Printed Page 664 Chapter Chronology
Challenges to the New Deal
Why did groups at both ends of the political spectrum criticize the New Deal?
The first New Deal initiatives engendered fierce criticism and political opposition. From the right, Republicans and business people charged that New Deal programs were too radical, undermining private property, economic stability, and democracy. Critics on the left faulted the New Deal for its failure to allay the human suffering caused by the depression and for its timidity in attacking corporate power and greed.