Father Charles Coughlin was an American priest who advocated a proto-facsist ideology through the use of radio broadcasts. He began broadcasting in 1926, after a Ku Klux Klan cross burning occurred on the property of the church he presided over. He gave weekly hour-long radio addresses until being picked up for national broadcast by CBS in 1930. His radio shows were initially religious in nature, but gradually turned to his controversial views on social justice. His audience reached into the millions, extending way past his original Irish Catholic audience. As his message became more political, he began attacking Socialism and Communism, while also criticizing the capitalistic underpinnings of American society, which he believed had made Communism attractive to some. As a result of his attacks, he appeared as a witness in front of the House Committee to Investigate Communist Activities. After CBS dropped Coughlin in 1931, he raised money to create his own program.
During the 1932 election, Coughlin endorsed Roosevelt, coining the phrase "Roosevelt or Ruin" in support of the New Deal. In 1934, Coughlin testified in front of Congress that "If Congress fails to back up the President in his monetary program, I predict a revolution in this country which will make the French Revolution look silly." Also in 1934 he founded a political organization, known as the "National Union for Social Justice"(NUSJ), an organization dedicated to furthering Coughlin political views. Its founding ran concurrent to his rescinding of support for Roosevelt, particularly his monetary policy. Instead he began attacking Roosevelt, become increasingly judgmental of his policies. The NUSJ advocated the nationalization of certain industries, redistribution of wealth through taxation, and a more active role of government in the economy, and propagated isolationism. By 1934 his was listened to by tens of millions of Americans, and in 1936 founded the Union Party, which quickly fizzled out.
Following the election of 1936, Coughlin turned increasingly towards antisemitism, voicing attraction for Hitler and Mussolini as a bulwark against Communism. He also began a weekly magazine, called "Social Justice", as a means of spreading his conspiratorial beliefs. In the mid 1930s, the Roosevelt administration began passing new regulations for radio broadcasting , created specifically to force Coughlin off the air. Although Coughlin eventually was able to work around the restrictions, he was no longer able to reach as large of an audience as he had previously, ending his influence over American popular opinion.
During the 1932 election, Coughlin endorsed Roosevelt, coining the phrase "Roosevelt or Ruin" in support of the New Deal. In 1934, Coughlin testified in front of Congress that "If Congress fails to back up the President in his monetary program, I predict a revolution in this country which will make the French Revolution look silly." Also in 1934 he founded a political organization, known as the "National Union for Social Justice"(NUSJ), an organization dedicated to furthering Coughlin political views. Its founding ran concurrent to his rescinding of support for Roosevelt, particularly his monetary policy. Instead he began attacking Roosevelt, become increasingly judgmental of his policies. The NUSJ advocated the nationalization of certain industries, redistribution of wealth through taxation, and a more active role of government in the economy, and propagated isolationism. By 1934 his was listened to by tens of millions of Americans, and in 1936 founded the Union Party, which quickly fizzled out.
Following the election of 1936, Coughlin turned increasingly towards antisemitism, voicing attraction for Hitler and Mussolini as a bulwark against Communism. He also began a weekly magazine, called "Social Justice", as a means of spreading his conspiratorial beliefs. In the mid 1930s, the Roosevelt administration began passing new regulations for radio broadcasting , created specifically to force Coughlin off the air. Although Coughlin eventually was able to work around the restrictions, he was no longer able to reach as large of an audience as he had previously, ending his influence over American popular opinion.
Great post Jonnie, this post was both very informative and interesting. It's interesting to see that someone who voices pro-fascist, white supremacist hate also founded the National Social Justice Movement of that time. I think it would be interesting if you could tie this man's popularity to how modern America would look at him.
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