascendent. The basically conservative American public was willing to tolerate deep-seeded reforms as a result of the Depression crisis. More than any single legislative achievement, what the New Deal changed was public attitudes toward the role of government, especiallt the Federal Government. Since the New Deal, Americans have expected the Government to address major problems faced by the American people. The power of this change is such that it now seems strange to think that before the New Deal this was not what Americans expected of their governent. Until the New Deal, individuals were expected to solve their own problems, especially economic problems. President Roosevelt and his Congressional allies, however, did not have a free hand. While the Republican opposition had been reduced, a critical part of the New Deal Democratic coalition was the largely conservative Southern Democrats. A noted New Deal scholar explains, "The chief strength of the opposition to his foreign policy came from the sources he counted on to uphold his domestic meeasures. It looked as though he might have to chose between them. It amounted to this: he could risk collective security to get domestic reform, or he could risk domestic reforms to get an acceptable foreign policy." [Tugwell] The fight over the Ludlow Amendment in Congress illustrated a dramatic shift in the political situation. Many of the progressive forces in Congress with isolationist and pacifist sentiments had abandones the President to vote with the President. The Administrations victory in defeating the Ludlow Amendment was achieved by holding the largely pro-national security Southern Democrats. The fact that the New Deal failed to act on issues like lynching and emmigration has to be seen with this political dynamic in mind. The President after his Quarantine speech (October 1937) put national defense and preparation first. His success in large measure is due to the fact that he maintained his focus and priority. It is easy to criticize what he did not do. It is also also unimaginable to consider the consequences if he had failed to defeat the isolationists. A measure of the President's skill is that despite the deteriorating the growing power of the conservatives that he managed to guide one of the most important New Deal legislative measure through Congress--The Fair Labor Standards Act. This along with the Social Security Act (1935) are the twin pillars of the New Deal.

Liberal Reforms

With one major exception, most of the major reforms of the New Deal were passed by Congress during President Roosevelt's first term (1933-37). The First Hundred Days were one of the most important periods of legislation in American history. The Republican Party was reduced to a relatively weak opposition in Congress. Liberal reformers were ascendent. The basically conservative American public was willing to tolerate deep-seeded reforms as a result of the Depression crisis.

Role of Government

More than any single legislative achievement, what the New Deal changed was public attitudes toward the role of government, especiallt the Federal Government. Since the New Deal, Americans have expected the Government to address major problems faced by the American people. The power of this change is such that it now seems strange to think that before the New Deal this was not what Americans expected of their governent. Until the New Deal, individuals were expected to solve their own problems, especially economic problems.

Conservative Coalition

President Roosevelt and his Congressional allies, however, did not have a free hand. While the Republican opposition had been reduced, a critical part of the New Deal Democratic coalition was the largely conservative Southern Democrats.

Progressive New Dealers and Foreign Policy

A noted New Deal scholar explains, "The chief strength of te opposition to his foreign policy came from the sources he counted on to uphold his domestic measures. It looked as though he might have to chose between them. It amounted to this: he could risk collective security to get domestic reform, or he could risk domestic reforms to get an acceptable foreign policy." [Tugwell] The fight over the Ludlow Amendment in Congress illustrated a dramatic shift in the political situation. Many of the progressive forces in Congress with isolationist and pacifist sentiments abandoned the President to vote with the isolationists.

The Ludlow Amendment

The Administrations victory in defeating the Ludlow Amendment was achieved by holding the largely pro-national security Southern Democrats. Isolationists sought to put as many limitations as possible on the possibility of America ever going to war again. Congressman Louis Ludlow from Indiana prposed a constitutional amendment requiring a national referendum to approve any Congressional declaration of war--unless the United States itself was attacked. FDR took the threat seriously and had his son James pass on to the press his thoughts as to why this would be harmful. [Freidel, Rendezuous, p. 289.] It was not just a vague threat. Ludlow submitted his proposal in 1935 during the Ethiopian crisis. It had been bottled up in committee by the Democratic leadership. Ludlow had not, howver, given up. And by late 1937 had almost enough signatures to secure relase. The Panay Incident (December 1937) brought the extra sigatures needed. Passage would have been a virtual no-confidence vote in the President's conduct of foreign affairs. [Davis, p. 156.]

