What forms did opposition to the New Deal take, and how effective was it?

Barry Goldwater, Republican 1964 presidential candidate; succeeded Taft as the leader of Republican conservatives in the 1950s. Goldwater consistently opposed the expansion of government welfare programs modeled after the New Deal; he criticized President Eisenhower for offering a "dime-store New Deal".

Although many people supported Roosevelt's programmes of reform and recovery after the Great Depression, there was also opposition to the New Deal. There were those on the Left who argued that New Deal policy was not going far enough to reform society. On the other hand, politicians and businessmen on the Right argued that the New Deal gave government too many powers.

This opposition was reflected in a number of individuals and organisations. As a man from a wealthy background, the President was criticised by some of his peers for the fact that it was in fact the rich who were targeted by high taxes. Roosevelt was even reportedly excluded from his social club in the aftermath of the New Deal.

However, the most notable person who opposed the New Deal was a Senator from Louisiana called Huey Long. Huey Long represented, in its most extreme form, the fears of many leftist critics as well as New Dealers. Long like many others accused Roosevelt's plans of not going far enough in the assistance of the poorest members of society. As such, Long created his own alternative to the New Deal which was called "Share Our Wealth".