10. Opponents called FDR’s New Deal socialism, fascism, and communism, all at the same time
The entire industrialized world felt the impact of the Great Depression due to the negative effects it had on trade, but the two economies which were most heavily hit were those of Germany and the United States. When FDR came into office in 1933 many of the programs he introduced as part of his New Deal were compared inaccurately to programs being introduced in Germany. The Nazi Party in Germany quickly displaced German democracy, instituting the fascist government which remained in power until the spring of 1945. Opponents to FDRs liberalism accused him of attempting to do the same.
Conservative critics in the 21st century continue to describe the New Deal, erroneously and uninformedly, as a fascist, socialist, or communist program. They also continued to claim that it expanded federal power but failed to end the depression, another inaccurate claim. By the end of 1936, the American economy had rebounded sharply. Another recession occurred in 1937, at the beginning of which unemployment was about half of what it had been in 1933. All other indicators had returned to their pre-depression levels of 1929. The New Deal did not on its own end the Great Depression, but it eased its effects on nearly all Americans of every class.