Humanitarian Failures

Progressive Americans, including te First Ladt, at the time and some historians looking back have criticised the President for the failire to address some humanitarian issues. The fact that the New Deal failed to act on issues like lynching and emmigration has to be seen with the political dynamic of the time in mind. The President to get needed support for his national security efforts needed the support of the Southern Democrats. And the the Southern Democrats were set against the two major humanitarian initiatives championed by New Deal progressives--a Federal anti lynching law and immigration reforms to offer refuge to the victims of the NAZIs. The President's inaction was undoubtedly major failures. In the environment of the 1930s, major initiatives by the Federal Government were not possible, even if this had been a major concern of the President. And civil rights was not one of his major concerns. One advance that was achieveable, however, was a Federal anti-lynching law. The continued brutal suppression of black Americans in the South was a national tragedy. And by the 1930s public attitudes outside te South wee changing. Some of these incidents were being reported in considerable detail in the national press. And the New Deal had brought many individuals with progressive attitudes to the national government. The failure to take some effort to adjust American immigration law to make at least some effort to aid the victims of NAZI oppression is another national failure. NAZI brulality was well reported in the press and the outrages of attacks on Jews with the Ancshluss and Kristalnacht left now doubt about the character of the NAZI regime. At this stage the NAZIs would have allowed Jews to emigrate if they could obtain foreign visas. There is not doubt today what America should have done. The problem for President Roosevelt was that the Southern Democrats he needed to support his national security efforts were adamently opposed to both the anti-lynching bill and any effort to adjust immigration quotas. Thus what some today label are President Roosevelt's failures are in large measures the failure of the American nation. The President was operaing within the political situation in which he found himself.

National Security

The President after his Quarantine speech (October 1937) put national defense and preparation first. His success in large measure is due to the fact that he maintained his focus and priority. Much needed to be done. The President carefully chose his fights with the powerful Isolationist lobby. What he chose was to focus on national security by beginning to moderize the fleet and lay the foundation for a powerful air force. These were steps he could win because the Southern Democrats would support national defense projects. Certainly much more needed to be done, but the President faced poweful opposition to what he did do. The isolationists were frustrated by their inability to turn vast public support into Congressional victories. This was in large measure because the President maintained his focus and carefully chose his fights.

Assessments

It is easy today to criticize President Roosevelt for what he did not do. Eleanor certainly did. It is, however, also also unimaginable to consider the consequences if he had failed to defeat the isolationists. Looking back it seems to us a foregone conclusion that the President would defet the Isolationists. The danger from the NAZIs and Japanese seemsso obvious and the nature of the regimes so malevolent. But this was not the situation in the 1930s and even in the early 1940s before Pearl Harbor. Some of the key votes, especially on the draft were razor thin. The calculations are stark. As terriblre as lynching was, the number of indicuals murdered were very small compared to what was going n in Europe. The same is true of immigration quotas. Even if America had allowed a few thousand additional immigrants, the impact would have been relatively minor. What was significant was military preparadness. The Allied victory in Europe saved half of the continents Jews. America's failure to preare could have brought military defeat and deaths in utold millions or at least a delay in victory and deaths of hundreds of thousands if not millions of additional NAZI and Japanese victims. These are horrifying assessments, but any criticism of the the President's humanitarian failures has to address these simple stark calculations.

Fair Labor Standards Act

A measure of the President's skill is that despite the deteriorating the growing power of the conservatives that he managed to guide one of the most important New Deal legislative measure through Congress--The Fair Labor Standards Act. This along with the Social Security Act (1935) are the twin pillars of the New Deal.

Sources

Black, Conrad. Franklin Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom (Public Affairs: New York, 2003), 1280p.

Davis, Kenneth S. FDR: Into the Storm, 1937-1940 (Random House: New York, 1993), 691p.

Freidel, Frank. Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Rendezvous with Destiny (Little Brown: Boston, 1990), 710p

Tugwell, Rexford. The Democratic Roosevelt (New York, 1957).

Created: 7:21 AM 7/25/2006
Last updated: 11:08 PM 7/25/2006